When all was said and done and my mother got ready to depart from a gathering, with every inch of her six foot skeleton, she’d stand and announce, “Well, it’s been real.”

After 36 weeks of collaborating with Marissa Bridge on the Silent Journey, the naked stem signifies the moment to say goodbye and thank you so much for following us.    It has indeed been real, and the weekly publishing practice has been a tangible blessing.  We have a new idea for the future, yet like dormant orchids gathering elements in order to whip up new buds, our next project is still simmering.

Meanwhile, I’m starting another weekly commitment titled  The First Time for Everything, on the vast subject of memorable milestones, as in the first kiss, the first death of a loved one.  My goal in all these writings, but espeically in this divisive time, is to tell stories that remind us of what we all have in common: our humanity.