A Year Gone By...

Dear Dewey,

It is hard to believe that a year has come and gone. I am left thinking: What do you say at a moment like this? I wasn't even sure if I should say anything because we didn't really know each other very well. I don't want to take any shine away from those that knew you well, but at the same time, several people have commented on these letters and how much they appreciate them. So, I am bowing to the masses and here I am again. This is a different conversation, though. In the past I was responding to your reviews, so it was almost like a conversation. There were a few times I used a letter to explain something, but this is really the first time I am writing a letter into the silence. It's a sad moment.

I think, in the back of our minds, everyone wants to have their five minutes of fame or to do something lasting. Not everyone will admit it, but it is there. I wonder if you knew just how lasting your voice was? Here it is a year later and in some ways it is like you never even left. You were gifted with wonderful blogging friends who continue to show their love for you through keeping the community alive. Did you think for a moment you would have that much impact on the world? It might be the virtual one, but it is just as important as the outside world. I doubt you did, because you struck me as very modest, but I hope you had a small inkling of just how lasting your voice would be and how many lives you touched just in the few years you were blogging. You had the heart and mind that people should aspire to.

It is a wonderful feeling to know that years from now, if there is a still a book-blogging community the things that you started will probably still be happening. It's a wonderful thought because things are a lot different now than they were when I started blogging. The blogging community is huge! Even those that never even read your blog will know who you are because you live on in the hearts of those that knew you well and the events that are done in your memory. It is a pleasure to be able to say I knew you, even if it was not as well as some. I believe you will always be missed.

Until next time... And, I promise, there will be a next time!

Not to take away from this post, but if you are interested in the rest of my letters here are the links:

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
Looking for Alaska by John Green
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Paper Towns by John Green
Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters by Courtney E. Martin (Part Two)
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot
So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson
The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci & Jim Rugg
The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

That's a lot of posts!