Tags
Consecrated, Encouragement, Film, friend, It is Finished, perseverance, Person of the Year, Pressing ahead, writer
“You know, you could search the whole world and not find anyone quite like me?” I told Anna, as she sat across the room in her small house. “What makes you think we would want another Tyler?” she asked. “I know. I would be exhausted!” My mind was racing for what an experience that would be like. “Why? Because you would feed off of each other?” she pinpointed. “Yes, I’d have the same amount of energy, but it wouldn’t last as long.” We both laughed. The thoughts racing through both of our minds was accurate. But beyond the laughs and smiles, we both had thick skin from a rough year.
This year has been hard. It has been the most challenging year of my life so far. To be honest, I’m out of breath. Did it all really happen? All of it? This year? It seems like forever ago, but somehow, I’ve made it through.
There is a reason for every scripture. The scriptures are a love letter written by God to and about us. He says in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast all our care on Him because He cares for us. Scripture tells us to take up each other’s burdens, and in another scripture it tells us to go the extra mile. It begs us to let brotherly love continue, and to encourage one another. It tells us to stand strong in affliction and to never grow weary in well doing. And among many other messages, it tells us that it is not good for man to be alone. There are so many people in my life that stand with me in prayer, believing that I will be lifted up in due time. People that help me in small ways and big ways (They’re all the same to God). And I thank God for each of you. It is hard to nominate one person who has such an influence on my life in one difficult year, by fear of isolating all of the others who are such an integral part to my success. But this year, my person of the year is far overdue for recognition on this blog. It is my dear friend and one time co-writer, Anna K Watts.
Anna K Watts has a lot going on in her life. She has a full-time job, leads a Bible study, takes care of her aging grandmother, and really has much better things to do than listen to my problems. But without a doubt, if I text her about whatever problem I’m going through, she’s always on hand to pray with me and encourage me. It’s worth noting that our dear friend, Kelli Houpt, is usually involved here too. God bless her soul.
It’s not to say that I don’t entertain her. You can ask her about the Baptist preacher that makes a good navigator in the car or one of the other random characters in her life. They tend to pop up unannounced and talk at end about subjects that you would never ponder, only to stir laughter and cause heads to shake in wonder.
All things considered, Anna has a lot of other things she could do. She really doesn’t have a lot to gain personally from my success in future years. But she has chosen to be there when it happens.
I was recently preparing for my Christmas party, removing and replacing labels from Starbucks Frappaccino bottles with my own labels for the party. I had several left and was afraid I would not have time to finish them before work. So I called Anna and asked for her help. She had to take her grandmother to the doctor and get them both some lunch, but she could possibly help after that. As the clock ticked closer to work for me, I worked diligently to finish up the bottles. When the last minutes came before I needed to leave for work, who should show up, but Anna to save the day? I briefed her on the process (it was a lengthy one!) and she continued to fix the bottles after I went to work. That night, all the bottles looked super at the party. And the year before, she hosted the party.
Anna and I have seen each other through several life changes over the last few years. We met in 2009, at a time when I was attending Abundant Life. She sat over in a corner in the pastor’s office as she and I and several others attended the membership class. I didn’t know much about her. She was quiet, speaking up occasionally. I knew she came from an Assembly of God background, but that was about it. We really didn’t talk often even after that. We still attended the same church, but never really ran in the same circles. In 2012, she attended my screening at Cornerstone, where I had been asked to screen my latest work, which at that point was Consumed. Months later when I was seeking extras for Consecrated, I sought out the help of those who had supported me at that screening, including Anna. Anna showed up to the Java shop and I placed her at the far end with Nikki Milican Bedwell and Jared Standefer. I placed her at another table, where she sat reading The Wall Street Journal, as I directed her. From there, our friendship grew as the four of us began to hang out after the film was shot, and the rest, as they say, is history.
When my film was accepted to Trail Dance this year, one of the first to know was Anna. And when I decided to make the trek to Trail Dance, she and some friends went with me. One of the first people I called when the funding fell through, if not the first, was Anna. And like most other situations, the first person to know is Anna. She is a caring and loving friend who I hope will not wander far from my life, but will stay near for a very long time. I would say that there are few relationships one develops in life in which the other person will drop what they’re doing to help you, but she does all the way. And for her help in encouraging me to continue to press ahead in 2014, Anna K Watts is my Person of the Year.
Photo courtesy of Nikki Milican Bedwell
Tyler Slawson 