It’s been over two years since I began to write my memoir, Close Enough to Perfect. As I sit here today I have only five more sleeps until the book officially launches. Of course, I didn’t call it a memoir when I wrote it, I saw it just as thoughts on paper, sort of like a diary, only more descriptive and detailed. I also didn’t call it Close Enough to Perfect, but I did need to save the document with a file name, so I chose the phrase Yours, Mine and Ours, in reference to our special days, Al’s and mine.
Al’s birthday is June 7th, my birthday is July 7th, and we got married on August 7th. We chose the marriage date to fulfill the trifecta and since then I refer to those dates as yours, mine, and ours. Although each word signifies separate days in our lives, it encompasses the unity which those days represent. Each of those dates became ours- together. Nine times I have experienced those dates without Al, and I won’t pretend that they aren’t difficult.
The world has changed drastically since I put pen to paper. Next month will mark the three-year anniversary of Al’s death. The freedom of socialization, the satisfaction of a full day’s work, and the spiritual rituals we once took for granted are compromised. Whatever lessons I have been put on this earth to learn, one of them must have to do with change. My life has been nothing but change since January 20, 2018.
Al would not have fared well during these trying times. He disliked anyone telling him he could not do something and the political state of affairs would have him off his rocker. I’ve been told he is in a beautiful place. If there is one thing I am grateful for it is that he never felt the angst of holding back one of his hugs.
We are five days away from Al’s and my story going public. Family, friends, and strangers will soon read very personal and sometimes unflattering accounts of our lives together. Although I’ve known since I decided to publish that this day would arrive, I confess to feeling apprehensive about the coming release. I try to take my mother’s words to heart, even though I did not hear them from her lips. “No, she thinks it is a great idea. She thinks it could help people.” (page 153- Close Enough to Perfect)
So, I try to remain calm. I try to control my angst, knowing Al has me wrapped in a bear hug. And that has always worked for me.
Let’s do this!
Virtual book release: Tuesday, December 15, 2020 - from 5pm-6:30 EST
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