Farewell to My Mentor, My Friend

I lost a special friend today. Not that we were super close. We didn’t talk on a regular basis. We didn’t go out for lunch. We didn’t even text each other — much.

But Sandra Robbins was, and is, special to me. We both worked in education together, but our paths seldom crossed. We knew each other in the way that most small-town people know each other, and I was privileged to teach her granddaughter and niece. Her cousin-in-law is one of my closest friends.

It took me a while to call her “Sandra.” She was born 16 years earlier than I was, and her oldest is just a few years younger than I am. She had been my youngest son’s principal. So I called her “Mrs. Robbins,” then “Mrs. Sandra” (that’s what we do in the south as a sign of respect to someone we want to show familiarity to but not too much familiarity), and finally “Sandra.”

Our relationship as it is now began about five years ago, when I learned that she was quickly becoming a successful writer of Christian fiction. I was at an administrators’ conference in Nashville, and while sitting alone in my hotel room one evening, I called her to ask what I could do to become a writer. She was eating dinner at the time and told me she’d call back. Which she did very soon after.

That began a writers’ relationship. She invited me to attend a Ken-Ten Writers meeting with her, a group that meets once a month in Mayfield. I became a regular member, and she and I took turns driving to the meetings. Our group expanded and became closer. We had Christmas luncheons. We got to know each other as individuals, not just writers.

Sandra read my first book prior to publication and gave me constructive criticism and encouragement. She read my Aimee book prior to publication and did the same. In recent months, she has been pushing me to write for the Love Inspired Suspense line, with which she has enjoyed tremendous success. It’s not exactly my genre, so I haven’t taken her suggestion to heart.

I’m not the only one she mentored. She presented at writers’ conferences, including one sponsored by our group. She was a judge in numerous writing contests. She critiqued books written by her friends — for free. She did all of this because she wanted to help others achieve their dream of becoming a successful writer, just as she did. She gave of herself, just as she had done in education for so many years.

Her health deteriorated rapidly in recent months, and this morning she gave up the fight. I will miss her in so many ways. Her gracious manner. Her wisdom. Her advice. Her encouragement. And, yes, her friendship.

May God comfort her family in this time of loss and may they know that Sandra was an angel on earth to many. I know she was to me. And you know what — I’m finally going to write that book for Love Inspired. It may or may not be accepted for publication, but it’s the least I can do.

And my dedication? For Sandra.