My little SHOCK of the week

A while back on an internet board I belong to, someone mentioned I should write to the Ensign magazine with my experience with breast cancer. I don't know if it was made in jest or not, but it sounded like fun. So I went to www.lds.org for fun and submitted my story to the Ensign as an idea for a little article. I sent it via email and promptly forgot about it. A few weeks later, I get an email from them saying that they want to purchase my manuscript for the article. HOLY FREAK!!!!! I was really surprised. Then I read the email again and saw that they wanted me to fill out some paperwork and return it to them promptly so they could send me a check. Again, HOLY FREAK!!! I didn't know that they gave money for little things people wrote for that magazine. It never even occurred to me at all and it wasn't the reason I sent it in in the first place. I asked a friend on the internet and she says they do pay for stories and articles, depending on the length and the topic. So I looked a third time on the email and it shows they will pay me $100 for it. Wowzers, I was in shock. My friend warned me again that just because they buy it, doesn't mean that they will publish it right away or even ever! Still, it's nice to dream and it doesn't really matter if they do. They paid me for it!!!!!! Whoo hooo!!!!