A Party in the Storm

After planning my book launch and rearranging my house for the event: wine bar in the kitchen, book signing nook by the big back window, my office cleared of all my own books, and every shelf lined with brand new "Learning by Accident" paperbacks artfully arranged with photos of family and friends, a hurricane hit--not the day before, and not the day after, those two days were picture perfect. Irene, as the hurricane was named, hit the exact day of my book launch with the peak of the storm scheduled to arrive at 8:00 p.m., the appointed hour of the toast. Hugh and I talked a long time about where to hold the event.  Our own home finally made the most sense. Our home is the setting for most of the story, and nearly every person invited to the party is a "character" in the book. We picked the date because it was the only one available after a few publishing snafus, and we didn't want to go past Labor Day. Both of our daughters, Anna and Mary, had travel arrangements set, and took time off from work to attend. Terry, from Vermont had a flight scheduled, as did my brother John, and his family from Atlanta. My sister, Mary (she's Kate in the book) and her daughter Meg were visiting from Albany, New York. So, when the storm took a turn for the worse, we really had no choice but to go ahead with the party, and we did. We served drinks and desserts: 250 mini cupcakes, lemon cookies, assorted cheeses, fruits and nuts, dessert wines, and beer. All day my phone buzzed with text messages saying, "Sorry, we won't be able to make it in the storm." Every time Hugh walked by me, he wrapped me in a consolation hug. But Anna, Mary, and their cousin, Meg, were stoked. Meg hoped out loud that the lights would go out and we'd have to party by candlelight. When I said I was disappointed, Mary said, "Mom it will be great!" and Anna said, "Didn't you learn anything from that book you wrote? You can't control the weather. Just have fun." And so it appears the universe is not done teaching me. I had my little meltdown, but the party turned out to be a success. Twenty-five brave souls turned out to celebrate with us. At eight o'clock, Hugh made his toast to me on our staircase, and our daughters followed up the toast with these words: While everyone has to end on page 304, we're lucky to have been able to see beyond the back cover and to watch you embrace this new strength and follow your dreams." Shortly after the toast, the lights went out, but the party went on, and everyone glowed in candlelight.Cheers!

Megan, Mary, Sherita, Anna