Impact

When Nora Ephron passed away this week, I was surprised at how upset I was.  While I love her movies and her writing, I didn't know her personally.  So how could I feel such a loss?  But that's the magic of being a writer.  I didn't have to know her personally because through her work, I did.  We all did.  Her films have informed our lives, making it personal.  I've been reading the essays that have been written to honor her, from Tom Hanks's reflections to Rita Wilson's to Diablo Cody's.  Lena Dunham's essay in The New Yorker really resonated with me because it's not only about her and Nora's relationship - even if it is. There is a universal truth to how she remembers her.  It speaks to how I remember those that I've lost.  How you see that significant person everywhere, in the little moments.  It's really a beautiful piece.

And then yesterday, Storyline Online - part of the SAG Foundation's literacy program that also does BookPALS and PencilPALS - shared their story of Nora Ephron.  Turns out that in the past two years Nora was a PencilPAL too.  She wrote to students in a fifth grade class in Corona Queens.  What a lucky group of students!  And the best part is, they probably don't grasp how lucky they are yet.  Finding out that Nora was also a PencilPAL added another level of kinship that I feel toward her.  This week I feel inspired to do more, to write more, to expect more.  And it is because of the impact Nora Ephron had on so many lives...whether she knew them or not.