Hey there,
I promise I’ve been quiet again because I’ve been working on Blind Trust over the summer and… well… you realise how much you’ve learned along the way when you go back to the books you started on. What I love about this book in particular is that Aeron holds her own for a large portion of the story while she’s learning to use her burdens, helping others, and winding up bruised and battered along the way. My favourite part however is her friendship with little Zack and how seeing Aeron with those who need her so badly and who have no voice of their own, brings something very special out of her. I love that about Aeron: give her a person who has scars and nightmares and she’ll turn them into weapons and victories against fear and doubt… which leads me to someone who I think did much the same in her own life.
Many people are incredibly saddened because we’ve lost one of the most inspiring women ever to be able to fix up a car, whisper hope to animals and manage to do one of the hardest jobs going for 70 years. Although I’m sad we don’t have her around to look up to physically anymore, we do have reels of film, mountains of pictures and the memories of those who met and knew her. I’m astounded how one person could touch so many and act so flawlessly for so many years and I don’t know of anyone who could still do that job well into their nineties. What an innings. When we lose someone as outstanding as her, many of us look at our own grief and ache all over again but, although the Queen said the side effect of loving someone is grief, my view is that the side-effect of loving someone is that you always have them with you. Yes, the grief sucks, but the prevailing effect is that you have them in your memories. We’ve been working hard defying the notions of gender in our household by building our own porch and Em, who is very clever (just don’t tell her I said) and I have had one massive backlash from people you’d expect should know better but I usually tell her to look at how the Queen had to deal with people not liking what she did or her position but she kept on going, shining her light to those who let her and listened, and being incredibly graceful towards those who have been very mean. Yes, she certainly didn’t put up with nonsense and that’s the kind of inspiration (along with big faith ones) that keeps my feet steady. She was a voice of hope in the pandemic and I heard her impact in the area around me as people sang the words of the song she spoke to them.
Thank you, Ma’am, for all your service and kindness. Ferb, Em and I salute you. We hope you enjoy catching up with your family and getting back to the horse riding you loved so much.
Me, Em and Ferb
I guess what I’m saying is that as I’ve been finishing off Blind Trust, I’m thrilled to see that Aeron is working the same way, doing a job she didn’t ask to do; helping those who trust her enough to help; trying not to sock those who really need pickle juice, and getting a town and Renee through a hopeless situation. Yet, no matter how stressed or busy, she had time to speak to a kid without a voice… hmmm… guess I had a real-life inspiration to draw from, huh?
Big Smiles,
Jody