Calgary Herald Entertainment Section
“Children Meet Favorite Writer”
“We stopped by Fish Creek Library today and found a crowd of children gathered. When we asked one of them why they were there, she said, ‘To see one of my favorite authors, Ramona Heikel.’ We asked nine-year-old Laurie what she liked so much about the author’s books, and she smiled and said, ‘She makes me laugh, and I feel like she’s my close friend.’
‘When everything gets tough at school or my friend is mad at me, I pick up her book and I smile and everything is okay,’ eight-year-old Jacob said. ‘Christopher [a character in the book] is just like me, and he learned about faith. Now I know for sure that no matter what my friends say, God is real and he loves me. My future will be good.’
Jacob’s mother added, ‘In 2012 I was terrified because people said the Mayan calendar proved that the world was going to end, but I read an article she wrote that gave me a different perspective, so I started reading her books. Her books always made me feel good about myself, and good about life. Now I give her books to my kids to read. They are timeless, cheerful, realistic and optimistic, which is hard to do these days without being PollyAnna-ish. They helped me understand what Christianity really is.’
Ms. Heikel explained that throughout her life, books have been one of her biggest joys, inspirations and comforts, and she wanted to make others’ lives better in the same way. She says it was hard to keep going in such a competitive field after so many rejections, but she figured she’d just keep writing as long as she had things to say that might help people know God, understand themselves and other people, and bring peace and direction in a world of trouble. She loves kids, and loves to have fun, so writing children’s books was natural.
‘She seems to be able to read our minds,’ another boy said. ‘She understands how we think and knows how to help us live our lives. I can’t wait to read her new book because I know it’ll be fun and exciting. She writes about some serious things but you don’t get depressed.’ Twelve-year-old Blake added, ‘Her stories have changed me. I used to be nervous about all the things going on in my family and in the world. But I’m not now.’
Ramona Heikel used to live in Calgary, and will be speaking all this week at Calgary’s public libraries before continuing on her tour and returning home to San Diego, California.”
[Ramona’s note: This was inspired by our pastor who suggested that we clarify our goals by writing our eulogy. I decided I’d rather write a future news article!]
Posted by Ramona
This was a fun glimpse into Ramona's life and beliefs. She is very inspiring
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