A Memorial Day Tribute, Jill-Elizabeth Style

Today is a busy day, a busy day indeed. First, there’s the memorializing (in honor of the day), then there’s The Godson’s birthday party (Happy Birthday Jimmy!!), then there’s (hopefully) some much-needed R&R. So this is going to be a very short post, because I have places to go and things to do. But I did want to put together a little memorial of my own today, to two people who inspired me to write (even when they didn’t know they were doing so, teehee), and whose inspiration helped me make the seemingly crazy-ass decision to walk away from a rather successful career and go willfully unemployed which made it possible for me to be, well, me.  (And before you say it, YES, I know it’s not exactly what the official Memorial Day honors, but that’s why I said it’s J-E Style.)  Therefore, I want to say THANK YOU OH SO MUCH to the following people for being, well, them (by which I mean the kind of people who give inspiration and support to seemingly crazy-ass people like me):

• Aunt Ruth (aka Ruth Seitz) – I’ve said it before and I’ll cheerfully say it again, I would not be the person I am today without you.  You made me want more by opening my eyes to so many amazing aspects of the world around me.  You helped me realize that I love great books and great art and great ideas, that it is possible to while away the hours without a television (teehee – a startling realization for a kid!), and never laughed when I said I wanted to experience all of the world – starting with laundromats and percolating coffeepots.  I miss you like crazy and am constantly thinking about what you would think about what I’m doing.  I keep trying so hard to write a book that you would be proud of – and willing to read…  Here’s hoping heaven publishes me before earth does.
• Jim McGee – This whole writing thing really did sort of start with “The Station” – the idea that it doesn’t matter where you end up, what matters is the journey there.  To a girl frustrated and bored at a lucrative yet mind-numbing job that was supposed to be the pinnacle of her career yet just left her ready to jump off the nearest cliff, the idea that every day matters and that you don’t have to stick to a path just because you started down it was life-altering.  You didn’t have any idea what you were starting when you gave M.E. that poem.  You didn’t know she’d share it with me.  But it did the job nevertheless, and I’m forever in your debt as a result!  Plus, you helped make one of my favoritest (Jillism) people on earth who she is, and without her, I’d have lost my mind YEARS ago…

There are a bunch of other, still-with-us, people who also had a hand in this whole writing thing, mind you, and to whom I am also extraordinarily and eternally grateful.  But today isn’t their day.  So they will have to wait.  🙂

Happy Memorial Day!