A Tapestry of Memories

The treadle has fallen silent,
the weaving done too soon.
But what of the remaining thread
Surely left upon the loom?

A basket full of memories
just waiting to be spun.
But step back now and turn your eyes
to the work that you have done.

See your love and warmth and beauty
you shared with one and all.
It adorns a thousand tapestries
upon a thousand walls.

Because You Were Here

There's a knot in my stomach that won't go away.
There's an ache in my head that won't go away.
There are tears in my eyes that won't go away.
All because you are going away.

I whined and I wined because you were here.
I laughed and I learned because you were here.
I endured and enjoyed because you were here.
All because I was blessed to share time with you here.

I wish rest for your body as you go away.
I wish ease for your mind as you go away.
I wish peace for your spirit as you go away.
Your place in my heart, dearest friend, will never go away.

New Friends

I've been taking a trip down memory lane. I keep things...souvenirs, mementos, keepsakes. Call them what you will, but I've always enjoyed hard-copy memories. I'm the kid that always took home a sugar packet if the restaurant name was printed on it. (No, I threw that collection out long ago.)

The boxes of remembrances were getting out of hand, so I'm trying to thin the herd. I don't need to keep everything, but what I keep needs to be organized better. I can scan things to keep them for posterity, then fill up another bag for the recycling bin. I've emailed copies of pictures or notes to share the love with those that shared the moment. And these band-concert programs from high school and photos of college roommates are having exactly the effect I would hope. They take me to a specific point in time, reminding me what and who was important to me at those stages of life. Bittersweet? Sometimes, but in most cases a smile comes to my face as all the associated memories come back to me. 

As I'm recalling times with old friends, some with whom I'm still in touch and some with whom I've lost contact, I've come across what may be my first attempt at formal writing: the story "New Friends." I must have been very proud, as my mom wrote the date on the original version so we'd always know I wrote it the summer after 1st grade. After so much time, I'm not about to throw it out now! I'd hand-written a rough draft on loose-leaf paper. Apparently I had issues with margins, because the text runs almost diagonally down the page, as if each line started a space or two farther right than the line before. Then, I assume to make it look more grown-up, I typed it up. Yes, on an actual manual typewriter. I must have hunted and pecked. Too many typos and erasures! More copy revisions! Finally, the "official" copy you see below. (Yes, I added a watermark to the image. No, nobody is going to try to steal my story. I just wanted to see how to add that if I wanted to. Looks important, doesn't it?)

I see my skills have progressed since then, though I haven't tried my hand at fiction in a long time. It doesn't look like I'd mastered apostrophe use yet, and it pains me to not see serial commas. But, hey, at least I decided to try something, actually did it, and shared it with people. I don't remember if it was a painful process or if it was a breeze. Since I don't have notebooks filled with short stories, I'm assuming it just didn't "click" with me. It has reminded me, though, that if I have something to say, there's no reason I can't write it down. It doesn't have to be complicated. In the story, Tim quickly made up his mind and acted accordingly. When I decide to write a post, I think a little and simply do it.

Do what feels right to you and you might just find a new hobby, discover a new passion, or even make a new friend.