You're so kind, Bryn - thank you so much! I really love how this post had coincided with this beautifully-written and illustrated story of autoimmunity of your own: https://brynphd.substack.com/p/58-layers
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this with us. I’m one of the many who missed it the first time. Written from the heart. Addictive, emotional, beautifully told. Thanks SO much. Sigh...
This was such a lovely read and I'm so glad you republished it.
Feeling different is tough, whether you're 7 or 70. I can imagine the pain for you as a youngster and for the little girl in the purple trews. Not fitting in - a bane for our lives. And the desperate need for people to understand. There's so many things in life to feel anxious about, aren't there?
Which makes the 9 year old's list so special. There are days where I need to remind myself of what is good, what brings me joy. It matters at every age and thank you for jogging my memory.
I am so pleased to have found your writing, as I know every read will be filled with colour, light and dimension.
PS: As a good friend of two well-known Roman fiction writers (Simon Turney and Gordon Doherty) I LOVE the Sinister/Dexter story and will pass it on. I know they'll love it too.
How lovely, Prue - thank you so much! Yes, the feeling different is so powerful, isn't it? And yay - I'm so glad you enjoyed that little lad's list - it warmed my soul when I came across it!
I'm going to look up your friends Simon and Gordon - thank you so much for mentioning them! 😊
I think you may have inspired a post for the future here . Feeling Different governed my life and even now, in my 70's, has its moments.
Re the authors:
Simon is a Yorkshire lad. He and I belonged to the same peer-review group back in the day and were published by a UK Arts Council funded initiative in 2010. Simon has gone on to great things, writing of Rome, Crusaders, and now Vikings. He's highly prolific.
Gordon is from north of the Border and has had equal success, writing of Rome, the Hitterites and Byzantium.
Together we indie-published a boxed set as a fund raiser for Myeloma UK . It's a cause dear to us as Gordon lost his lovely wife, Sarah, to Myeloma this year.
Rebecca, thank you so much for sharing this again. I had my hand on my heart as I read to the end...just beautiful Rebecca and full of love. What a wonderful connection you made with the young girl in purple trousers. Thank you.
It’s the juice of life to see through to another’s soul by looking into their eyes and connecting deeply.
We often carry those threads with us for a long time, as you did with the girl in the purple trousers. Imagine what it meant to her! You were both seen, acknowledged.
Thank you for this lovely story, it illustrates the difference we can make in our lives, and others, simply by connecting with a stranger.
Such lovely words, Donna - thank you so much for this beautifully-expressed comment. Connections like these don't happen all that often, and I felt very lucky indeed on that day. 😊
This is a lovely story, Rebecca. My partner has type 1 and I live with epilepsy, so we’re quite the pair. We talk a lot about the communities and people that support us, and what a difference it makes knowing you aren’t alone. I’m grateful you were able to give that to someone- it’s an amazing feeling when you can tell someone that they aren’t the only one, and that just maybe, it’ll be okay 😊
Oh gosh, Camille, that's quite the combo! That not-feeling-alone thing is so important, isn't it? And as for autoimmunity and other chronic conditions: we have GOT this! 🙌
We’re quite the combo in every way 🥰 it’s very important! How you experience community around your chronic illness definitely shapes how you relate to it. We do have this !
As you'll probably remember, the first time you wrote this story I cried. I thought it can't happen a second time, can it? I started out good but the waterworks came on. 😀
We all need to write a list like this boy when we're feeling down. It will show us that there are a lot of positives in our life.
Oh Matt, I'm so touched that this post hit you in the same way for the second time as with the first! How lovely. And YES to writing lists showing the 'good things', as that young lad had entitled his list. I learned a LOT from reading it! 😊
I am so glad you brought this back, Rebecca. It is so heart-warming - and truly educational for those who know nothing about diabetes, its physical and social consequences. Thanks so much.
Beautiful!!! Just beautiful!! And I can relate. As a kid wearing hearing aids - and in most rooms I was usually the only person of any age with hearing aids - I was always on the lookout for anyone else with hearing aids too. 💙💙
Yes yes yes, Sue! I'm always on the lookout for a glucose sensor on an arm somewhere, or perhaps the tube of an insulin pump peeking out of a shirt collar, and find myself claiming fellowship with the person sporting it even if I don't get the chance to say 'hey, you and I share something! 😊
(And thank you such a lot for your lovely words! ♥️)
So true!! Even if the hearing aid wearer and I never speak I think to myself "You and I are friends who just haven't met yet!". I feel a similar kinship with diabetics (due to a great niece with juvenile diabetes and other family members) ... often I feel that there's a whole network of people walking around who "get it" (about body/world navigating issues) but aren't as easily spotted...
This is the sweetest story, Rebecca--I am one of your readers who hadn’t seen it before, and what a treat it was! Those moments of wordless understanding between strangers are magic.
Once again illustrating just why I love and admire you and your purple trousered friend xxx
Oh Elly - thank you! 😊
I loved this the first time, and it’s just as lovely the second time xx
You're so kind, Bryn - thank you so much! I really love how this post had coincided with this beautifully-written and illustrated story of autoimmunity of your own: https://brynphd.substack.com/p/58-layers
A lovely coincidence for sure! 💙
So glad you shared this again, Rebecca. A beautiful and moving piece of writing
Thank you, Janelle! 😊
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this with us. I’m one of the many who missed it the first time. Written from the heart. Addictive, emotional, beautifully told. Thanks SO much. Sigh...
Oh Beth, such very kind words. Thank YOU so much! 😊
This was such a lovely read and I'm so glad you republished it.
Feeling different is tough, whether you're 7 or 70. I can imagine the pain for you as a youngster and for the little girl in the purple trews. Not fitting in - a bane for our lives. And the desperate need for people to understand. There's so many things in life to feel anxious about, aren't there?
Which makes the 9 year old's list so special. There are days where I need to remind myself of what is good, what brings me joy. It matters at every age and thank you for jogging my memory.
I am so pleased to have found your writing, as I know every read will be filled with colour, light and dimension.
PS: As a good friend of two well-known Roman fiction writers (Simon Turney and Gordon Doherty) I LOVE the Sinister/Dexter story and will pass it on. I know they'll love it too.
How lovely, Prue - thank you so much! Yes, the feeling different is so powerful, isn't it? And yay - I'm so glad you enjoyed that little lad's list - it warmed my soul when I came across it!
I'm going to look up your friends Simon and Gordon - thank you so much for mentioning them! 😊
I think you may have inspired a post for the future here . Feeling Different governed my life and even now, in my 70's, has its moments.
Re the authors:
Simon is a Yorkshire lad. He and I belonged to the same peer-review group back in the day and were published by a UK Arts Council funded initiative in 2010. Simon has gone on to great things, writing of Rome, Crusaders, and now Vikings. He's highly prolific.
Gordon is from north of the Border and has had equal success, writing of Rome, the Hitterites and Byzantium.
Together we indie-published a boxed set as a fund raiser for Myeloma UK . It's a cause dear to us as Gordon lost his lovely wife, Sarah, to Myeloma this year.
May I give a shameless plug for the cause? https://www.amazon.com.au/Forged-Fire-Prue-Batten-ebook/dp/B0781Z5FW6
Any money raised will go to Myeloma UK into perpetuity.
Rebecca, thank you so much for sharing this again. I had my hand on my heart as I read to the end...just beautiful Rebecca and full of love. What a wonderful connection you made with the young girl in purple trousers. Thank you.
Awwwww Julie, thank you. I still think about her now. It was such a wonderful moment! 😊
So sweet Rebecca...I could feel that in your writing.
It’s the juice of life to see through to another’s soul by looking into their eyes and connecting deeply.
We often carry those threads with us for a long time, as you did with the girl in the purple trousers. Imagine what it meant to her! You were both seen, acknowledged.
Thank you for this lovely story, it illustrates the difference we can make in our lives, and others, simply by connecting with a stranger.
Such lovely words, Donna - thank you so much for this beautifully-expressed comment. Connections like these don't happen all that often, and I felt very lucky indeed on that day. 😊
Purple is the color of royalty, and your small friend embodied it.
YES!!!! What a lovely way of looking at it, Amie! Thank you! 💜
This is a lovely story, Rebecca. My partner has type 1 and I live with epilepsy, so we’re quite the pair. We talk a lot about the communities and people that support us, and what a difference it makes knowing you aren’t alone. I’m grateful you were able to give that to someone- it’s an amazing feeling when you can tell someone that they aren’t the only one, and that just maybe, it’ll be okay 😊
Oh gosh, Camille, that's quite the combo! That not-feeling-alone thing is so important, isn't it? And as for autoimmunity and other chronic conditions: we have GOT this! 🙌
We’re quite the combo in every way 🥰 it’s very important! How you experience community around your chronic illness definitely shapes how you relate to it. We do have this !
As you'll probably remember, the first time you wrote this story I cried. I thought it can't happen a second time, can it? I started out good but the waterworks came on. 😀
We all need to write a list like this boy when we're feeling down. It will show us that there are a lot of positives in our life.
Oh Matt, I'm so touched that this post hit you in the same way for the second time as with the first! How lovely. And YES to writing lists showing the 'good things', as that young lad had entitled his list. I learned a LOT from reading it! 😊
I am so glad you brought this back, Rebecca. It is so heart-warming - and truly educational for those who know nothing about diabetes, its physical and social consequences. Thanks so much.
Thank you so much for such lovely words, Sharron! I really appreciate them! 😊
Beautiful!!! Just beautiful!! And I can relate. As a kid wearing hearing aids - and in most rooms I was usually the only person of any age with hearing aids - I was always on the lookout for anyone else with hearing aids too. 💙💙
Yes yes yes, Sue! I'm always on the lookout for a glucose sensor on an arm somewhere, or perhaps the tube of an insulin pump peeking out of a shirt collar, and find myself claiming fellowship with the person sporting it even if I don't get the chance to say 'hey, you and I share something! 😊
(And thank you such a lot for your lovely words! ♥️)
So true!! Even if the hearing aid wearer and I never speak I think to myself "You and I are friends who just haven't met yet!". I feel a similar kinship with diabetics (due to a great niece with juvenile diabetes and other family members) ... often I feel that there's a whole network of people walking around who "get it" (about body/world navigating issues) but aren't as easily spotted...
Thank you for *your* lovely words too!! 💙💙
What a lovely way to put it, Sue! 😊
What a beautiful chance encounter. Kinship in the most unlikely places. Beautiful. ✨🌳✨🗺️
So kind - thank you, Claire! 😊
Loved both times.
I actually teared up reading this, especially the end. Beautiful piece. 💕
This is the sweetest story, Rebecca--I am one of your readers who hadn’t seen it before, and what a treat it was! Those moments of wordless understanding between strangers are magic.
You're so kind, Sam - I glad you enjoyed the read! 😊