By Dan Hunt
Publisher, The Hartwell Sun
People grieve over loved ones in different ways and self expression through writing is certainly one way for some. By recently publishing a children’s book about her late best friend, Emily Thompson, a pre-K teacher at the Paul J. Blackwell Learning Center, took that coping mechanism to another level.
Thompson’s world was rocked this time one year ago when her best friend, Stevie Ankerich Bruce, was taken from the world by COVID complications. Bruce, 30, died Sept. 18, 2021 at St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia.
Thompson met Bruce when the pair was 2 or 3-years-old at day care and were inseparable for the better part of the ensuing three decades.
“When I was grieving, I was pretty much just angry,” Thompson said. “I didn’t get why such a good person had to leave the world. I didn’t understand why she had to pass with COVID when you have others that are fine.”
When Thompson was pregnant with her now 2-year-old son Eli, she experienced complications from pre-eclampsia resulting in high blood pressure that put her on bed rest. It was Bruce, a licensed practical nurse and a “definite giver” who helped Thompson through the trying times.
“She called and checked on me; she would bring me things to keep me busy,” Thompson said. “When I was in the hospital having Eli, she would go to my house, she would stay with my dogs; she would bring me things if I needed it. So she would come from Hartwell to Athens just to bring me things.”
For Thompson it was a heartbreaking realization that Eli would never really know his godmother Bruce, the woman so instrumental in helping his mother through her difficult pregnancy.
“She was there with me for all the struggles during my pregnancy and she was basically his second mother. I really wanted to write something just for him to read to know how awesome she was,” Thompson said.
Thompson began working on a story for Eli about Thompson and Bruce meeting as toddlers, with the plot continuing through their school years, marriage and beyond. She soon recognized that the message is relatable and helpful for kids everywhere.
“As I was reading the manuscript, I realized it would not only help him realize how awesome she was but also, if he’s nervous to go to school, if he’s in a transition of his life, that could help him as well,” she said.
“I really want it in schools because it’s a great book about friendship. You have so many pre-K, or even kindergartners who are so nervous. They’ve never been anywhere like that prior. And it’s a great way of having the kids who are shy and timid seeing that there is a friend that is more confident that will come up to you and play with you and make you feel comfortable. And that friendship can go a long way. It doesn’t have to end at that moment.”
And on the flip side, it can convince more daring children who are unsure if they should “go talk to the quiet person sitting by themselves,” Thompson explained.
“Because that is someone that can potentially be a lifelong friend. I want them to see how awesome of a person she was and maybe it will touch their lives to be more like someone she was.”
Thompson worked on the book, “Once in a Lifetime” from January to July, day by day improving the product and steadily figuring out how to move forward without her dear friend.
“When I started thinking about what I wanted to do for my son, and I was just thinking about all the memories we had as kids and how we met and all these other fun things, like inside jokes — little things that I never thought of prior just kind of popped in my head,” she said. “So it was like a little voice was like, ‘Hey, think about this.’ And I would think, ‘Oh, I remember that.’ And I would just laugh. It made me more happy to know that I was blessed with a friend like her and that she not only touched my life, I know she helped others by being a nurse.”
Thompson is a first time writer, but as a pre-K teacher, she’s familiar with children’s literature.
“I found this illustration company called Tulip Studio and they would send me pictures of their drawings and I was able to pick which ones I liked. And I went with the more realistic look than computerized,” she said. “And they would go through and send me little bits and pieces of illustrations that went with the writing. Eventually they finished up and they helped me with publicizing the book by having it go to Amazon,” she said.
Thompson said the Paul J. Blackwell Learning Center recently decided to purchase 170 copies of the book.
She’s also booked for “A Visit with the Author” event at the school Sept. 30.