The first
bright, warm sunshine of foreign climes in many a year…held up in my time of
greatest need and vulnerability by those closest to me.
Essential oils and dimmed lighting.
The fresh, open
space of Crosby Beach, the ocean calling me.
My pink-clad,
bunny-eared niece in all her sugary element plumped up on velvet cushions among
Mad Hatters and white rabbits.
New communities
found, kindred spirits.
Women – strong and fierce – in the wild and in the city. Moving, looking forward.
A deep dive into icy, dark waters – and a sense of the familiar.
Shared song and
warmth under domed ceilings and spires.
Looked racism
directly in its eye.
Rising to face
severe hardship head-on, feeling the weight lift from my shoulders when brutality
turned to compassion…
Blossoming,
reflecting, shining.
….And a fitting end to the year: spent restoratively and in the bosom of my community – with inner peace, calm, at one with nature. In gratitude.
Looked ahead to 2026: my path is my own.
