Dear Reader,
As I sit to pen you this note, I am fully aware of my desire to whisper.
You see, it is but January 5 as I write and, in my family, that means that Christmas is not quite over yet (January 6 being the twelfth day of Christmas). I consider this time one of gentle unfurling as our Christmas Tree still stands majestically in the living room, and as I continue to play carols every moment that I can.
And so, Dear Reader, allow me to whisper to you as you curl up on the couch beneath the fairy lights that adorn my Tree, while a fire crackles in our wood-burning fireplace and some delightful beverage steams in your mug on the table, the smells of peppermint and cranberry and pine dancing in your awareness.
“Remember,” I whisper quietly. “Remember.”
Your mind may seek to discover just what, exactly, I wish you to Remember. Is today an anniversary that you’ve forgotten? Did you forget to pick up the bread for dinner tonight? Blast it all, it’s not garbage day, is it?
“No, Dear One, none of that,” I say, and you exhale, settling more firmly into the comfort of the couch and pulling the blanket a bit higher around your shoulders.
“Remember,” I whisper. “Remember…Remember…”
And Remember you do…
That time in second grade when you won the race…
A moment when you were in precisely the right place…
A stranger’s fleeting smile as their eyes met yours…
That time you smoked up and all watched The Doors…
When you danced all night in your undies, alone…
When you ate gelato and pretended you were in Rome…
When your kiddo was born, your dog shook your paw…
When your bestie brought doughnuts when you were feeling blah…
That time just last year when you felt so alive…
A moment when you knew you would, indeed, survive…
That song they played that night in Buffalo…
That movie you saw with Luke, Darth, and C3PO…
When you first held his hand…
When you left your Homeland…
When you drank all that rum…
When you fell on your bum…
When you begged to know why…
When you watched your dad die…
When you snorted out loud…
When you danced for a crowd…
When the brownies were ‘funny’…
When that jerk called you ‘honey’…
And that night when the power unexpectedly went out…
When you just missed the bus and you wanted to shout —- Hey!
Don’t forget me!
Don’t pass me by!
I know Time has a tendency to Fly
BUT
Hear me out!
It’s time to Remember.
That’s what this year is about.
To Remember the good and the ugly, the promises, the doubts.
Time to Remember it All, Dear Reader, with Zeal.
Suck it up…breathe it in…really give it a Feel.
For this is Your Life – with all its glory and sh*t.
This is it – it is yours – every decadent bit.
And my wish for you as you enter this Year,
Is that you Remember it All, for it All brought you Here.
Big love,
Rebecca
