My heart is hurting, but my face is smiling as I post this. Our amazingly talented, beautiful and loyal JodyGus just sent this Journal entry for me to share. Right now she is watching both of her parents decline, and working with Hospice to help her father with a “pain free peaceful journey to God”.

I can’t imagine the difficulty, but I ask for all of us to include her in our thoughts and prayers and show her as much support as possible. She loves working on our site and I can’t tell you what a gift she is for the fandom. SOOO talented with music and fan-art!

We truly do have a uniquely bonded fandom, and I think Jody has felt it a strength to be a part of. Here are her thoughts:

Friends in Unexpected Places

I am reflecting on my recent love of Cassandra Clare’s books and was overwhelmed by the fact that I have met so many people that I have never really met before, but share the same love of a book as I do.  I recently have been dealing with the hardest thing someone can go through, which is the death of a parent.  I have learned that you can find friends in the most unexpected places, such as the love for the same books.  I just wanted to express the fact that a love of something material can also bring about love of something spiritually.  I have been fortunate enough to work with some great gals on a blog for Cassie’s wonderful books and enjoy all of the twitter fans as well.  Cassie’s books have been such a great distraction for me while dealing with a very personal experience.

I want to express to my friends and to Cassie for bringing me a wonderful world to escape to for just a little while.  Cassie has so eloquently said “words have the power to change us” but I also think “words have the power to heal us”.

Thank you Cassie for your wonderful books and means for which to travel to a different world, and all of the great friends I have made along the way, laughing and crying through your characters, for I feel that we all are a great family joined by a wonderful tale.

Jody