Who Catches You When You Fall?

I've been listening to the new artist Christina Perri a lot lately and this song of hers more than most.  It's made me wonder if we all have people in our lives who can swoop in and pick us up when we're in danger of hiding away or at our breaking point.  


Not too long ago a dear friend would not leave my side (calling, emailing, IMing, sending songs and jokes...) keeping constant vigil over me until I trusted them enough to share my trials. They saved me, in ways they'll never know... Made me believe in humanity again and the great need to share and hold in turn.

I wondered for a while if I ever could truly be whole enough to give myself to anyone outside of my family.  If I dared to trust anyone... And do you know what my sweet friend taught me?  To live.  To fight.  To sing.  To laugh.  To be.  Not to worry about what may come of living, but to gladly step back into the ring and do it.  That we all get burned, but it shouldn't keep us from braving the fire. 

So, who catches you when you fall?

Who has God sent in your life when you needed them most?  .

Even though this song is not a perfect representation of my friend, every time I hear it I'm reminded of what they did for me.

Christina Perri, Arms (Lyrics Below)

CHRISTINA PERRI - Arms lyrics

I never thought that you would be the one to hold my heart
But you came around and you knocked me off the ground from the start

You put your arms around me
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go
You put your arms around me and I'm home

How many times will you let me change my mind and turn around
I can't decide if I'll let you save my life or if I'll drown

I hope that you see right through my walls
I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling
I'll never let a love get so close
You put your arms around me and I'm home

The world is coming down on me and I can't find a reason to be loved
I never wanna leave you but I can't make you bleed if I'm alone

You put your arms around me
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go

I hope that you see right through my walls
I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling
I'll never let a love get so close
You put your arms around me and I'm home

I tried my best to never let you in to see the truth
And I've never opened up
I've never truly loved 'Till you put your arms around me
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go


I hope that you see right through my walls
I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling
I'll never let a love get so close
You put your arms around me and I'm home

You put your arms around me and I'm home 

Dyslexia ROCKS!

So, if you haven't realized I haven't been on here a whole lot lately, I've been here instead.  Working on my Free writing secrets class geared especially for teens.  I'm quite proud of it too.  I have over 800 kids taking the class at the moment and every week it grows more and more.  :)

However, this has also increased my fan mail, especially as Pride & Popularity went to press today and will be in stores next month.  YAY!  Finally. :)  (At the last minute a publisher came in and convinced me to sign with them.)

Anyway, this particular girl nearly broke my heart when I read her discouraged plea asking for writing advice, even though she lives with the dyslexic ability and struggles with writing.
This was my response to her:

Wow! You're dyslexic? That is soo cool! Did you know dyslexic people are some of the greatest problem solvers in the world? Ooh! And google the Mathematical Bridge in Cambridge, England. It was completely designed by someone with dyslexia centuries ago--and the amazing thing? It was done COMPLETELY without nails! It lasted in that exact state for hundreds and hundreds of years, one of the strongest bridges, until very recently when the british government decided to update it and preserve it. They took it totally apart, piece by piece and when they went to put it back together, they couldn't figure it out! No joke. They finally had to use nails and screws. The silly people! Had they just hired someone with your gift, it could've been done right.

Yes, spelling and grammar will be a problem. So what? Keep writing. Don't ever let that hinder you. Your talent is of such use, who knows... maybe one day you'll create a formula for curing some awful disease! And become a millionaire saving millions of lives. :) What I'd give to have your brain! You may find you're also good at all sort of problems and riddles, things that stump people will come very easily for you. I'd definitely continue to enhance your gift. Don't you EVER let someone tell you it's not a gift, either. My oldest son is dyslexic and drives his math teacher crazy when he comes up with the same solutions completely different and much easier than the way she would teach the class. It's the ability to solve things backwards and see the world in a much simpler way.

As to spelling and grammar, it'll get better the more you practice. So don't worry about that. that'll just have to come from habit, instead of sense. You won't understand why the I has to go before the E in some words, you'll just have them memorized and do it correctly. :)

The best advice I can give you is write, write, write. Don't worry about how to start, just START! Also, I'm assuming you know about my free writing classes for teens? If not go to www.jennijameswritingclass.blogspot.com

Jenni