I will confess that I have a regret of sorts about the Bad Example Family (& Friends) Reunion. On Saturday - the BIG day, when everyone was over - I spent most of my time hanging with Frank J., because I knew I was the only person there that he knew to any real degree, and probably the only reason he agreed to come (except, of course, for the fact that SarahK dragged him kicking & screaming).

Because of that, I missed out on a good chance for quality time with bloggranddaughter Lee Ann of Lee Ann's View, and didn't get to know her NEARLY as well as I wanted to, or nearly as well as I will when the opportunity next presents itself.

The first thing I noticed about her was her smile. When she came through the door, there was no nervousness, no hesitancy, just confidence and a radiant warmth about her.

The second thing... well, I'll just quote from her Reunion review:

I walk around a corner and get a great big hug from this sweet man. As I'm being held, I ask, "I'm sorry...who are you?" My response is, "I'm your blog-grandfather!" Bigger hugs are exchanged, "Oh wow! Oh it's so good to meet you! 'Nother hug!"

Now what does it say about a woman who'll hug a total stranger just because he's probably a nice guy?

I think it says a lot.

Now, since Lee Ann only posts occasionally, not all of her natural warm & affectionate nature comes through. The difference between reading her and actually MEETING her is the difference between looking at a square of sunlight coming through a window onto your floor, and being out in the middle of a newly mown field on a summer afternoon to bask in the daystar's radiance.

I'd never seen her. Never even talked to her on the phone. She made me feel as comfortable as if I'd lived with her every day for all of my 38 years.

She's that open. She's that welcoming. She's that wonderful.

And I can't wait to see her again.

Even if that little finger-wiggling story scarred me for life ;-)

Posted by: Harvey at 09:53 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 380 words, total size 2 kb.

So everyone's waiting for me to say something about the Bad Example Family (& Friends) Reunion. The thing is, there's too much to say (and too many pictures to post) to do it all in one shot, so I'll be trickling it out over the next few days (possibly weeks) in no particular order as I try to catch up from the week in Florida.

What I'd like to do is talk a little about what I learned from meeting my Family in person that I didn't know about them just from reading their blogs.

I'm starting with Tammi of Road Warrior Survival, since she was the hostess and made this whole thing possible.

The first thing I noticed about her is that she's tall. Yes, she's mentioned on several occasions that she's 6'2", but that's different from actually being in her presence. The thing is, she wears her height well. She doesn't stoop or hunch. Those slender, elegant body-lines are fully extended, allowing her to revel in her femininity. You can tell she just loves being a woman.

The next thing I noticed was how warm and friendly she is. And it's not just to her blogfamily, it's to EVERYONE. Whenever we went into a store or restaurant, she'd just charm the socks off of whoever was serving her. EVERYONE who has Tammi for a customer walks away feeling like they're the most important person on the face of the Earth. She will NOT let anyone escape her aura unless she can make them smile first, and doing this genuinely makes her happy. It's oxygen to her.

Now imagine being someone who's IMPORTANT to her... I tell ya, I've paid good money to be pampered, spoiled, & coddled by professionals, but Tammi makes them ALL look like snarling French waiters by comparison. She just has this easy, natural way of caring that must be experienced to be believed.

I'm not religious, but I figure this MUST be what it's like to bask in the supernatural glow of an angel's ministrations.

If it's not, I wouldn't want to go to heaven, anyway.

And the fact that she IS this way, is a miracle in itself. I got to hear about some of Tammi's backstory, and her early adulthood was... rough. And she went through some dark... and I mean VERY dark... times during her life's journey. Yet she came out on the other side... This. Way.

For all that she's gone through, I am amazed that she way able to find the strength to choose a path of joy instead of languishing in her pain. Honestly, I wouldn't have been able to find fault with her if she'd given up.

But she didn't. She came through. She is living proof that there's always hope.

She's a unicorn. She's a miracle. If you ever get the opportunity to meet her in person, take it or be forever damned as a fool, because you will never meet her like in this world anywhere else.

I love Tammi, and I am proud... DAMN proud... to call her "blogdaughter".

EPILOGUE:

Tammi has posted her own thoughts on the Reunion on several occasions, and also had thoughts posted FOR her during a few post hijackings.

Posted by: Harvey at 08:45 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 556 words, total size 4 kb.

1 I couldn't have said it any better. Thanks go to you for bringing her into the family. Otherwise the reunion never would have happened, and I can't imagine life without the memories we created.

Posted by: Johnny - Oh at February 15, 2005 09:17 PM (6XYy1)

2 Sure. Just really rub it in for those of us who couldn't make the trip and are chained up here in the dark and frozen (well partly melted right now) North.

Posted by: GEBIV at February 15, 2005 09:27 PM (YVn2E)

3 *blush* I'd say thank you for the kind words, but that doesn't begin to cover it. I'm speechless...yes really. You are a darling!

Posted by: Tammi at February 16, 2005 07:38 AM (HaRi0)

4 Yeah, she's probably crying.

Posted by: _Jon at February 16, 2005 07:52 AM (HaRi0)

5 Thing is, anyone who knows her will read this & go, "that's an understatement" :-)

Posted by: Harvey at February 16, 2005 08:46 AM (tJfh1)

6 I've never in my life met anyone as giving as Tammilicious.

Posted by: Boudicca at February 16, 2005 02:49 PM (z7nbM)

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