I would like to post an unbiased review of Sarah Cunningham’s book Picking Dandelions, I really would. But when she mentioned having cubicle walls at her christian school desk (like I did) and made me laugh out loud about her role in “church business meetings,” I liked her too much to be objective. And when I read about her passion for the church and her internal struggles to embrace change and growth as a Christian–well, I developed a girl crush. So I won’t try to be unbiased. I will just tell you that this is a memoir you will love. You will laugh and enjoy yourself so much, you won’t even realize how much you are learning about yourself and your own journey with God through Sarah’s honest wrestling with her own. I had the chance to ask Sarah a few more questions here…Enjoy!
1. Like every good memoir, your book has a thread that runs through the narrative and gives shape to your story. How did you go about finding/developing/exploring that dandelion theme?
Originally, I had wanted the book to touch on more garden imagery–like passages describing the Promised Land or the Revelation descriptions about Heaven, but that became too complex. So instead, I had to strip the book down and build it around something else. I fell into the dandelion thread because I’d already used it as the metaphor for how I gave my life to God simplistically, with the innocence of a child giving a dandelion to their parent. Once I started researching the plant a little more, the other pieces fell into place.
2. Do you have something you’ve always wanted to do that you haven’t done yet? If so, what is it?
Ha. For sure. My dream list is PACKED. I’d love to learn to speak a language fluently, to travel more internationally, to try my hand at writing fiction, to adopt…the list goes on and on and on and on and on. How much time do you have? 
3. What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
I advise people to experiment with smaller platforms, such as writing for free websites or low-circulating magazines, and then to use those small successes as resume points for pitching their stuff to bigger media outlets.
I also suggest writing when you have big chunks of time to devote to good writing, rather than trying to force yourself to write for a certain amount of time, say 30 minutes a day. That flies in the face of what some writers prefer, but it is what works for me when it comes to producing something meaningful.
I just want to learn to be a more and more aware person, who notices the thought processes that feed my behaviors. It is easy to kind of sleepwalk through life. I don’t want to do that. I want to open my eyes and see where I can grow and experience more of what God intends for us.
5. What are three things you are hoping for in the next year?
1. To push the limits of graciousness.
2. To accept disappointment with balance.
3. To beat my husband in more card games. We keep track of our wins and I’m devastatingly behind. Its embarrassing.
*Disclaimer: These are all destined to take more than one year.
6. How would you describe your current stage of spiritual life, in one sentence?
Enjoyable, unpressured, increasingly courageous.
The transition between working on a church staff to teaching high school is–chronologically anyway–connected to the storyline of my first book, Dear Church. But, I was terrible at that transition. I was honest in my search for God and what he was stirring in my life, but I had a hard time adjusting to the change in schedule, life pace and altered relationship with co-workers. Since I wrote the second book, Picking Dandelions, I was transferred to another building in the school district where I work. I was terrible at adapting to that as well. It took me like half the year to get my head out of the transition and fully into the game again. And one of my friendships that meant a lot to me fell through, which was not what I expected to happen. And, true to form, I was also terrible at that transition.
I suck at change. I see it as sort of the “curse” of the idealist. Meaning when you decide to err on the side of believing in people, in the value of relationships, that the world can be a better place…it can be devastating to adjust when life delivers something other than what you’ve been striving and believing toward. I work hard to create the kind of life and friendships and goodness that surrounds me. I enjoy a lot of steadiness and solid long-term relationships as a result. But sometimes life throws me a curve ball and I just don’t catch it. Change is not my strong suit. Not at all. That is why it was important I spend some time facing that deficit in the book.
That said, adjusting to being a mom was NOTHING. It was the most natural thing on the planet. And I wasn’t sure it would be. But something about being a sister and being a friend just translated into being a mom. My little boy is the easiest human on the planet for me to love and take care of.So many other things in my schedule just slid off the priority list the moment he became part of my life.
8. What’s one thing you hope you’ve passed on to the people you’ve influenced?
Belief.
9. What is your favorite and least favorite thing about your house?
The thing I love are the colors. It is warm, cinnamon and rusts and golds. And I love that our goal isn’t to be fancy, but to create a place where a family can live and love each other.
The thing I don’t love is where the bedrooms are located. They are spread out over a couple floors, which isn’t ideal for an expanding family.
The first thing in the morning, I usually say a prayer. It isn’t a very spiritual prayer though. Its more along the lines of, “How did morning get here already? God, I’m going to need some help to get out of bed today.”
The last thing is a wind down with my husband. Half the time I spend some time reflecting on life and faith and how things played out in my day; half the time I am so tired I just crash.
Apprentice, maybe. I think my life experiences have prepped me well for those sorts of tasks.
Or Big Brother.
NOT Amazing Race. I have no sense of direction and get crabby when pushed too far in unfamiliar settings. I would be a disaster on the Amazing Race.
12. What’s the thing you’ve accomplished that you are most proud of so far in your life?
I’m proud of the times I’ve been a good sister or a good friend. And I’m proud of slowly growing into a person who strives to be generous with love and kindness no matter what happens.
Thanks Sarah! You can check out Sarah’s blog or order Picking Dandelions-on sale on Amazon this week!!
Now your turn: What question would you add to my “12 Great Questions?”
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