I’ve always told my chicks that life is about relationships. When we’re young(er), it’s kind of easy to think we can cruise through life, smiling and happy, on an island with a couple of others, but it gets lonely out here. I think one of the best parts of my life throughout my life has been the people in it. I have had some pretty extraordinary experiences and all of them were possible largely to the people in my life at my time. The experiences that have formed me have people woven into the fabric.
The joys, the heartbreaks, the wins, the losses … all of them were shared or created by the people in my life at the time. And I’m grateful for each one of them, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Granted, it took some time for me to become grateful for the bad and the ugly but it happened eventually. I wouldn’t be who I am without those experiences, and I can’t imagine my life not like it is. Like, if the dad would have stuck around then I wouldn’t have had the struggles I have had, and those struggles have really been the foundation of my life as it is now.
The role of people in my life now is huge. People are my business. People keep me sane. People also make me angry and frustrate me. But it’s people who help me build my life. Social media has helped us to connect to people whom we probably never would have met before. I have so many friends online who I’ve never met in person. We laugh together and have gotten to know one another. I consider so many of them to be as close a friend as many who live in my town.
This past weekend, I celebrated my birthday with a party. It had been 20 years since I had a birthday party, and I was super excited that my best friend decided that she would plan and execute this one. I shared the invitation on social media a few times because I wanted the whole world to come. And, much to my surprise, people traveled great distances to celebrate with me, a lot of them people whom I’ve never met in person or have only met once or twice.
Someone flew in from South Carolina. Another friend who I met 17 years ago while blogging made the drive from Tennessee. Another blogger friend drove in from Virginia. And the people who drove for hours across West Virginia to be there! I was overwhelmed and shocked that they would go so far out of their way to spend some time with me! It was wonderful to look around the room and see my friends mingling and becoming acquainted with each other. I know some good freaking people, and we need to connect.
Another part of the weekend that was poetic to me was that some of the folks have known me for most of my life and some for a year or more. They weren’t surprised at all when I went to sing with my buddy who was there, while people who have only known me for a short time had no idea music used to be my life. Roots and wings, I call them. There were a couple of family members there who knew how much the song “I’ll Fly Away” meant to me and, aside from them, no one else would know that my eyes filled with tears and my breath caught in my lungs when the band started their set with it.
I’m grateful for everyone in my life. I’m grateful for everyone who has said kind words of encouragement to me and breathed life into me just when I needed it. I’m also grateful for those who say not so kind words to and about me because they also breathe life into me when I need it. Regardless as to when you joined me on this journey, know that I appreciate your presence. Every like, comment, and share keeps me going. I believe you when you say you’re praying for me and love me, and I hope that you believe me when I say the same.
We’re all heroes in our own lives, although we may not view ourselves that way. We have already lived through our hardest days and somehow made it. And we all need someone to encourage us and keep us moving forward. I hope that I have done my fair share of that and have answered the call when I should have. My 50th birthday is winding down as I write this, and my heart is so full from the well wishes that I think it might explode. Thanks for being my people. 🖤
Onward,
Amy Jo
