Make the Effort

             Hi there! I’m well, how are you? I hope you’re well. I’ve had an eventful month. You can catch up with me on Instagram. I’ve had to fix a lot of electronics which makes for long days. I didn’t feel like writing about it because it was exhausting and desperately lacked humor. I couldn’t even find humor in the multiple situations. Anyway, with it being wedding season, I thought I would provide an excerpt from one of my chapters. It’s about a wedding years ago.

I rolled into a church in Minnesota. It was grand with marble and statues everywhere. I was at Keith’s wedding. Keith was a good friend from camp Courage. I had worn a little black dress. I got there fifteen minutes before the ceremony started. I was sitting and taking in how Allison, the bride, decorated the church when I see Keith in a grey suit and orange bow tie bounding towards me looking as happy as I have ever seen him.

 

“Hi friend!”

“Keith, why did you come out?”

“I saw you. You’re here! You drove six hours to get here. The fact that you are here is amazing!”

“I love you. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

“I love you too. I am marrying the woman of my dreams today.”

            He had to get back to the front of the church. I love when my friends are happy. I thought about all the things that had to happen in order for me to be in this very spot. Keith found Camp Courage online, my extended family had moved out to Minnesota, and they suggested this place, Keith was a counselor when I was a camper, Keith and I had communicated for seven years over Skype, and he took a few random trips he made to Chicago which all led to this moment. Through my faith journey, I have decided not to believe in coincidences. Everything had been orchestrated by God. I said a little prayer of thanks and the wedding began.

            Allison had on a dress with a keyhole back and capped sleeves. The lace on the dress was stunning. She would not regret this dress ever; it was timeless. When they had their first kiss as husband and wife, Keith was given a step stool because Allison was two feet taller than him. The congregation all laughed at once. They ran down the aisle as a married couple. I was at the very back of the church and Keith squeezed my shoulder. Yeah, this was a lifelong friendship.

            At the reception instead of clinking glasses, you had to go up and ring a bell to get the couple to kiss. I couldn’t get to the table fast enough. I rang the bell, they kissed, and I started to turn around. Brian, another former camp counselor turned friend yelled, “Stop”! I stopped on a dime. The tablecloth got caught in my back wheel. For a split second, Brian, Keith, and Allison all went into “camp counselor mode” and told me exactly what to do. As soon as the moment was over, they instantly went to back to being wedding guests and I hadn’t dragged everything on their table to the floor.

            The night ended with a ton of dancing which I participated into the fullest extent.

            “Hannah, I am so glad you came. It was a long drive and I appreciate you making the trip,” Keith said.

         

       Reader, this summer, make the effort! Make the effort to see people and invest in them. In August, I am going to Minnesota for my annual trip. I’m going to cherish each moment with loved ones.

Karamo

I go to many Elmhurst University events. I live very close to the school so there’s no reason not to go. Back in September, I saw that Karamo Brown who is a TV talk show host, reality television personality, author, actor, and activist was coming to Elmhurst. I was going to go even if they put an ocean in between the University and me. I was going even if there was a blizzard. Thankfully, I did not have any of those obstacles that autumn evening.

Six weeks prior, I had texted my mom and asked if she wanted to go. She said no. However, my writing coach, Lex, was totally on board. He has an authentic passion for mental health which Karamo was going to speak about. When I asked, he agreed immediately. Smart man because I didn’t know it at the time, but we would have a remarkable evening together.

“Hey, Hannah!” Lex said as he walked across my condo parking lot. He was in a flannel shirt and jeans.

“Beautiful night,” I remarked after we started walking. We had been completely blessed with a gorgeous evening.

“You do know I’m just waiting for someone to ask you where your coat is,” Lex said with a smirk.

I immediately started laughing. People ask all the time why I’m not wearing a coat. I can’t easily take a coat on and off, so jackets are difficult. Actually, go to the blog post before this in which I explain further regarding the difficulty of a coat. We both laughed for a good five minutes about that.

We arrive at the University chapel. There must have been 1,500 people there. It’s large with white and brown pews accompanied by chandeliers on the ceiling. Then, it happened. Karamo arrived.

“It’s as if Michael Jordan walked in,” Lex stated.

“Seriously.”

Karama was at least seven feet tall with a shiny bald head and that man clearly works out. He may be gay, but I am a hot-blooded woman who is not blind. He took to the stage and gave a powerful talk about mental health and setting healthy boundaries. He’s phenomenal and I highly suggest his memoir: Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope. The most  amazing thing happened after his presentation. Elmhurst University administrators asked if I wanted to meet Karamo backstage. Is that even a question?

I started to type in, “I really admire you,” as we were directed backstage.

I rolled up and was able to say that and explain who Lex was to me and then my mind went blank. I was completely star struck.

Lex and Karamo

“Hey, nice to meet you,” Karamo said to Lex.

Karamo had a sixth sense about who was a true fan and who was “dragged” here. Lex was really excited to come, don’t get me wrong but he certainly didn’t know as much as I did about the gorgeous man in front of me.

“Hannah, what’s your story?” Karamo turned away from Lex asking me this question.

My story is you’re gorgeous. No, don’t type that, you idiot!

Lex came to the rescue, “She did her undergraduate work here and got her master’s from Loyola. She is my client, and she is working on a memoir.”

What Lex said.

“That’s great! Would you like to send me some chapters?” Karamo asked.

“Yes!” Thank you so much. You’re amazing! I have your book,” I managed to type.

“Oh great! I’ll write my email address in the book.”

Lex had the book ready to go. God bless Lex!

He wrote a message of warmth and encouragement.

“I am so grateful!” I managed to say to Karamo.

He gave me a huge hug which I will never forget. I had to turn around, which I managed to do. Once we were out of ear shot, we both freaked out.

“Did that just happen?”

“Oh my gosh.”

We repeated those sentiments about fifty times each. We were on Cloud 9.

The two of us had dinner at a nearby restaurant rehashing every moment again and again. It was such an incredible night that we will not forget.

 

Moving On in Gratitude

Lots of updates! Lots of updates! 

First, I did find a new caregiver! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! My mom literally stopped her life to find candidates that I could interview. I chose a woman who has a ton of experience. We are two weeks in and she’s comfortable with my care. I’m so relieved! It was an exhausting few weeks and I would not wish that stress on my worst enemy.

I’m emotional as I write this because I received cards, flowers, texts, emails, and a few of you even stopped by to visit. Having a support system like I do is the best gift I could have. To have everyone step up and realize that I was struggling and actually act on it is priceless. To know that you all care that much touches my heart so deeply. There are no words for how grateful I am.

In other news (so glad to be moving on), I did get published. I am published in Busted Halo, an online Catholic publication. You can click here to read the article. https://bustedhalo.com/life-culture/counting-on-christ. I worked on being published with my writing coach, Lex. He has been holding me accountable for writing my memoir.

Lex has been coaching me since February 2022. We meet via Zoom weekly and we do meet in person for different readings and plays in the city. He pushes me to be a better writer and he’ll humor me and read the occasional fun, girly novel during class especially when my life is difficult. Typically, he and I read serious memoirs, but Lex knows when I need class to be a break from life. It’s always appreciated! Here’s his website if you are interested: https://www.lexsonnewriting.com/. I cannot recommend him enough. Even if you don’t want to write a memoir, he tailors each class to his students.

I’m breathing a sigh of relief and focusing on writing. I’m so grateful for each and every one of you.

Gratefully,

Hannah!