“Is this Andilit? I see her everywhere.” A kind commenter said this on my other blog the other day, and I couldn’t stop grinning. There’s something about being known that makes me smile.
But it’s not because I want to be famous or even be recognized by name. No, I just like realizing people know of me because my friends have talked about what I do. It makes me feel loved.
For the past few weeks, I have been absolutely awed at the way people have rallied around my book project. There have been almost two hundred “shares” of the Kickstarter on Facebook, and people tweet it and mention it all the time. Man, this makes me feel good.
Yesterday, a historian I just met told me he appreciated how I was putting the book together, and I felt a little of that tension that all writers carry about their projects melt away – affirmation from a kind, knowledgable person means so much. Then, today, the local paper ran an article about the project, and within hours, another historian had written me an email to express his appreciation for the project. My friends at the Central VA History Researchers have absolutely been enthusiastic from the get-go, and my long-time friends – the ones who I can call crying at any hour and be heard – they remind me to rest and find joy, not just work, in this season. And if you are my friend Hez, you knot me fingerless mittens so that I can type and be warm, all at the same time.
Friends of mine who are musicians – Brett Ryan Stewart and John Francis – have already offered to play my book release. My friend Maggie Selph Moore took pictures for me to use in my promotional materials, and my friend Laurie Jensen interviewed me for the paper where she is a reporter. I am beyond blessed.
It’s a common theme – this lonely writer’s life – but sometimes, the warmth of community, it just wraps you up like a hand-made afghan or like fingerless mittens.
Thank you, all, for making me feel so appreciated, valued, and loved.
If you’d like to support my book project You Will Not Be Forgotten, you can do so by visiting the Kickstarter page, watching my video, and sharing it with others. Your donations are also appreciated. Thank you so much.