Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends......

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends....Mm, Gonna try with a little help from my friends! The Beatles music is hopefully accompanying you in your mind as you read this.;-)

It was a lovely weekend. I got to meet my girlfriends who have been friends since fourth grade for our friend Kathy Orton's book signing. In the picture, we are at our hometown's Pizza Hut where we spent many an hour growing up. Often, we were using quarters to pay and hoping we had enough. This past Saturday, the waitress, aged 18, could have been one of our daughters. Life goes on;-).

Kathy's book, Outside the Limelight - Basketball in the Ivy league, is a moving look at a group of players and coaches who often don't get the publicity of the Big Ten. During the book signing, she talked about how she was drawn to the stories of perseverance and dedication in a group who knew they wouldn't be going on to the NBA, but wanted to excel, even outside the limelight.

And as I listened to her presentation at the library, it occurred to me she was probably drawn to those stories because she herself has those same attributes. She told us about how hard it was to get a publisher, the doubts that creep in, the final joy of getting a publisher, the deep disappointment of being dropped from that first publisher a year and a half later, the determination to see her "baby" through to another publisher and all the ups and downs in between. She herself was working outside the limelight, while a full time writer for the Washington Post. Now that is some dedication!

I draw strength from her stories and accomplishments. And I draw strength from my friendships as a whole. I realize we are all here to root each other on, though we all have a different set of goals and dreams. When I'm down and call or email a friend, I'm always a little stronger for the chat, making a connection with someone who cares.

And I include in my group of "supportive friends" the authors of many of my favorite books. While I wouldn't dream of phoning a girl friend at three in the morning (short of a disaster), these other "book" friends are always there waiting with their own stories of accomplishments, hopes, set-backs and advice.

And those of you here are also friends and I really, really thank you for your comments and just your little icons that show up at the top of the page. That support means a lot!

So yes, I get by with a little help from my friends, and I'm gonna try to reach all ten of my goals with the help of my friends. And I hope you all are reaching out to your goals with the help of friends too. Let me know how I can help!

Eileen