Thursday, September 20, 2012

It's Hard to Say Goodbye, Maeve Binchy...

Maeve Binchy dies at 72 on July, 30.  I'm so lightheaded as I stare at those words on my laptop screen. I need to splash water on my face, but I'm too unsteady to stand. I can't believe I'm experiencing this loss of a woman I've never met, but know her through her storytelling.  
 I must be dreaming.  This can't be happening.  To say my heart is heavy, is putting it lightly.  I'm devastated.  I want this to be a nightmare that I'll wake up from.  

 


And when I do wake up from this nightmare, I'll check the Web and see when your next book will be out.  No, it just can't be your last.  How is that possible?  We weren't prepared.  I wasn't prepared.  



  "Though weeping may endureth for a night, joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5

Miracles and Blessings, Kiki here ... this special text-webisode is dedicated to the storytelling memory of Maeve Binchy.  I bring you greetings with a heavy heart, but also a joyful heart.  Our beloved Writer, Maeve Binchy is in Paradise now, our celestial home, Heaven.  Can you imagine the stories she's spinning now among the celestial crowd with her ever-present smile shining brighter than ever?

You'll be missed by so many readers who willed you to write faster, because they couldn't stand to wait a minute longer for your next novel.  I can't believe the next one, due in November, will be your last.



Rationally, I know your novels will continue for years to come, and that makes me happy.  Next generations will enter Tara Road and see what it's like to switch lives with a stranger from across the globe like Ria and Marilyn.  


They'll drop by Scarlet Feather's kitchen and enjoy the aromas for the day's catering job, or hop a ride in Cathy and Tom's catering van.  

They'll get the best table at Quentins and maybe bump into a nervous Noel dining with a social worker who is determined to remove his infant daughter, Frankie, from his home.  

New readers will also arrive in time to get a good seat in the Evening Class, and what a class that'll be.  

Yes, generations to come ... you're in for a treat!

However, what will become of your readers today.  Emotionally, we'll miss living with your characters ...Fiona, Signora and Aidan, etc. and watching them pop up in new scenarios.  And we'll miss experiencing the new chapters in their lives.  

We'll miss curling up with a Maeve Binchy adventure and losing track of time as we read, read and read some more.  How many times have you seen the sun come up, because you had to see what happened next?

I blink back tears as her passing hits me again.  I almost feel like I've lost a family member.  I have.  Her characters embodied her spirit in each word. 



How do we go on without those wonderful moments around the Aga, sipping a cup of tea as the kettle simmers--and eating a raisin scone as our favorite character sort out a pressing matter?   Believe me when I say, the matter will be sorted out.


I can't count how many times I've sat down with you and enjoyed an Irish breakfast of rashers and bangers, black and white pudding and oatmeal porridge with a container of thick cream. 


(Irish Breakfast)

Who will mind us, like the village folks did in Minding Frankie?  Will we ever meet baby Frankie again in adulthood, as we did with so many of your characters? 


How will we get on without a stop at Quentins for a heaping bowl of Irish stew?  Yes, their menu is upscale, but I'm sure they can rustle up this Irish staple.  I'll even miss the fictional pints and a friendly game of darts at a days end--and the wonderful personalities that made up each closely knit community.



I didn't know you were one of the patients at a heart center that inspired Heart and Soul.  Was it a well-kept secret?  Or did you leave fictional bread crumbs in the form of clues that I totally missed?


Heart and Soul

What will we do without your secrets to unravel and your mysteries to uncover?  I've spent time in Ireland (Killarney, Carlow, Limerick and Dublin) and understand its rhythm.  It has always been my dream to return, one day, and meet you.   



(Enjoy this walking tour through Killarney.  I remember walking on some of the streets-YouTube)

It doesn't matter that we come from different cultures--we speak the same language of fiction.  Ms. Maeve Binchy, you inspired me as a writer and soon-to-be author to weave my stories through family sagas.  I'm on my way.  But I so hoped to share it with you, one day.  That's okay, because one day lives inside each page of your books. 

One more thing comes to mind as I say goodbye to you, my literary angel.  Will I ever experience Greece the same way I did in the Nights of Rain and Stars?  Time will tell. 


We love you, Maeve Binchy.  See you when we get there.  Let's all enjoy a nice brewed cuppa tea and an Irish Raisin Tea Scone in her honor.





The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club

"The most important thing to realize is that everyone's capable of telling a story."   Maeve Binchy

A Collection of Maeve Binchy Novels

(Maeve Bincy)

    10 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    I'm very sorry to learnt she has passed. She was such a talent!
    Thank you for this really nice blog about her and her work!!

    Angela said...

    After reading your very touching and creative post I hate to admit I did not know her. But you have certainly inspired me to read her work, which I'm sure will live on forever.

    Kathryn said...

    I am not sure if I have ever read any of her books but now I am wanting to look at them.

    What a wonderful tribute.

    Kathryn said...

    I don't think I have ever read any of her books but am finding myself wanting to read them.

    Thank you for sharing and for a wonderful tribute.

    Gayle Herbert Robinson said...

    Yes, she was a wonderful author, Raani. She was my favorite author. Her stories inspired me to weave family sagas. I'm still in shocked. Thank you for sharing your love of this great author with my iCafe Woman Moderne (virtual cafe) patrons. Blessings!

    Gayle Herbert Robinson said...

    Angela, I'm so glad my tribute has inspired you to read one of her novels. You won't be able to put them down. I spent time in Ireland as the member of a touring choir, that's what first inspired me to read her books. I think, "Circle of Friends," was my first. I read every book after that and back-tracked to the ones I missed.
    Visit us again! Blessings!

    Gayle Herbert Robinson said...

    Kathryn,

    Maeve Binchy books are like eating a really good chocolate chip cookie. You can't stop at one. There's a sweetness in her stories that take away the harsh edges of our world. At least, while you're engrossed in one of her stories. Enjoy! Let me know what you think. Blessings!

    C. Nzingha Smith said...

    Thank you for taking the time to celebrate the life and work of such a wonderful creative. Tara Road is one of my favorite books. One of the blessings of being a writer and artist is your work lives even after the artist passes. To everyone who hasn't read her work, you're in for a treat. :)

    ~C. Nzingha

    Gayle Herbert Robinson said...

    You're quite welcome. You're absolutely right, Maeve Binchy's work will continue to live for future generations to enjoy. We are blessed to be writers, our work will live on long after we leave this earth. Miracles & Blessings!

    Laurean Brooks said...

    Gayle,

    I hadn't heard of aurthor Maeve Binchy, but you made her come alive for me. What a wonderful writer! Such a loss. The pic of her is adorable. I wish she had lived 30 more years and wrote as many books.

    God bless you for a wonderfully, uplifting post.