Edward Grinnan became editor-in-chief of Guideposts the same year I was promoted to editor-in-chief of Angels. It was an exciting move for both of us, and in many ways I had Edward to thank for my promotion. I started working for Guideposts as a young editorial assistant. It was a job title I’d never even heard of before moving to New York City. I did well answering reader mail and proofreading, and was soon entrusted with fact-checking to be sure every story we published was not only true but factually accurate.
My next move was to copy chief, where I clarified details of stories the editors helped people write. Edward was one of the up-and-coming editors I worked closely with. He encouraged me to learn how to help people write their stories myself. Me? Write? “You really think I can?” I asked him.
With Edward’s guidance I became good at something I never imagined myself doing, and we got to know something of each other beyond our work life. You can’t work on Guideposts stories all day without touching on your own personal life experiences. I got to know little pieces of Edward’s story and he mine. Get me on a trip down memory lane and I won’t shut up.
But for Edward it was different. Even as we became trusted friends, there seemed to be some secret part of his past he didn’t want to reveal. Then one day not so long ago he suddenly reversed our old roles. He handed me a manuscript and said, “Tell me what you think of this. Be honest.”
It was the first three chapters of a book: Edward was finally telling his own Guideposts story. Like me, he was doing something he never imagined himself doing. I knew how hard that could be. And how worthwhile.
