nearariverreadingbook

Near A River Book Cover by BJ Rae with two eagles flying over a still river with green mountains in the background and blue sky with white clouds above

Hi everyone,

Thank you for joining me today. I met Bobbie Jo on LinkedIn and read her beautiful blog post and asked her if I could share it here. She said yes! and so I’m sharing it in its’ entirety here. I hope it touches you like it did me and you purchase her book for your child.

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It was a cold November day almost 20 years ago but I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was driving to work and suddenly got the feeling I should try to reach my Grandma.

I pulled over and called her at the hospice house where she was staying. She haltingly spoke, “Sweetheart, my time to go is very soon. I will miss you so much! Always know I

Bobbie Jo Rae pictured as a child with her Grandmother — *I have a very important promise to keep!*

am with you and I love you no matter where you go or what you do. Promise me one thing. I tried to share love, hope, faith, and encouragement with everyone I could. Promise me you will continue to spread my message! And follow your dreams. You will be a writer someday!” She could tell I was crying when I replied, “You know I will! I love you and will do anything for you! You have been my world! I will spread your message to the ends of earth if I can! Watch over me from heaven, OK?” The call was short because my 94 year old Grandma was having trouble breathing and speaking at the same time.

She was put into a drug-induced coma by noon that day and she died a week later. I have cried rivers of tears since she died. She was my world! She taught me how to love others and be loved back, how to be strong and survive. Most importantly, she taught me to believe in myself, that I can make my dreams come true.

Well, I tried to spread her message with everyone I encountered everywhere. I held doors open for people and smiled at them, I cooked food and delivered it to those who were down for whatever reason, and I volunteered at a nursing home. But I felt I was not doing enough to spread her message to the ends of the earth.

Years later, I finally became the writer I have always dreamed of becoming! I could not disappoint Grandma! And I realized that I can spread her message much farther by writing and sharing my writing on social media.

Could you please help me spread her message? Could you please share my posts and encourage others to do the same?

Grandma is watching over me from heaven right now, crying as I write this post. I will not disappoint her. When I get to heaven, I will hug her and tell her I did my best to keep my promise with help from many friends.

Spread a positive message every day of your life!