2008 seems to be the year of saying goodbye.
This Sunday, our church held a farewell party for my family. We had already moved all our stuff to Madison, so all that was left was the celebrating. It was good to hang out with friends, barbecue, sit and talk. But it wasn’t until some friends of ours we haven’t seen for a while showed up, that it really hit home for me–we are saying goodbye.
It’s not like I won’t see these people again. But give it a year or so. Occasionally, we’ll show up out of the blue, talk about old times, marvel at how tall our kids are getting. But our own lives have gone off on a tangent. Soon, we’ll slowly fade out of people lives, relegated to yearly Christmas card updates. Or for the more net-inclined, brief messages on Facebook.
I’ve been saying goodbye for a good portion of 2008. Goodbye to Chicago, goodbye to my old familiar life, goodbye to my stay-at-home mother status, since I’ll be starting a part-time job in Madison. So it’s a bit of a bummer to also say goodbye to The Writer’s Block.
I first stumbled across this blog with the interview of Ellen Datlow. I was quite impressed with the diversity of writers, so I was quite thrilled when I was allowed to join. Even though I have yet to published my first book, I considered it a privilege to write alongside published authors, who still had trials and tribulations like my own. I felt honored to be a part of that. Still do.
But you know what? It’s not like it’s all coming to an end. It simply means that it’s time to do something new.
As I’m typing this out in our new apartment, a chipmunk dances across our patio. I’ve never been this close to such a tiny creature before. There weren’t many chipmunks where I lived in Chicago. We had Canadian geese–lots of lots of honking, squawking, hissing geese. Chipmunks are so much cuter. Just the other day, I found this awesome teahouse that has free wifi. And my son got to visit his very first preschool, something he didn’t have in Chicago. He’s excited. I’m excited. It’s going to be an adventure for the both of us.
Thank you, Nancy, for all that you’ve done in getting the Writer’s Block together. And to all my fellow writers, thank you for inspiring me and all the readers of this blog. May all your ventures work out, and may you gain lots and lots of readers.
If you want to keep up with me and my latest work, you can visit me at the Cafe in the Woods. It’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s always peaceful at the Cafe.
I think I’m done saying goodbye. I’m ready to say some hellos. But I have to end this post somehow, so I’ll end it the way my father always ends his speeches.
Peace.
Posted for LaShawn by request
