Validated

Have you ever experienced that feeling of knowing, without a doubt, that someone thinks you're good at what you do?  I had that today.  It was nothing dramatic, really.  In fact, it was actually quite simple, and not altogether important in the grand scheme of things.  But it made a world of difference in what I thought and how I felt.
I read a story to my mom.
See, like I said, simple.
A couple weeks ago, I started writing a little "God moment" story at writing group, and I finished it the next day.  Now, with no editing, no tweaking, it sits in my journal, waiting for me to type it up and give it life.  Mom and I were talking about my writing today, and I asked if I could read it to her- impulsive of me; I don't usually let people in on what I'm doing until after I've done it when it comes to my writing- with the possible exceptions of Katya and my grandmother- so I pulled out my journal and read it to her.
And you know, she reacted the way I wanted her to.  She laughed when she should have and understood the seriousness in it, too.  It felt good, knowing I was getting my message across.