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Thursday, December 22, 2005

The final sip from a finely matured glass of wine with a loved one...

The final rays from an overwhelmingly spectacular autumn sunset...

The final few seconds of countdown on a joyous New Year's Eve...

The final moments of precious conversation before the lights are turned off and sleep comes...

The final glowing embers of a once glorious fire...

The final lingering embrace from a departing love...

Moments, simple and grand, that we wish would last an eternity, but would even be satisfied with just a few spare minutes more... long enough to savor their sweetness just one more time. Moments that bring us so much comfort, solace, understanding, insight compassion and hope... and then they're gone...

They are moments that don't occur as often as we would like in our every day life. And for good reason. They are accentuations. They are the grand punctuations of our everyday life of run-on sentences. They are experiences that separate our life into paragraphs and chapters. They are events that cause us to exclaim - ! - and cause us to reflect - ( ) - and call us to continue on - ... They are powerful expressions of the Voice within each of us. If our life were a serious of endless written sentences (as they sometimes feel to be), these moments, these experiences, these events give those sentences vitality and wonderful varied expression and Life.

Someone once asked me, "Why do you end so many of your written statements with the punctuation of '...'?" I simply said, "I often write as if my heart were speaking and so many of my statements simply have no closure. I want to leave room for anyone reading these statements of my heart to finish them with their own thoughts and feelings." And, my friend, so many of our life's sentences can't simply end with a period; particularly, those simple and grand moments we wish to savor. They live on in us and through those around us...

I invite you to take a moment to look at your calendar year of 2005. Visualize it as a series of endless sentences expressing your life story over these twelve months. Is your text broken up into chapters and if so, what seemed to cause the occasional break in your text? Is each a day a different paragraph? Is there much punctuation used throughout your text? Is your text in a rich colorful font? Is any of it capitalized or bolded?

My friend, your story is unfolding with each action and thought, with each word and sentence. It may not be physically written for all to read, but it is being etched with each comma and period and preposition, on your heart. And yes, there will be periods of run-on sentences... and yes, moments of grand punctuation. Just don't allow your life be dictated by run-ons until the final chapter. Add and enjoy and celebrate the numerous moments of punctuation in your life!

Love those around you more deeply and tell them with so with a grand exclamation!

CAPITALIZE and BOLD the causes and values of your life so that no one can mistake them as simple everyday text.

Feel free to utilize the parantheses of your Life; those subtle moments of insight and lull and reflection to draw a deep breath before striking into the next sentence of your day.

And don't be afraid to address the question marks of your life. Beyond each question mark, there may not be an immediate answer, but there will be another sentence to follow... and another... and another...

And finally, simply enjoy those moments of punctuation - regardless of their length - that allow you to appreciate and love Life that much more. These moments are fleeting and quickly become text of the past tense...

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Post Note: The picture above is that of the Clarens' living room, taken the evening of the funeral of my mother(in-law) Leone. Of all the Christmas seasons shared at the Clarens household, I am warmed by the memory of the family rocking chair always to the side of the Christmas tree; the coveted seat when family descends on the living room to open presents on Christmas Eve. In my opinion, it is the seat of greatest vantage point to capture all the smiling faces across the room, when gifts are opened.

It will be this memory, intertwined with the excited face of Leone watching others open gifts, I will forever warmly remember of Christmas at the Clarens household. Although Leone left us just after Thanksgiving this year, I can't help but picture Leone sitting in this rocking chair this Christmas Eve and all others to follow, savoring the excitement and joy of each season... until the final bow and wrapping paper is pulled from the final package.

Leone, in my mind and heart, that chair will always be reserved for you, as you watch our family grow and mature and laugh and love... and enjoy Life the way you would want us to live. I'll miss my moments with you; those subtle accentuations of a late night conversation over a bowl of popcorn and those powerful punctuations of your example and love. The sentences of your life have always caused me to rejoice! and to (reflect) and to continue on... Thank you.

You will be missed deeply but the sentences of my life will continue and when I speak of you, I will forever use grand and glorious exclamation points, ending in "..." For one day, we will meet again, and the conversation will continue...



Thursday, December 22, 2005 The final sip from a finely matured glass of wine with a loved one... The final rays from an overwhelmingly spectacular autumn sunset... The final few seconds of countdown on a joyous New Year's Eve... The final moments of precious conversation before the lights are turned off and sleep comes... The final glowing embers of a once glorious fire... The final lingering embrace from a departing love... Moments, simple and grand, that we wish would last an eternity, but would even be satisfied with just a few spare minutes more... long enough to savor their sweetness just one more time. Moments that bring us so much comfort, solace, understanding, insight compassion and hope... and then they're gone... They are moments that don't occur as often as we would like in our every day life. And for good reason. They are accentuations. They are the grand punctuations of our everyday life of run-on sentences. They are experiences that separate our life into paragraphs and chapters. They are events that cause us to exclaim - ! - and cause us to reflect - ( ) - and call us to continue on - ... They are powerful expressions of the Voice within each of us. If our life were a serious of endless written sentences (as they sometimes feel to be), these moments, these experiences, these events give those sentences vitality and wonderful varied expression and Life. Someone once asked me, "Why do you end so many of your written statements with the punctuation of '...'?" I simply said, "I often write as if my heart were speaking and so many of my statements simply have no closure. I want to leave room for anyone reading these statements of my heart to finish them with their own thoughts and feelings." And, my friend, so many of our life's sentences can't simply end with a period; particularly, those simple and grand moments we wish to savor. They live on in us and through those around us... I invite you to take a moment to look at your calendar year of 2005. Visualize it as a series of endless sentences expressing your life story over these twelve months. Is your text broken up into chapters and if so, what seemed to cause the occasional break in your text? Is each a day a different paragraph? Is there much punctuation used throughout your text? Is your text in a rich colorful font? Is any of it capitalized or bolded? My friend, your story is unfolding with each action and thought, with each word and sentence. It may not be physically written for all to read, but it is being etched with each comma and period and preposition, on your heart. And yes, there will be periods of run-on sentences... and yes, moments of grand punctuation. Just don't allow your life be dictated by run-ons until the final chapter. Add and enjoy and celebrate the numerous moments of punctuation in your life! Love those around you more deeply and tell them with so with a grand exclamation! CAPITALIZE and BOLD the causes and values of your life so that no one can mistake them as simple everyday text. Feel free to utilize the parantheses of your Life; those subtle moments of insight and lull and reflection to draw a deep breath before striking into the next sentence of your day. And don't be afraid to address the question marks of your life. Beyond each question mark, there may not be an immediate answer, but there will be another sentence to follow... and another... and another... And finally, simply enjoy those moments of punctuation - regardless of their length - that allow you to appreciate and love Life that much more. These moments are fleeting and quickly become text of the past tense... -------------------------- Post Note: The picture above is that of the Clarens' living room, taken the evening of the funeral of my mother(in-law) Leone. Of all the Christmas seasons shared at the Clarens household, I am warmed by the memory of the family rocking chair always to the side of the Christmas tree; the coveted seat when family descends on the living room to open presents on Christmas Eve. In my opinion, it is the seat of greatest vantage point to capture all the smiling faces across the room, when gifts are opened. It will be this memory, intertwined with the excited face of Leone watching others open gifts, I will forever warmly remember of Christmas at the Clarens household. Although Leone left us just after Thanksgiving this year, I can't help but picture Leone sitting in this rocking chair this Christmas Eve and all others to follow, savoring the excitement and joy of each season... until the final bow and wrapping paper is pulled from the final package. Leone, in my mind and heart, that chair will always be reserved for you, as you watch our family grow and mature and laugh and love... and enjoy Life the way you would want us to live. I'll miss my moments with you; those subtle accentuations of a late night conversation over a bowl of popcorn and those powerful punctuations of your example and love. The sentences of your life have always caused me to rejoice! and to (reflect) and to continue on... Thank you. You will be missed deeply but the sentences of my life will continue and when I speak of you, I will forever use grand and glorious exclamation points, ending in "..." For one day, we will meet again, and the conversation will continue...