I have to confess I've never actually seen any of her movies (I've never seen either Sleepless in Seattle or You've Got Mail) or read any of her books. However I do have a great deal of respect for Nora Ephron.
She was the key speaker at my graduation from the Savannah College of Art and Design back in 1999. I don't remember every bit of the speech (you try and remember what you were doing 13 years ago dammit) however I remember it being very uplifting and motivational.
Which at that point I needed. The cold reality had hit me the year before that I was graduating, saying goodbye to many friends, I had just lost my Aunt Joann a couple months prior and I didn't even have a career lined up. But her words, "You never have to worry about having something to fall back on" struck a chord with me. Your art is who you are. It was something I needed to hear at that point.
I don't remember much else about graduation because I had to really use the bathroom the whole time. So, that was the only thing on my mind.
With that said, I was very sorry we lost Nora Ephron this week at the age of 71. Although, I never met her in person, I do owe her a great deal for giving me hope at a time when I just felt hopeless. And the world is just a little colder without people like her.
