Thanksgiving 2023 – Ramona In The Realms

Yesterday was a very strange day.

I woke up to a posting on the BRW FB page informing all of the other BRW writers of the tragic passing of a writer, who I safely assume is at least a generation or two younger than myself. His name is Andrew Evans. It was posted by this younger man’s sister-in-law. Sadly, I did not know Andrew. I will not speculate as to the reason for his passing, it does it matter beyond the tragedy of his death. What matters is that he was blessed to have had a family that loved him dearly, and who will miss him forever.

The posting read as follows:

“Good Morning everyone. My brother in law Andrew Evans – Author Page ‘s book Ramona in the Realms is due to be released today. We are immensely proud of all the hard work he has put in to have his book published and realise his childhood dream of being a published author. However we have some devastating news to share with you all. Yesterday afternoon Andrew tragically passed away. As a whole family we are all distraught at his untimely passing and find it heartbreaking that he will never know the success of his book. I know he has made friends with some other black rose writing authors and he seems to have locked his Facebook account so we can’t let people know on any of his pages so thought we would let people know here. He leaves behind his daughter Cerys, his Mum and Dad, his siblings Paul (Hec Torios), Louise Evans and Martin Evans and finally his 2 nephews and 2 nieces. If you would like to leave any memories or messages please leave them below or feel free to message me privately I can pass messages onto the family. If anyone is interested I can update again when we have more information. Thank you for taking the time to read “

What also matters is that this young woman had the strength to step up and post about this tragedy literally the day after it occurred. She must have cared deeply for her BIL, Andrew, because yesterday would have been a Hallmark moment in Andrew’s life, had he lived. As you can see, his debut novel, Ramona in the Realms, was published yesterday by BRW.

Andrew passed the day before his dream of being a published author was fully realized.

Now I’m assuming that “Lexi Evans” is the SIL who posted this for Andrew. God bless her for taking the time away from her and her family’s sorrow and grief to perform this final service for him. A completely selfless act on her part. I know that had she not posted, I would not have known about it for some time, until the news slowly started spreading in concentric whispers among the BRW writers.

Lexi went beyond her own pain and made sure that the world acknowledged what Andrew had fought so hard to accomplish. God bless you Lexi.

By learning of Andrews passing on the opening day of his novel, it gave us all an opportunity to do the only thing we could do to honor his tragic passing – step up and buy his book on its opening day. Give substance to his dream. So I did.

I could tell by the number and tone of response posts on FB that other writers (and friends of writers) felt the same way.

Andrew left a single child behind him. A daughter, Cerys, which in Welsh means “love”: https://nameberry.com/babyname/cerys

Her name says it all.

For Cerys sake, I hope Ramona in the Realms turns into one of those internet sensations and becomes a NYT bestseller. A posthumous runaway success like a Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confederacy_of_Dunces.

And no matter what else happens, I hope the Evans family can find the strength to survive this tragedy. My prayers are with them. And Andrew, I wish you peace on the far side of the veil. Congratulations on the publication of Ramona in the Realms. Well done you.

Well, today is Thanksgiving, and yet, sadly enough, there are a lot families out there that are suffering, like the Evans family. The world is in chaos and times are tough all around. My prayers are with the suffering.

But we must still count our blessings.

My darling wife, Lisa, finishes up a long and rewarding career as an RN today. Damn, you worked hard for a long time. Well done, sweetie. Love you.

I am also blessed by my children and grandchildren.

I consider myself the luckiest man in the world, and am thankful for all the universe has provided me.

And while my biological family is scattered to the wind, I will do my best to reach out to them all.

I know Claire will get a few extra hugs today. And maybe, if I can catch her, Honey too.

For those of us whose families are gathering around them today, hug each of them a little tighter, and a moment longer. Make that phone call you’ve been putting off to let someone know you’ve been thinking about them. If you see someone on the street who looks like they need a break, offer them whatever you can to make their life, even for a moment, a little better, even if its just a smile and a silent prayer.

And never put off telling that special person that you love them.

I hope each of you fine, five readers are part of the lucky ones who are busy baking the lasts of those pies and putting in those delicious meals to cook and simmer while all those happy faces keep rolling through your doorways. I hope all of your football teams win.

If you have a moment, check on your neighbors, if only to wave and wish them a Happy.

Count your blessings.

And no matter what else we do, let us make today a great one.

And if you have a spare six bucks burning a hole in your pocket, instead of that next Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, order a kindle copy of Ramona in the Realms: