A light in the darkness

This has been a very tough week for me. The back has been in agony for much of it. Even more troubling, my grandmother is definitely declining quickly and between the back, Mark's heavy work schedule and other issues, getting home in a timely manner may prove to be impossible. All of this is weighing very heavily on me.

Something happened today that was such a bright light in this darker period and I found myself smiling and laughing, REALLY laughing for the first time in more than a week.

As you may know...I don't remember if I posted it here in my blog...I had a bunch of books go missing from my hotel room at RT. A dear friend asked me for a list of what was missing earlier this week and I sent it to her. No problem, she's just pointed me to a book trading mailing list and I've been incredibly slow making my want list. This dear friend also popped a box of books in the mail and I have some intriguing new reads to check out.

Anyway...today the mail came and with it an envelope addressed to my 'pen name'. Yes, I know, it seems strange for an editor to have a pen name, but due to a family member's job it became necessary. When I opened the envelope I was both thrilled andmoved to find a copy of one of the books that had been stolen.

My dear friend had contacted the author, asking her to send a signed bookplate for me. Instead of that already generous gesture, the author sent me a signed copy of her book. This absolutely made my day.

Thanks so much to Angie W. Angie initiated this and her sparkling prsonality and wit complement a heart of gold. Thanks also to Marjorie M. Liu for sending me her wonderful book Tiger Eye. You ladies are the best! Thanks for shining a ray of brightness into a dark week.