I think I’ve made a new friend thanks to blogging! It’s always nice to get a surprise e-mail from somebody who read something in my blog, but it was especially nice to hear from somebody who’s going through some of the same stuff I’m going through. (Makes me think it’s not so bad to post personal stuff…I probably never would’ve heard from this person otherwise.)
She’s a children’s book author, but she’s also got a parent who suffered a debilitating stroke; she’s got a “difficult” parent; and she makes a much longer trip back to see her parents just as often as I do, so she knows what it’s like to be pulled in so many directions that you feel like no matter what you do, you’re never going to be a good enough parent, daughter or friend.
It reminds me of when Teen met his good friend L. about five years ago. He’d had a pretty difficult time…but I’ll never forget the first time I picked him up from L.’s house. He said to me, “Mom, they GET me over there! They get my jokes and they get ME!”
Isn’t that the ultimate human desire? To have people in your life who “get” you? (So thanks, M.A.R. for “getting” me!)
Oh, my gosh! Two SEPARATE assisted living places??? That’s got to be hard…on everybody.
It’s so easy to think you’re the only one going through stuff like this, when the truth is many of us are…I guess this is what’s known as the “sandwich” generation.
So true! While I know a lot of people use their blogs for PR and the like (which is great), my LJ friends are all writers, like me, slogging in the trenches, and I love the camaraderie and support. Glad your new friend found YOU! XO Candie
Me too! (Love the camaraderie and support, I mean…it’s nice to get to know other authors as real people…though I’m also glad my new friend found me.)