I must be almost at the midpoint of my program, and I am so thrilled by what I can sense happening in my writing and understanding of all I'm studying -- in myself. Words, like these falling autumn leaves outside my window, fall off the branches and reveal the tree's brilliance beneath -- its striations. There is little more thrilling, I think, than discovering our voice, and keeping discovering...this thing that always develops and is never 'done.' A wonderful immortality.
Every day that I get to do this, to live like this, to pursue my passion, surrounded by the people I most love, the little island that is my family, I want to get down on my knees and thank whatever power or fate it is that has allowed me this respite from all those earlier years of confusion and struggle. If I'd only known on those many dark days how blessed I would feel now, how I was always my own greatest gift. But we cannot discover this alone. I am so grateful for my teachers, formal and unintended -- my peers and my children as much as the wonderful mentors who read each month my work and say, 'Yes. Go on.' All any of us really needs, but how seldom we find ourselves in such a sweet place.
Today I'm catching up with you through your blog. Wanted to say that I'm so happy for you, so happy, reading what you are expressing here. I felt a similar moment the other day, suddenly feeling how precious it was that my husband was there on the couch next to my daughter, the boys were puttering around, I was there, watching, and thinking how incredible it was to have this treasure of family, wondering how I got here to this, sad for people who get distracted and let this fall apart, fearful of forgetting myself how precious this is.
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