First I’d like to say . . . “it’s
great to be back!” There are times we
hit a wall in life and we know we need a break.
Yep, not want a break – but need a break. If we love ourselves, and we all should, we
need to listen to our ‘self-talk.’
I knew it was time to take a break
from writing, something I haven’t done since my sister, Diane, passed over six
years ago from throat cancer. I kept
telling myself after I finish ‘this book’ I’m taking a month or so off to get
caught up on the housework, the kitchen cupboards, etc. But that next book would scream at me . . .
and before I knew it – I would be engulfed in a new plot.
2014 was a great year . . . but it had
a few hiccups that have incited me to count my many blessings.
My brother-in law, only 66 years old,
had a massive stoke on both sides. An
active rancher all his life . . . and now . . . he’ll never sit-up, walk, take
a stroll down the hallway and go to the bathroom, or even feed himself without
help. It can happen to any of us . . .
any time.
I started 2014 with a hole-punch
retinal tear and of course I was still doing therapy on my right wrist – that
torn ligaments and cartilage – separating all eight bones requiring
surgery. After much therapy and pain - instead
of having no use of my hand – I now have 96% – I’m so grateful.
My husband and I struggled with
helping our son go through a disastrous divorce (are there any other kind?) and
there were the usual life’s struggles of car breakdowns, new tires, and twice a
two-year-old frig/freezer malfunction!
The final straw in 2014 was my 63 year
old sister committing suicide in November.
She chose to hang herself from a tree on a lonely hillside in California
~ rather than face life. My heart breaks
for her and I wish I could have helped her make a different choice. I now respect her decision – because it will
eat me up if I don’t. Sometimes things
are beyond our control and that’s why we have God . . . to help us get through
the tough stuff.
As I’ve grown older, I realize it’s
not just family that gets me through the good and tough times in my life. It’s my friends. We hit a time in our lives when it becomes
apparent how important all those friends are.
True friends who are there for me when I really need them . . . and it
goes without saying – I’m there for them when they need me.
It saddens me when I hear people say
‘how lonely they are.’ That’s when I
start counting my blessings. I feel all
the more grateful for my husband ~ who is my best friend. And there are our couples-friends we
share. Great times gold panning and
dinner parties together. But, let’s face
it – us gals need more than that.
I have only one friend from my high-school
days. I’m incredibly grateful to have
Carolyn in my life. Someone who knows me
from eleven years old to now . . . how wonderful!
I’m overwhelmed with the sensitive,
caring, and loving ‘writer friends’ I’ve been blessed with over the years. And these are the ‘friends’ I’m talking
about. One lady (Ginger) has moved into
the ‘sister’ title and the rest are in the ‘I can’t do without’ category. The Internet has radically redefined the concept
of friendship. I’m not talking about bogus Facebook ‘friends.’ I am talking about how the internet has
allowed easy access and connection with others - so we’ve been able to nurture friendships
as the years go by.
Isn’t it amazing to have incredibly
strong relationships with some writers, yet we’ve never met each other in
person? Yet we regularly talk to each
other about some of the most intimate and important aspects of our lives. We
are truly friends and a significant part of each other’s social life.
There is always time and room to add
another friend, be it a new reader who emails to chat about one of my books, or
a new writer needing some ‘advice,’ or even that established writer who is
reaching out for someone to ‘just listen’ for a moment or two.
I realized how many friends I’ve been
blessed with when I shared my sister’s suicide.
The amount of support and love I read in those emails put me to
tears. When I started my writing career
- little did I know I’d stumble onto a support system that invests more heart
than I could ever imagine.
So . . . to all my friends . . . thank
you for being there for me during the good, bad, and even ugly times. Know one thing ~ I’m here for you, too.
As a teen I once received a fortune
cookie . . . one that I’ve always remembered and hold dear. “Friends
are gifts we give ourselves.”
Friends
Me and you are friends . . .
You fight, I fight . . .
You hurt, I hurt . . .
You jump off a bridge . . .
I’m gonna miss your dumb ass.
No comments:
Post a Comment