Successful writing has nothing to do with publishing a best seller. It is about the connection the writer makes with the reader. They told me I connected. Our gratitude for each other was mutual. This wasn’t about ego or the writing or even how many hours it took to drive from Chicago. This was about humans being grateful for a connection with other humans in a fundamental and wholly present way that we rarely get to experience in our ordinary lives.
“I know, it’s like I have a new sister!” Patrick was saying to a friend as several of us were chatting. Then he stopped and we both felt the truth of that simple statement. “It’s like Sue died and she gave me a new sister.”
It’s true. In fact, it may surprise you to hear that Patrick and I haven’t actually spoken live since we met that weekend. We exchanged holiday gifts and a couple e-mails but we haven’t spoken. I tell you truthfully, even if we didn’t speak for the next seven years, if Patrick suddenly called out of the blue and said, “We need you here, will you come?” I’d be on the next plane. I can’t explain it. It’s just the way it is.
I was in a sea of unfamiliar faces, but each one was open and friendly as I swam upstream and down talking with family and friends as we walked along.
To be continued...
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