Holiday Thoughts

This year of the Monkey has been a whirlwind, the world has seen tremendous change, as have the lives of individuals both near and far. It has been a year filled with joy and sorrow, Good times and also close calls, dear friends departing this world before their time, while new friends have come into my life like fresh bursts of wind across my face.

There is much to be thankful for, and maybe this message would have been better written a couple of weeks ago, but right now is the time when my thoughts have become cohesive. Strangely, this should be a time of happiness, when family comes together and friends return from travels. Somehow though, I feel removed from the gaiety around me, aside from one brave foray the day after Thanksgiving, I have avoided going out in public during the busy hours, and much of my time has been spent preparing for times that are not here yet instead of looking to the moment for satisfaction.

There are so many things I want to remember from this year. I have been lucky to have the love of my life with me almost the whole year, a gift whose worth has no measure, and for which I thank her for making possible with my whole heart. I have played homely host for new friends from lands abroad, and with them I had the opportunity to explore the lands near my home that I have never seen. It is easy to razz a friend who lives in Berlin for never having visited Paris, but now I understand a little this desire in we travelers to see lands afar before that which lies in our backyard.

We live in a beautiful land! I fulfilled a life long wish to bath beneath a towering waterfall this year, and seen many of the great natural wonders this firmament boasts. The long road, just when it seems to have finally come to an end, insists upon turning another corner and offering some new distant vista at which to aim; thus does my adventure continue to grow with the passing of time.

I want to remember my good friend, Jedidiah Brooks, who's passing from this world created a rift of emptiness in the hearts of many, for he was loved and respected by all who met him. He was a man who would always greet a friend as though years lay between them, when perhaps it was only yesterday that last I hugged him.

I want to remember my dear Aunt Catherine and Uncle Max, who too long ago left me here and continued on together. I think of them everyday, and if I had one wish for this christmas and every christmas hence, it would be to spend even one more day with them, laying in our bags by the fireside, with only the stars to hear us. You are sorely missed.

I miss friends who live a stone's throw from here, and I miss friends who's voices I have not heard for too long. Time is not getting easier to understand, even though with each day I have more experience with it than the last.

Days of joy have there been as well. Endless summer days and nights, one after the other after the next. Changing skies with changing latitudes, changing perspectives too. I have doggy love, and Hannah knows it. I am blessed with so many wonderful friends, you are all loved; I thank each of you, my life would be so much less bright without you.

In these days of change, it is sometimes best to look to one's own fences and neighbors, family and friends, and speak warm, kind words to strangers we meet. For it is only through love that we will know peace.

Happy Holidays to all.