You've Got A Friend

This past weekend, our youngest daughter, Emily, got married. She is the last of our family, and the last of the Lewis clan to get married. Ironically, she married Quaevon Sutton, who is the first of his family to get married. They are now Quaevon and Emily Sutton, and my wife and I are thrilled.

What was remarkable about this wedding is that it was marked by friendship: Emily and Q; Emily’s friends, most of whom were in the wedding; and Q’s friends, most of whom were in the wedding. It was a joyous weekend. Like Emily did in her older sister’s wedding, Hannah served as Emily’s Maid of Honor. The two of them are so different, yet so much alike. More importantly, they are best friends beyond being sisters.

 

Emily and Q wrestled with what song they wanted Q’s mother and me to sing. Kim suggested Carole King’s, You’ve Got a Friend, and after listening to it, they chose that song as their song. Both Q’s mom and I have been singers, so even though the only time we practiced was the afternoon before the ceremony, it went fine. Carole King might have enjoyed our rendition, too.

 

As I said in my opening reception toast, the day was about friendship.

Q’s childhood, high school, and college friends served as groomsmen and ushers. Emily’s college soccer teammates and her best childhood friend (along with Hannah, her sister) served as bridesmaids. Attending the service were high school and adult friends of both Q and Emily. And Kim and I had our friends and family there, too. As I said, it was all about friendship.

Isn’t that the way marriage is supposed to be? Two friends getting married and living a life together? For good and bad, in sickness and in health, good times and bad- a lifetime of memories and joy, ups and downs. All of it. Sorting it out together. Leaning on each other and learning from one another. Marriage.

So raise your glass with me one more time as we toast Quaevon and Emily Sutton! Thanks for doing that. Something to think about … 

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference! 

To My Readers:

If you like what you’re reading and find a benefit from it, you can check out my other posts on my Website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com under the Inspirational Blog tab. You can find all nine books, their descriptions, and links for purchase at the same site.  

Follow Me on Social Media: 

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I will take part in a podcast, MEET THE AUTHOR with Rob and Joan Carter Wednesday, July 17 at 7:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. They can be found on LinkedIn. Look for the promo and the link early next week.

Later this month, my newest book, Black Yéʼii (The Evil One) goes into publication production. The release is scheduled for January 2025, but it will be available for preorder in a few months and I will have author copies for sale and signing. I’ll keep you posted. 

While you wait, you might want to check out my earlier book, Caught in a Web because   Black Yéʼii Black Yéʼii (The Evil One) is a sequel of sorts. 

At the end of Caught in a Web, an agreement was made between law enforcement and four victims who were the loan survivors in the house that was overrun by MS-13. The agreement was to be a secret kept so that MS-13 wouldn’t seek revenge and come back to do harm to those four survivors. 

Here is the synopsis for Black Yéʼii (The Evil One):

The police fabricated a story about the night four members of MS-13 died in a tiny home on a quiet city street almost two years previous. Angel Benevides and his friends were not supposed to share the secret about what really happened that night. No one was to know the truth. But someone talked, and now MS-13, ruthless and wanting revenge, is back in town, and people are dying.

Can Detectives Graff, O’Connor, and Eiselmann find the killers and put a stop to the killing before anyone else dies?

I will keep you posted on its publication progress and date.

Caught in a Web  

“This important, nail-biting crime thriller about MS-13 sets the bar very high. One of the year’s best thrillers.” –Best Thrillers

“…the right blend of tension and intrigue …” -Midwest Book Review   

A PenCraft Literary Award Winner

The bodies of high school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador. Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has an ulterior motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had killed his cousin the previous summer.

Detectives Jamie Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs, shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially George or members of his family.

https://amzn.to/2GrU51T

Photo Courtesy of Taylor Maine Photography