Fictional Friends

I am not much of a television watcher.  I rarely, if ever, turn on the TV to just flip channels because I am bored.  If I watch a show it is because I am invested in it and watch it regularly.  But I have very few of those.  I am however a reader.  Books have provided a lot of comfort for me during these past few months of uncertainty and trial.  Sarah M. Eden's books have been a huge comfort to me.  The Kiss of a Stranger I read for the first time earlier this year.  I loved the story.  The characters were very real and the situations tugged at me heart.  In need of  a comfort read, I turned again to that book.  One of the supporting characters has his own story told in Friends and Foes.  I devoured that one and moved on to the next in the series, Drops of Gold.  I have been reading a lot of regency romance books, but these are among my favorites.  Silly, but they felt like friends to me and helped me through hard days.  And maybe even more than just the books themselves, I recently read a blog post that Sarah wrote talking about her own trials and hard days.  My heart hurt for her and the struggles she is going through but I am so grateful that she uses her talents to bless others and that she has the strength and courage to push through her trials.  She is such an inspiration to me.                                                           

 And Edenbrooke.  Sigh.  I love that book.  It is among my very favorite books and I have read it several times.  I had to return to Philip and Marianne's story again.They always bring a smile to my face.  I am always reminded to find my own reasons to twirl.  Blackmoore I finished reading for the first time last week.  This was a very emotional read for me.  While the other books all had their obstacles and difficulties to overcome, this book spoke to me in a different way.  My heart broke as I read Kate's story.  I sat on my bed and cried my heart out during the last few chapters of the book.  Poor Chant didn't know what to do with me when the river of tears just kept coming.  Maybe I needed that release for my own sorrows and frustrations.  But through all her heartache, Kate moved forward and found her own way.  She wasn't held back.

 

One day while we were in the midst of everything going on at the office, I got on Netflix.  Like I said, I don't watch TV.  But I just needed something different that day.  In the "suggestions for you" box was a Canadian show I had never heard of.  I clicked on it and watched the first episode of season 1.  And I was hooked.  Maybe I am weird, and far too attached to fictional characters, but something about Heartland, Amy, Lou, and their Grandpa Jack spoke right to me.  It instantly took me back to the days of sitting on my couch in Rexburg, Idaho, my heart filled with loneliness and the desire for friends that I couldn't seem to make.  But I found those friends in Rory and Lorelai, Luke and Dean and all the other quirky characters.  I made it through some hard times with their help.  I couldn't have done it without them.  In need of comfort and support again, I found another group of people who let me into their world.  Jack reminds me so much of my dad.  He's gruff on the outside and soft as a marshmallow on the inside.  Both men would do anything for the ones they love.  Amy is brave and strong.  Mallory is the quirky one that always speaks her mind.  Perhaps in the midst of trying to figure out what is going on in my own life, I am seeing traits in these fictional characters that I wish I possessed or had it large quantities.  Whatever the case may be, I am grateful for these  fictional friends, both written in the pages of books and on the screen, that have brought comfort to my heart, a smile to my face, and an excuse to cry when I needed it.