From Half-Way Around the World

Bec in my library, 2011

                My friend Bec came from Australia to spend a month with me (excluding her lark to the wonderland of Harry Potter-ness in Florida). I wanted to include a post about her, because she is one of the most important friends in my life. Like me, she suffers from mental illness. Like me, she writes embarrassingly emo stuff about that tug-of-war that goes on in her mind. Like me, she finds stress relief and therapy in words, art, and song lyrics.
                I met Bec about 4 years ago in a poetry chat room online. Our words fell in step together like soldiers in the war for self-confidence. It was immediately apparent that she also hid behind the beauty of metaphor and imagery and we became sisters in the online years that followed. She has overcome the hardships of a family that does not understand mental illness, the stigma against homosexuality, and homelessness. Now, armed with her words and her political activism against oppression of any kind, she has resewn the bond with her mother, become a speaker and activist for gay rights, and attends university full time while holding down a job. My struggle with mental illness has been far less stressful, and she reminds me every time we talk that everyone has something to teach.
                This post today is a blog tribute to her.
                Thank you, Bec. You are an inspiration.
                You are my friend.