We knew it was coming...

Dancing in an empty house is bittersweet; it's spacious, but...


On August 8th we learned that our very close friends were moving to Oregon. Instead of running for the hills and protecting our vulnerable hearts, we threw ourselves into each other's lives, making the most of the time we had left. We've only been friends for a year, but we somehow managed to become knit together tightly enough that it hurt like crazy to be ripped apart. Last Saturday, we stood on the side of the road and waved them on their way. I felt like Sam at the end of The Return of the King, and Frodo's words to him are good for me, too:

"Do not be too sad, Sam. You cannot always be torn in two. You will have to be one and whole, for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be, and to do."

We do have much to do and, unlike Sam, we have memories still to come. If dear friends have to move, it's a sweet thing when they move to a town on the route to your summer vacation. Hang on, guys; we'll be on our way before you know it.


Sharing locks of hair


When life shifts, in big and small ways, I head back to familiar things, like a favorite sweater, an old mystery story, or music that has seen us through the years. I also head back to The Book of Common Prayer, the source for inspiration for when my words have changed to groanings. In the service of Compline I find my comfort tonight:

Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We miss you, dear friends. Bunches.


Good-bye hugs