Stupid busy. Yes girls and boys, I have been stupid busy lately, but in a very, very good way! So much to write about, so I’ll only hit on one event for now.
Two weeks ago, (wow, two weeks already?) I was privileged to participate in a roundtable discussion at a class in memoir writing taught by Vanessa Shields. There’s something I won’t soon forget. The students, all women, were without a doubt, some of the most courageous people I have ever met. As they shared their stories throughout the night I kept thinking “You have no right to complain about anything ever again!” And truly, my life has been a day at the beach in comparison to what these women have suffered. And now they are taking pen in hand to write their stories to heal themselves, yes, but to comfort others too who will read their books. Vanessa shared an encounter with a bookstore owner who deemed memoirists “self-indulgent.” What astonishing arrogance and ignorance! If he ever has the opportunity to read these stories, he will, if he has any heart, immediately take back his hasty words and apologize. These women and those like them, as I said in an email, are our teachers and mentors, healers and prophets. Thank God for their lives, thank God for their stories, and thank God for their courage.
