Phew! Do you ever have seasons of life where, in retrospect, you realize that you just might have bitten off more than you can chew? Yeah. That. This has been quite a couple of months!
On Sunday, the Fairfax Library cosponsored a book reading and signing of Unforgivable. The librarian, Maree, told me they ordered books and those were on back order before they even got them. I saw that they had been advertising the event extensively. I advertised and talked to my friends. Even the Christmas in Fairfax website featured the event–not that I know how they got the information or what it has to do with Christmas!
Anyway, I expected to have a roomful. The best laid plans… By 3 pm, a friend had come and, yeah, that was it. She said she wanted to know about the book, so we sat in a circle and began: me, my mother, my husband, the librarian, and my friend with her baby. Then a lady from Iran wandered in, having been attracted by the book cover. The story brought her to tears. Finally, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor joined us.
A conversation ensued, where we discovered a mutual friend who passed 13 years ago–Rabbi Levi Dietch. She took my information, being sure that her synagogue and book club would want me to come and share my father’s remarkable story. I hope I’ll also get a chance to guide some of them in writing their own stories!
So, was this a waste of time? Absolutely not! You see, sometimes what we view as a successful event is not. And sometimes what we think is not successful is. Personally, I’m so glad I got to know these awesome women. That made it worth my time and more.