My Fairy Godmother

Meribeth and her beautiful family in 2007 at my wedding reception.

Question from The Book of Myself:  My godparent or a special adult in my life growing up was...

I was blessed with a wonderful godmother, who also happens to be my cousin. Her name is Meribeth. I call her my Fairy Godmother, and she calls me her Fairy Goddaughter. The best part about Meribeth (how can I pick a best part, really?) is that she is 14 years older than I am, so she is between my mother's age and my own.  That makes her the perfect confidant. Young enough to confide in like a big sister, but wise enough to give me sage advice!

I'll never forget a very special letter I received from her. I was about 14 years old and she came to visit me during the summer. That stage of adolescence is so difficult, no matter how well-adjusted a girl might be. She came to spend a week or two with my sister and me while my parents were out of town. 

After she left town, my sister and I were having some sort of sibling rivalry and I was feeling like a generally angsty teenager. I guess my mom sensed that I needed someone (besides a mother) to talk to about my feelings, so she suggested that I write Meribeth a letter. I decided to do just that.

If I recall, the root of my angst boiled down to the fact that I really wanted to become an actress and I had no idea how to make that happen, living in suburban Houston at 14 years old.

Meribeth wrote me back the kindest and most understanding letter. She suggested that I enroll in acting classes and was just generally encouraging. What I remember most from her letter was that she believed in me. She heard what was in my heart, and she believed in me and the importance of my dreams. Even writing about it now, I have tears streaming down my cheeks.

It is not lost on me that my decision to major in Theatre Arts in college was probably made a little bit more easily because my wise Fairy Godmother once told me in a letter that taking acting classes could really help me to fulfill my dreams. And it is not lost on me now that the woman who believed in my dreams when I was 14 years old still believes in them 20 years later.  She has traveled many miles over the past year to see me perform in two plays in Los Angeles!

Meribeth, thank you for being the best Fairy Godmother I could hope for!