Amy's Tale..

I've been meaning to post this since I've read it..

Read "With Love and Laughter, John Ritter" by Amy Yasbeck..

It's strange, y'know, when you read a book and feel like you didn't want it to end--that happens to me sometimes when I'm reading a particularly good piece of fiction or some sort of biography that managed to wrap me up for a few days in its brand of mindfog...

And that's all well and good when it happens. It's lovely, it stokes the creative embers, and typically it's pretty shortlived.. You consider it for a few, laugh at the anecdotes, and move on with your life.


Let me tell you...this book is so much more than just that. It's been about a week and a half, and still her words linger in my heart and mind. It's like I can't shake the feelings...the familiarity(which is odd, because I didn't know any of them until Amy shed the words that linked me...), the closeness of her pain...and the joys she shared with John and Stella... it's almost like she made us become part of the family.. After absorbing this book, I feel as though I've known them, as though I've lived through her eyes and seen these memories as vividly as she recounts them.. Haven't felt like this since Gene Wilder's "Kiss Me Like A Stranger"...that vibrant lasting connection. It's truly an amazing feeling.

To be honest, I not only admire someone who can carry a good story and take you along for the ride... but also..with someone like this, I feel full on envy...of course, that's merely an undertone shadowing the truest layer of respect and gratitude.

It's always been hard for me to see people truly sad-- the whole bit; the shaken paleness, the faltering voice, the flooding eyes...and yet, for me, getting a full grasp of one's gamut of emotion is to truly connect. This book exceeds that constant hopeful expectation...and does not easy let go.

Currently trying to reread the book--it's much harder this time out. The exhilarating rush of understanding and appreciation of the untold story, and the humanity it brought...is replaced with looking beyond layers and 'hearing' the person tell the story... Taking it in doses now instead of rushed sittings. It's actually better...but more a process.

I admit, I do get thrown into my weekly or monthly 'obsessions', but this feels different. I feel like I've been reached..and that happens far less often...

I live for that.