It sure has been a while

Comment:

I haven’t written to you since I was in 8th grade, and I just finished my second year of college. So, SO much has changed since I last visited this website, and the nostalgia is almost overwhelming. I see so many younger kids reading these books and asking the same questions that I did. When I came home for summer last week, I was sick and I knew all I wanted to do was read a comforting book. I picked up ‘Now I’ll tell you everything’ and I finished it in a day and a half. Not only did the Alice series shape my entire childhood and teen years, it is still influencing everything I am today. I’ve currently been struggling on knowing what to do regarding my relationship with my boyfriend, future career issues, and family issues. In Now I’ll tell you everything, Alice navigates similar things in a way that is so comforting and realistic to me. I know she’s just a character, but the way she lived her life and the choices she made have made me feel so much better about the thoughts and feelings I’ve been having. Maybe this is the time in my life where I’m supposed to be confused on what to do and who I am, and maybe this is the time in my life where I’m supposed to make mistakes and figure out my place in the world. If that’s true, I am so thankful to have the Alice books to fall back on when I need comfort. I know you hear this a lot, but these books will be on my shelf until the day I die. Thank you for your sincerity, your honesty, your wisdom, and your kindness. These characteristics bleed through every page.

Phyllis replied:

I’m so glad you found that last book.  I do get very involved with my own characters, and I’ve done my share of crying as Alice faces some of her problems.  It does seem as though, all through life, we face challenges, one after another.  We just finally settle something and think we can breathe for awhile, and then we see that something else pops up that requires all our patience and thought.  But many of these are happy decisions too, and it’s often good to remind ourselves–when wondering if we’ll regret something–that at the time we made a decision, it seemed like the right or good thing to do.  And sometimes, when a decision about yourself is in order, you just have to keep on living life and staying aware to figure out what it is you really want.  How you truly want to spend your time that would make you happy and feel fulfilled.  Remember that nobody is happy ALL the time.  Happiness is those extra special moments that are exceptionally joyful.  What most of us mean when we declare ourselves happy is that we are content–with who we are and what we have.  My best wishes to you…