As the year 2013
lingers to say, “Good-bye on
December 31st, my thoughts of the last twelve months jostle for
space. It has been a year without
any writing achievements. Writing makes me feel alive, feel purposeful and yet
I’ve failed to complete all the wonderfully promising stories I started.
My report card could really read: “Could
do better”. I enjoyed the transitions of my nieces graduating from high school
and college. I did not realize
that when I went to Atlanta for the party of my eighteen year old niece that I was
going to have such a fantastic
time; although I had crashed in bed before the congenial police arrived. Their
arrival at my staid brother’s house created a legend.
In another
unfinished story, I remember the phrases of pathos overcrowding my mind struggling
for coherence as I visited a sick friend. Watching his thin face contoured by illness, I reflected on
other times when we sampled wines from a dozen countries, enjoyed hill top
holidays and slept within the sound of a gushing stream, which fed the loch.
During the visit, he toasted us removing himself from the wishes for longevity.
This omission rips my heart, suggesting that he had already confronted the
reality of an early death. We said nothing to fill the heavy silence that had
descended on us. Reliving healthier times reminded us of how much we shared,
how close we had become and how much we had to lose.
Blood is thicker
than water may be a truism but in my life the loyalty and love of unrelated
folk have astounded me. This year I realized how extraordinary my life has been
but my thanksgiving chronicles remain unwritten.
As the months
have sped on and I have been absent from writing, I have missed the pleasure of
painting pictures of the mind. However, Chris, my fiancé, and I have been busy
creating a love story written by actions. I have great hopes that this might be
my best story yet. Truth can be
stranger than fiction and one day I will write in words our narrative of
love. In the meantime, as our need
to know more about each other takes priority over other activities, I feel that I’ve started the best story
of my life and I hope to write another chapter in 2014.
God , the author
of our Faith continues to write
His will in my life and I join Him with expectancy as the narrative unfolds.
