Many years ago in a far away land, I hired a recent college graduate named Kandie to teach at the alternative campus. Kandie was perfect for the job, and though she had very little experience, it never showed. She simply had the right mixture of strength, compassion and skills to deal with difficult kids. She took and molded a bunch of misfits who nobody else really wanted to teach, and she did it well; without complaint. I liked her from the beginning, and as her boss, she never let me down. Soon we became friends as well as colleagues.
In the interim, a lot has changed but not that friendship. I moved to South Texas and after a few years in that far away land, Kandie married John and they moved back to East Texas. After teaching a few years in Tyler, she began teaching at Jacksonville High School where she and Country/Western sensation Lee Ann Womack went to school together and have been close friends since childhood. They have remained that way in spite of Lee Ann’s celebrity and Kandie’s lack thereof!! (Sorry Kandie; couldn’t resist, but quite honestly I’ll bet you’re a star to your students.)
When my book was released, Kandie was one of the first to purchase, and since there was free shipping if you bought two, she did. As is often the case she was having Thanksgiving dinner with Lee Ann so she gave her a copy of Keeping Faith. Remember, Lee Ann’s hit song, “I Hope You Dance?” Well, I am, and singing too! Can’t you just see it now, a famous C&W star reading my book in her tour bus on the way back to Nashville?