For a Friend

There are times, especially in the newspaper business that you wonder if anything you do gets read.

Yes, there are several weeks when you cover, write, type, edit, rewrite, and print something that you personally think is amazing, to have someone ask, if Kathy (the owner, editor, and my mother, the one that is always needed in the office, because no one else will do) read or encouraged me to write it in the way in which it was written.

This is also disturbing when people submit material to be published that was indeed published in a previous edition (in a timely manner which was relevant I might add). If you want something put in the newspaper, be sure to read it and know that it went in…anyway…I digress.

Last week, I received a text message from a friend who asked if I’d written anything in the paper last week.

I responded that I’d written some short on basketball and that I’d done other stories but my name was not credited.

She responded that she was looking for this column, which I’d written the previous week (two weeks ago, now) and said that she liked reading it and was just checking to see if I’d written anything. It was a great moment in my life.

As I’d written previously, I like my job and being the beginning of a new year that I was assessing those things in my life which matter, and those that don’t.

I realized in that moment that I’d write columns more often. That someone, a friend, actually took her precious time to ask me where it was last week.

In that this is for her:

First, I want her to know that life, in any measure is amazing, tough, stressful and rewarding, sometimes over the span of months, other times, in a matter of minutes.

I would like her to know that the little things matter— the people who care, and those who make you better.

I also want to tell her to let go of the little things that stress you, and be better for those great things that teach you a lesson.

Know that you are loved and that your friends are here for you, no matter the time of day, day of the week, week in the month or month this year.

I want her to know that there is a silver lining to every cloud.

That with the rain comes magnificent rainbows. But there is not always a pot of gold at the rainbow’s end.

In a nut shell, I’ll leave you with this…

•Believe in yourself, if you do everyone else will too…

•Be confident, you’re gorgeous, smart, and funny

•Live for the day, tomorrow is not promised (stole that one!)

•Speak the right words, the wrong words don’t only hurt those you say them to, they’re detrimental to you

•Believe in the importance of meditation, take time for yourself, refresh

•Overcome adversities, don’t let them beat you

•Breaking habits are tough, but extremely rewarding

•Treat others the way you wish to be treated…period

•Positive thinking will lead to positive thoughts and positive actions.

Most of all thank you for acknowledging me, my work, and the realization that maybe I do make a positive difference sometimes too.