Also I love the idea of this contest thing. And am going to send my letter to Matt Logelin. Because the contest doesn't. And I think it's important.
Dear Matthew Logelin,
With 2011 coming to an end and 2012 taking off, I have been reflecting on my life throughout the past year. Without any doubt, the two most significant events were starting my blog and the death of my grandma. Both continue to influence my emotions, perspective on life, and the way I spend my time.
Coincidentally, I read Two Kisses for Maddy towards that end of the year and found that similarly to my year, your book was the influenced (and ultimately the result of) your blog and the death of a loved one. I admit I first picked up your book because my name was on the front cover, but as I dove into the pages I found myself connecting to your writing and your story more than I ever could have anticipated. I even found myself applying some of the lessons you learned to my own situation and often shedding tears for both of our losses.
I started my blog the very first day of summer, when most people were happy to get out of school and limit any kind of writing to text messages and Facebook posts. Although I don’t write everyday like I did this summer, I continue to post of my blog. I love being able to write about the people I encounter and how I spend my days. Blogging helps me to reflect on the things I’ve done and become more aware of my surroundings. I try to take in everything so I can remember it, and write about it later. I have found that blogging is, in a sense, the best form of therapy. Reading about how much your blog and the community of readers that reached out and helped you encouraged me to continue to love my own blog and find others to follow. I believe it is vital that people help each other, especially during a time of need. I love that those who helped you, and those you turned around to help, all originated from a blog. It has also been fun to continue to keep up with you and Maddy through your blog.
It was easy for me to latch on to your writing style. As an English student, I understand the importance of correct grammar. But as a fellow blogger, I appreciated the fragments and honesty and humor and strong words that you included in your writing. Though this did not distract any from your story, rather it just enhanced it.
I believe all deaths are different and like you found many times, everyone deals with death differently. One of the ways I dealt with the death of my grandma was through reading Two Kisses for Maddy. Reading your book made me feel less alone. I was able to relate to the feelings and even some of the occurrences you so beautifully wrote about. From the entire book, I clung to this passage most, “The people I encountered in public had no clue what I was going through. It’s not that I expected them to- obviously strangers don’t generally know what’s going on in another stranger’s world- but my entire life had fallen apart, and it felt crazy to see everyone around me continuing on as if nothing at all had happened.” This was exactly how I felt after she died. My grandma was admitted to the hospital for some tests only a week before she unexpectedly passed away on my eighteenth birthday. Like you encountered with Liz’s death, I had no idea anything was wrong with my grandma, especially nothing bad enough to take her life, and I was not prepared for the hardship it brought with it.
I often went to the basement to read Two Kisses for Maddy so no one in my family would see me cry. For a few weeks the pain from the loss of my grandma resurfaced so much while I read your book that I had to take a break from it. Thankfully, I picked it up again and finished it. Reading about your life returning to a normal pace and about you going back to work gave me hope for my own life. I read about how you ultimately overcame her death, but continued to keep her joyful spirit alive and a part of your daughter’s life. This gave me the reassurance I was lacking that even though I couldn’t do anything to change what happened, things would eventually get better. Your book was a vital step to my healing process of my grandma’s death. I also learned the importance of hanging on to what you do have and those you love. I’m not sure how you would have survived the death of Liz without Maddy, just as I could not imagine trying to deal with the death of my grandma without my family.
Sincerely,
Maddy Demeter
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