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- Chris Fabry
- Married to Andrea since 1982. We have 9 children together and none apart. Our dog's name is Tebow.
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After finding and remediating mold twice in our Colorado home, we abandoned ship in October 2008. Because of the high levels of exposure, our entire family was affected. After months of seeing different specialists for all of the problems, we came to Arizona to begin comprehensive treatment to rid our bodies of the toxic buildup. In August 2009 we moved into a larger home, four bedrooms, south of Tucson, north of Mexico. I am doing my daily radio program/ writing from that location. Thanks for praying for us. We really feel it.
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Saturday, March 10, 2012
My experience with MFA, my favorite author, challenged me. It made me want to treat readers differently. It made me want to value them. Not that MFA didn’t value me, he had no idea the connection I had and how much the moment I described earlier meant.
Fast forward a few years. I had the signed book I received from MFA as well as two others. These were treasures, in spite of the earlier experience.
Then the unthinkable happened. We left our house and all the possessions we had amassed in 25+ years of marriage. Clothes, furniture, computers, and yes, signed books. I won’t go into the reason, but it was important for us to leave it all behind.
It made the top ten list of most difficult things to do in life. Turn and walk away. Don’t go back. That’s what we did, we turned and moved forward with life and left all of that behind.
Last year was my 50th birthday. My wife handed me a present with a smile saying she knew I would like it. I’m not easy to buy for. My love language is not gifts. So when I opened the present and saw a copy of MFA’s book, it felt surreal, like something lost had been found. I hadn’t dreamed of replacing it.
Then came the long story of an acquaintance who had heard of our story. She had another friend who lived near MFA. This courageous woman had an illness, but when she learned of the loss and how much I love MFA, she said, “I’ll go over to his house.”
Can you imagine showing up on the doorstep of an author and asking him to autograph a book for someone you don’t even know?
Two books were in the package. The first was one of my favorite novels inscribed to my wife and me. The other was a more current nonfiction book about reading. Inside I read:
“To Chris,
Happy 50th Birthday. My best to you in your writing life. Go deeper. Always go deeper.”
The hurts and disappointments of life are an invitation to go deeper. And to see the truth. And every now and then it comes together and makes sense.
That’s a gift only the author of life can give.
Fast forward a few years. I had the signed book I received from MFA as well as two others. These were treasures, in spite of the earlier experience.
Then the unthinkable happened. We left our house and all the possessions we had amassed in 25+ years of marriage. Clothes, furniture, computers, and yes, signed books. I won’t go into the reason, but it was important for us to leave it all behind.
It made the top ten list of most difficult things to do in life. Turn and walk away. Don’t go back. That’s what we did, we turned and moved forward with life and left all of that behind.
Last year was my 50th birthday. My wife handed me a present with a smile saying she knew I would like it. I’m not easy to buy for. My love language is not gifts. So when I opened the present and saw a copy of MFA’s book, it felt surreal, like something lost had been found. I hadn’t dreamed of replacing it.
Then came the long story of an acquaintance who had heard of our story. She had another friend who lived near MFA. This courageous woman had an illness, but when she learned of the loss and how much I love MFA, she said, “I’ll go over to his house.”
Can you imagine showing up on the doorstep of an author and asking him to autograph a book for someone you don’t even know?
Two books were in the package. The first was one of my favorite novels inscribed to my wife and me. The other was a more current nonfiction book about reading. Inside I read:
“To Chris,
Happy 50th Birthday. My best to you in your writing life. Go deeper. Always go deeper.”
The hurts and disappointments of life are an invitation to go deeper. And to see the truth. And every now and then it comes together and makes sense.
That’s a gift only the author of life can give.
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3 comments:
Now that is a cool ending to the story. And I'm thankful that you have a wife who was so blessed to be able to connect and get the gift for you. Very cool. :) - Stacy Harp
"My experience with MFA, my favorite author, challenged me. It made me want to treat readers differently. It made me want to value them."
This is so important, Chris. Some authors have taken their success for granted, and for whatever reason - whether they're introverts or isolationsists or truly don't care about the various people who consume their books - cannot find time to be truly gracious to those who wish to "honor" them or share something personal with them.
At least your attitude is good.
Isn't it funny how we build people up in our heads, and we're almost always disappointed? I'm so glad we won't have that experience when we get to Heaven!