for by Martha Kennerson
All
Love
for by Martha Kennerson
After a day filled with grumpy co-workers , rush hour traffic that ’ s more of a parking lot , and family that doesn ’ t know where love and understanding begin and your patience ends , forgetting it all is a welcome respite .
Some people reach for a glass of wine ( or a whole bottle depending on how trying the day might have been ). Others grab their running shoes and hit the pavement or the gym . A few of us find a quiet place to read a good book . That last one ? That ’ s me . My genre of choice has always been romance , as it provides a feeling of hopefulness but also gives that feeling of “ ahhhhh ” when the last page is turned .
In my 20 ’ s , books allowed me to escape my tragic circumstances , marvel at all the places I was able to visit in my mind , and enjoy the adventures my subconscious experienced . Most importantly , they gave me the ability to transcend my personal experiences and actually fantasize about the man I hoped to marry one day .
As I grew into my 30 ’ s , I found myself critiquing the authors I read and even embedded myself in their stories . I never saw myself as the protagonist . My character was always the smart-mouth friend directing from the sideline . Their stories became my stories and always ended much differently than what the author had originally written .
In my 40 ’ s , I received a gift that forever changed my life . While attending a romance writer ’ s festival in Florida , I had the opportunity to meet the woman who gave the world romantic stories that challenged women to think differently about themselves and others . My literary idol , Brenda Jackson , penned stories that brought on a heady excitement about finding and staying in love , as she had proven , with her own life , was an attainable goal . Truly , that was important in a day and age where if things didn ’ t work out , folks were headed to divorce court and they weren ’ t taking the slow route , either . Not only did I have the pleasure of meeting the woman herself , but I met her inspiration — her husband , Gerald , who she married after graduating high school . Gerald encouraged her writing and also supported her desire to leave a 9-to-5 with State Farm and pursue her dream of writing fulltime . That ’ s a forever kind of love right there .