Humbled

I was just surfing the web and stumbled on this 4-star review for my first novel, Bulletproof Soul. As an author, reviews are nothing new, but for numerous reasons this one really touched me.

The essence of young Trixia's review follows: "The book tells you that sometimes, life isn't always the way we want it to be. Mistakes have been done, damages have been made, tears have been shed, regrets have been felt. What comes next? forgiveness. forgive and forget. forgive and forget. forgive and forget. We always have choices. Career or relationship. Hold on or let go. Move on or be stuck in your past. Cherish every moment or take them for granted."

:-}Michelle smiling:-}

By George, I think she got it. Color me humbled.

I'm humbled and touched because: (1) More than two years after my novel was released, folks are still discovering it; giving credence to the maxim what's done in the here and now always affects tomorrow -- it's called a legacy. Do we all give enough thought to what ours will be?

(2) It was nice to see a woman, much younger than myself, relate to the story. As I stated in my novel, I embrace the philosophy: each one; teach one. "Noblesse oblige: to whom much is given, much is expected." I believe that it's up to each generation to teach, inspire, encourage and motivate the next, just as the generations before us taught, inspired, encouraged and motivated us. Hopefully, I've done that with Trixia and will continue to write novels that touch, inspire, motive and encourage many others.

(3) The reviewer was of a different ethnicity. It's wonderful to know I wrote a story that hopefully women of all colors can identify with. Afterall...love, family, career, etc. are universal topics we can all relate to. Besides, connected hearts and intertwined souls...should know no color.

(4) Trixia took time documenting specific passages that spoke to her, including a few of my favorites:

We thought we were bulletproof. We had both proven time and again that we were survivors. But in truth, we were far from bulletproof. We bled, hurt, felt, cried and died just like everybody else.

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"Lacy, you know I love you. No one else matters to me. You're special. You're my heart...you're home. I havent felt like this before. What we have is like food, nourishment for my soul, and I need you here." Wynn expressed his love for me in ways I'd only dreamed of. It wasn't the trips or constant flurry of activities. It was the little things, like him calling just to hear my voice, surprising me with love notes in unexpected places, and always instinctively knowing what type of mood I was in...but mostly, it was the way he looked at me. When we were together, he looked at me like a life-long blind person experiencing the miracle of sight for the first time, admiring everything with awe and amazement. I'd often wake to find him gazing at me like a mother taking in the miracle of her newborn. The fact that he loved me was in a way its own miracle. The way he looked at me and cherished me meant everything to me. How could he not know that I already had the only piece of the world that truly mattered? Him.

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It's been a long day. I'm tired and I'm not being particularly articulate as to why this review moved me so, but hopefully you get the idea. It was simply an unexpected bright spot in my day. And it reminded me that we should always embrace and celebrate those bright spots that warm our hearts and touch our souls, whenever they come along.

Peace and blessings...have a wonderful rest of the week.