#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream
“Your beloved and your friends were once strangers. Somehow at a particular time, they came from the distance toward your life. Their arrival seemed so accidental and contingent. Now your life is unimaginable without them. . .
― John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
Today I woke before it was light into a heavy storm, rain and wind and wondered if I would go out, early, as planned, but of course, I knew I would. I had a busy morning planned – preparing for company, cooking, setting up. Then it was light, and the clouds rushed across the sky over the meadow, the rain stopped and the wind, and I discovered it was warmer than expected, and most of the ice on the river’s edge and on the brook had melted. Just time for a short walk, I thought, starting out, but quickly changed my mind, after I found the wet, decomposing leaf on the broken tree limb. This scene was so gorgeous, it revived my spirits, and I took a long hike. A stray silver helium balloon, fallen from the sky like a strange wounded bird startled Charlie who barked and barked until I picked it up and put it away so it wouldn’t deflate into a hazard for wildlife.
Tonight, after having cleaned up from a day of entertaining at this end of the Thanksgiving weekend, I’m so appreciative of finding these thoughts about strangers by John O’Donohue. Because a kind of stranger suddenly stepped into my life this holiday weekend – a young man, a new love of one of my daughters. And I am getting to know him, so suddenly, caught by surprise! I am opening my heart and mind, getting to know the stranger who may be here to stay for a very long time.
