Growing up, I didn’t really have a security blanket.  I can’t remember ever needing one.

As I got older though, that changed.  Because of anxiety and other issues that contribute to said anxiety, I latch onto anything that can keep me sane.

This is especially true of Worldwide by my friend Jacqueline E. Smith.  It’s the third book in the BoyBand series.  I was itching to read it, so I brought it to school with me.  When I looked in the back of it, I didn’t expect what I saw – I found my name in the acknowledgements:

It really meant a lot to me because it showed me that my blogging is paying off.  People actually read it.  And it showed my that Jackie appreciates our friendship as much as I do.

The timing of it couldn’t be more perfect, either.  While I was reading Worldwide, I was also experiencing a severe episode of depression that seemed to come out of nowhere.  Worldwide was the thing that kept me going.  I took it with me everywhere.  And I mean EVERYWHERE.  Even when I finished reading it, if I didn’t have it with me during class, I felt even more anxious and lost than I already was.

Seeing my name in the acknowledgements reminded me that I mattered.  That I was worth something.  That the random bout of depression wouldn’t last forever.  I can’t thank Jackie enough for that.

Blanket