GUIDING FREEDOM FROM HEAVAN

A Short Story

By: Anita Waggoner

When Rowdy read the first draft of Freedom, he was thrilled. He recognized our ranch, our struggles, our laughter, and pieces of himself on every page. What meant the most to me was that he understood I wasn’t simply writing a Western. I was preserving the life we had built together, with all its grit, heartbreak, humor, and love.

Rowdy didn’t live to see how far Freedom would travel, from the original book to award-winning screenplays and completed television series scripts. Yet I constantly feel his presence. Sometimes it comes as a quiet thought telling me to keep going.

Other times, the right person appears at exactly the right moment, or a door opens just when I’m beginning to wonder whether I should knock again.

I believe Rowdy is still watching over Freedom from Heaven, guiding my moves in the way only he could. He was there when the story began, and somehow, I know he is still helping me find the road ahead.