All About Love Blog Tour Featuring Author Rhonda McKnight
By APOOO • Feb 23rd, 2009 • Category: All About Love •
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Sister-friend Love – How Would We Make It Without It? by Rhonda McKnight
“Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend’s counsel that comes from the heart.” Proverbs 27: 9
It’s Wednesday, January 28th, and I’m sitting in a surgical center waiting room. The medical team has just rolled my seventeen year-old into the O.R. #2 for his third knee surgery. I want to cry. Not because I don’t believe things will go well. Really I’m a woman of faith. I entrust my children to God’s care every day. I want to cry because I’m already beyond this operation, thinking about the pain he’ll endure, and the agony of physical therapy. He’s out of school. He can’t play the basketball he loves, and I know my son will once again isolate himself from most of his friends. He doesn’t like for people to think he’s not at 100%. Then there are the lesser concerns; this is all expensive and I’ll be missing quite a few days of work in an economy that dictates a sistah show up. I whisper words that I’ve come to say daily, “Lord, please help me.”
I drop into a seat by the window. The gloomy rain joins the depression that’s circling my soul like a vulture. I reach into my handbag. To distract me I have a Claudia Mair Burney book and my cell phone. I don’t want to call my mom in New Jersey, yet. She’s a nervous grandmother. My sister is with my three year old, her hands are full. And my soon to be ex-husband, well – he’s in what I call “less than a man” mode. So I’m alone. Alone with my thoughts, alone with my dread, alone with a sense of failure that mischievously creeps in whenever I begin to wonder if there was something I could have done different to grow stronger knees. You know the drill – Did I drink enough milk when I was pregnant? Maybe I should’ve made him eat more vegetables? The silliness that fills time, because try as she might, not even Claudia Mair can distract me today. It’s been a whole twenty minutes. I’m a strong black woman, but I still want to cry.
My cell phone rings. It’s Dee Stewart, my “write-or-die” sister-friend. “I’m on my way,” she says. “Do you want McDonalds?” I decline the food, but welcome the company. Minutes later Dee arrives pausing in the door like the diva she is. The waiting room crowd appreciates her arrival. My sister-friend is a beautiful distraction. I give her a hug. We sit, we talk, we wait. Dee’s got text messages and phone calls coming in on that Blackberry, faster than the airplanes at Atlanta Hartsfield. She’s a busy publicist, reviewer, writer, and mother. (Did I mention she lives more than an hour away?) She ignores all the pings and rings as we chat about the Obama’s, books, and men. I check my watch again, more than two hours have passed. The lobby that used to be full is now almost empty. Just when I’m about to get anxious Dee says something real crazy. You know one of those things that just takes you over the edge. This chick – not only has she mastered the art of description in her writing; she’s the queen at telling a good story. I laugh, really hard.
Finally the doctor comes through the door. “He’s doing well. Things went better than expected. This could be the last surgery.” I’m relieved by the first statement, and filled with hope from the last one. I wait to see him in the recovery room, and Dee Stewart celebrates with me.
Sister-friend love – how would we make it without it? When family can’t or won’t be there or when a man is being less than a man, we’ve always got our girls. Calling or showing up right in the nick of time; making sure we laugh instead of cry.
Love to all the women who practice true sisterhood. I wish you many moments of laughter with your friends.
Blessings,
Rhonda McKnight
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Rhonda McKnight is the owner of Legacy Editing, a free-lance editing service for fiction writers and Urban Christian Fiction Today (www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com ), a popular Internet blog that highlights African-American Christian fiction. She’s the vice-president of Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta. Rhonda’s debut novel, Secrets and Lies (Urban Christian Books) will be released in December 2009. When she’s not editing projects, teaching workshops about writing or penning her next novel, she spends time with her family. Originally from a small, coastal town in New Jersey, she’s called Atlanta, Georgia home for ten years. You may learn more about her at www.rhondamcknight.net
About Secrets and Lies
It’s hard enough to keep a secret without telling a lie, but when you’re married it’s almost impossible. In Secrets and Lies, Jonah and Faith Morgan’s marriage is collapsing under the weight of both. Can Faith keep the “faith” after Jonah’s accused of sexual harassment? Against the backdrop of old memories, new enemies, and a plot for revenge you’ll find out just how much a couple can take when the heats turned up.
Readers will find Secrets and Lies appealing, because it takes you into the complex mind of Dr. Jonah Morgan, a man you’ll love to hate, who’s dedicated his life to physically healing children, but he’s emotionally and spiritually sick himself.
Look for Secrets and Lies, coming December 2009 from Urban Christian Books. I promise you won’t regret it.
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APOOO is a book club and an online author and reader community dedicated to advancing African American literature. Our mission is to expose readers of all ages to a good book in any genre; to support African American authors, books, literary events and bookclubs; to provide marketing resources, tools and tips to authors; and, to promote literacy within the African American community.
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Oh my goodness! This was so touching it almost made me cry. Ain’t nothing like a sistafriend!!!
Sherri I agree very touching…it tugged on my heart strings as well. All of us should be blessed with one sistafriend as good as Dee.
I’m proud to say that I know both of these phenomenal women. We are not only members of the same sisterwriterfriend group, but we are cry-on-your-shoulder, celebrate praise report and interceding prayer request friends. I think the above story demonstrates that on many levels. Great job Rhonda!
Sincerely,
Veronica Fields Johnson
President, Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta
Rhonda, I hope that his knee continues to heal as the doctors predict. I am glad you had your sister-friend there for you. I believe in the power of the love and support I get from my sister-friends.
Lashonda´s last blog post..2009 1st Quarter Reading Challenge – Week 7 Update and my project
I agree with Sherri, this was really touching, I visualized everything as if I was in the waiting room with you guys, not only that but I felt every bit of what you were going through Rhonda. I am so blessed to be a part of a group of sisterfriends who opened their arms to me with the love that is written about so eloquently by Rhonda. I agree its nothing like true sisterhood, it is irreplaceable.
Touching, indeed! Nothing like having a real circle of friendgirls!
Thanks for sharing!
Roishina Clay Henderson
Author of Make Me Whole
Rhonda, your story is touching and the beat of my heart against my chest stirs emotions within in and out as I feel what you are saying. Our children are our treasures. Our motherhood is our blessing. Our true friends, those who are with you when it really counts, are a gift from God. Another touch of His favor that He sprinkles over our lives. I thank God you are well and that your son is well. Your faith in God is evident all over this internet, girl! You are a true testimony. And Dee, you are the friend that many people long to have! God bless you.
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Absolutely wonderful to have such a great friendship. Glad to hear your son came through his surgery great.
Rhonda,
Thanks for sharing your story. God always connects us with the right people. I’m glad you have a sisterfriend in Dee. I don’t know her personally but from our online interaction I know she’s good people. From what I know about you, I’m sure if Dee were sitting in that hospital, you would be the friend sitting across from her.
I love hearing stories like that, friendships still exist.
LaShaunda´s last blog post..Outlaw Marshall Blog Tour
Thanks all for wishing my son well. He’s coming along.
Sister-friends are our lifeline for sure and since we’re talking about love, I figure let’s love on each other.
True friends come through in the end. Thanks for sharing your story. We all need a friend or two like that in our corner.
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i don’t even know dee, never met her, but after reading this i love her already! great article. best wishes to your son on his recovery!
Beautiful piece, Rhonda! Thanks for sharing. There is nothing like a good girlfriend! She will be there when you need her, tell you the truth even when you don’t want to hear it, and always keep it real. We used to have a saying when I was growing up… ‘never diss your girlfriend for a guy, because your girl will be there for you when that man makes you cry.’ I’m glad Dee had your back and helped you make it through those hours while you waited for news about your son. I’ll keep him in my thoughts and prayers.
Gwyneth
Thanks Gwen – is that a Jersey saying, because I grew up hearing it too.
Iris – she’s a doll. You have to come to ATL once weekend when we have a writer’s group meeting and meet us all. I’ll hit you on email about it.
Rhonda,
Thank you for sharing how wonderful the relationship between girl/sistah friends can be. Very nice post!
Thanks, Rhonda for this great post. I’m honored and I would do it again.
We do have a really good write-or-die sisterhood here. I’m very thankful to be yall friend. Keep me in Selah in our prayers as we go through another bump on our road.
Love ya.
Dee Stewart´s last blog post..Who’s Reading U: Four Reasons it Takes a Village to Raise a Book
Great sister-love post, Rhonda. Glad to hear the recovery’s coming along well!
Rhonda,
Prayers and blessings for you and your family. It is good to have a sister friend when you need a person most. I have one too that I can call on any time of the day or night. I feel that your son is a fighter and will be back on the basketball court real soon.
Be blessed.
Roxie
I have the best friends in the worllllllllddddd
Rhonda:
Praises that the surgery went well! This was clearly a tear-jerker type story but actually it brought a smile to my face, especially when I thought of Sistah Dee arriving with her diva self and then getting you to laugh in such a trying situation. I could see you two together in that place.
Girlfriends are forever.
PatriciaW´s last blog post..Black Christian Fiction on Parade — Kimberla Lawson Roby
That was beautiful Rhonda. Thank God for His loving kindness that shows up in our earthly friends at just the right time.
Rhonda, this was a beautiful story. I can tell you and Dee share a bond. What a blessing and a lesson for us all.
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sounds great, i can’t wait to get my copy!
That was a beautiful story! We all need a good friend like that.
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I can’t believe I’m just now reading this story. It really left me breathless. There is indeed nothing like a sistafriend. We are a backbone to each other, our families, churches and communities.