Well, it's that time of year again. Summer has arrived and @Comic_Con is coming up fast. I'm looking forward to making more memories this year, but honestly, 2016 is going to be impossible to top. To explain why, I'm going to share a brief @repjohnlewis appreciation thread. /1

When I got home from 2015's Comic Con the year before, I was flipping through the schedule and saw that John Lewis had a comic book out detailing the story of his life and his fight for civil rights, and that he'd been there that day. I was gut-punched that I'd missed it. /2

So when I saw he'd be there again in 2016 to do a panel about the book I was ecstatic. The day of, that room was filled to capacity. Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell, and he were there. He walked in wearing the same coat he'd worn That Day at the March. And he began to speak. /3

And oh my god, I was sitting there listening to John Lewis speak. /4

No, not exactly 'speak.' Preach. Now, I'm an atheist, but witnessing a moment like that, being there in that room while that man, a living legend, the last of the Big Six, filled the molecules in the air with his voice...*this* was church. /5

Honestly, he probably could have recited the dictionary and everyone there would've still hung on his every word. /6

The rest of the panel and he took some questions. Then John Lewis stood up and said, "Now, we're going to go to the floor and sign books if you want. So march with us there!" /7

Me:

We all stood up and he walked down the aisles of chairs and out the door, and we all followed him out. It felt like a dream. Except my palms were really sweaty and I was shaking and my eyes were pricking. /8

Me, internally:

And so it was that Congressman John Lewis led us in that march at Comic Con. /9

I want to make clear that I'm not claiming I "marched with John Lewis" in any official capacity. It wasn't like we were at the Edmund Pettis bridge or anything. I was just one of hundreds of people at CC walking with him in a crowd. But oh man, just that was enough. /10

He stopped occasionally to shake people's hands and give them words of encouragement. The entire train of people would stop with him. /11

We got to the convention hall floor and he and the other creators of 'March' took their seats at the booth. It was awesome to see how long the line was. While in line, I focused on trying to keep my shit together so I wouldn't make an ass out of myself when I met him. /12

My heart was hammering. /13

And finally, he turned to me and said hello. And I broke down into tears. /14

Dollars to donuts, he probably gets that reaction all the time. Because he reached out and gently took my hand and said, "It's okay. You're okay. You're okay."

(FTR, his hand is really strong.) /15

And I didn't want to waste his time, but I managed to hiccup out, "Thank you for all you do thank you so much." And he gently shook my hand and asked my name and said thank you for coming, and I said "Thank YOU," and he signed my books, and I asked if I could snap a photo. /16

My heart. /17

Even just asking for a photo seemed trite, like I was trying to take a piece of him as a souvenir or something. But John Lewis is a living link to history. He represents to so many people the best of this country. This world is richer for his being in it. /18

We said goodbye, and the line moved up. I turned away and found a pillar nearby to hide behind, cry out the rest of the tears, dry my eyes, and collect my shit. was just getting my breathing under control when the reporter from the NYT came up wanting to ask some questions. /19

First question he asked was, "You had a really emotional experience back there. Why is that?"

And apparently the expression on my face when I turned to him was a clear enough answer because he nodded quickly and said, "OK, OK, besides the fact that it was John Lewis." /20

"...besides the fact that it was John Lewis." /21

Me: "Uhhhh, yeah. It was REPRESENTATIVE JOHN LEWIS." /22

He asked me to elaborate, so I did. And it was just basically a rundown of John Lewis' life. The facts that everyone already knows. That the battles he's fought make the ground a bit easier for those who follow him. And that this country owes a debt of gratitude to him. /23

A debt we will never be able to fully repay. /24

He thanked me and left. I don't know if it even ended up in the article, but I don't care. Meeting @repjohnlewis is a memory that warms my heart in this horrid timeline, and being able to reach out and shake his hand at @Comic_Con that year will always be the best memory. /25

Thank you, @repjohnlewis, for all that you do. Thank you, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, for helping Rep. Lewis tell that story. And thank you, @Comic_Con, for making that moment possible. /26

And if you haven't already, check out March. /27 https://www.amazon.com/March-Trilogy-Slipcase-John-Lewis/dp/1603093958

(I should include the Twitter handle: @MARCHTrilogy)