Book Buddies

Sometimes in the midst of life's bleakest, most challenging moments we are given little pearls that brighten our way.  Dealing with aging parent issues is not easy.  I had the luxury of spending two weeks with mine, (mother, 87, severe Parkinsons, and my father, 89, severe age denial), and spent my time bouncing from one to another addressing their needs.  The bleak part set in when my Dad's pharmacist misfilled his pain medication and he ended up in the ICU (15mgs Oxy, instead of 5mgs, suggested geriatric dose is 2.5 mgs and he is tiny! Dear God.) . That was on a Sunday. By Tuesday he heard the words 'skilled nursing facility' and he put his denial in full drive, checked out of the hospital, and was home walking around, albeit a bit unsteadily by Wednesday.

Taking a break one afternoon, I walked the picturesque village where my parents live and decided to check up on my book in the village library.  I like to look at it on the shelf and check out it's check out status.  They still use 'the card catalog and index card pasted in the the back cover of the book system' , which I love. It feels like home. I must back up though to explain the pearl.  While I was writing my book, I had the distinct honor and true pleasure of attending a writing conference where both Maya Angelou and Anne Lamott were featured speakers.  Both have been favorite authors of mine and each of them blew me away.  Laughing, crying, and then laughing again, I was beyond inspired.  I used Anne's book Bird By Bird as gospel as I tried to fill the imagined one inch picture frame writing my own story.  And when my book was published I sent each a copy thanking them for their inspiration.  Maya sent a lovely note back, I never heard from Anne. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the bookshelf in the library, and there was 'Stay For Lunch' nestled up snugly against it's neighbor, Anne Lamotts' Grace (Eventually).  Seriously, in the Given Memorial Library in Pinehurst, North Carolina there is nothing between Goodwin and Lamott in the inspirational memoir section.
Why that feels so good to me, I don't know.  It just does.