Monday, July 12, 2010

TAPS and a little Reminiscing

TAPS
Day is done.
Gone the sun.
From the lakes
From the hills.
From the sky.
All is well.
Safely rest.
God is nigh.

Fading light.
Dims the sight.
And a star.
Gems the sky.
Gleaming bright.
From afar.
Drawing nigh.
Falls the night.

Thanks and praise.
For our days.
Neath the sun
Neath the stars.
Neath the sky
As we go.
This we know.
God is nigh.

There's an email that arrives now and again into my Inbox. It tells the story of the origin of the melody of TAPS, the haunting, four-note piece that bugler's play at military funerals. I won't include that story here... that is not what this note is about.

Years ago, we went houseboating with another family down at Dale Hollow Lake. One afternoon we took off from the others and eventually tied up the houseboat in a secluded finger of the lake. Josh got out his trumpet to practice and had a great time, playing duets with the echoing cove.

As the sun started to set, standing on the top of the houseboat, he slowly played TAPS.

Dusk was beautiful - the water was still, reflecting all the surrounding trees and the colors of the sky. The notes flew down the cove and softly echoed back to us.

It was beautiful.

The five of us were together and it was perfect.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

07.11.2010 A book and a Movie

Nearly every book I've read lately has a marriage that is ending, for one reason or another. I don't pick books specifically because the cover says "DIVORCE! TRAUMA! DISTRESS!" but for some reason, I keep taking out books that deal with those things.

Heck, I bought a movie a few months ago "the Jane Austen Book Club" because it was in the discount pile - and i just watched it this past Friday - I ended up watching it twice because the first time, i was making cookies at the same time and missed alot of it...and so had to watch it a 2nd time right after the cookies were done.

I actually laughed after the first 15 minutes because again, it was a group of women who meet monthly to discuss a book, and via the club, they help each other through things...and again it was about a variety of relationships = including a husband who wants out after 20 years.

ANYWAY - in all these books I've been reading...sometimes the problems in the marriage are "fixed" and all are happy, or the marriage ends and a new life, or at least a certain peace, ensues for the character the book is following.

I read a book this morning - Knit in Comfort - by Isabel Sharpe. It's very satisfying and made me feel hopeful for MY future. The center of this book is a group of women that meet to knit and yak. of course, there are other tangents and undercurrents but at the core are the women who meet and interact and help each other with the events of their lives..and it struck home yet again that I don't have this support, I don't have relatives around me OR a steady group of women friends here.

I've lived in this little town for 18 years, and because of my children and their activities, i DID have women I did things with for much of those 18 years - but over the past 6 years, those women have become people i interact with basically with only an occasional email. They all work full time, and I don't know...the occasional suggestion we get together gets thrown out there, but rarely acted on. EVeryone has their own lives to deal with and little time to do that dealing in.

The women I've had life long friendships with, my eternal friends, are scattered all over - Laura in New Mexico, Beth in Michigan, Mary Beth in FLorida, Pam in IL. Hard to get together for a chat over knitting, that's for sure.

Anyway - in this book...what happened to the main character Megan in THIS book is what I wish would happen for me...someone helps Megan find the strength to make her life better, points out how she can support herself and her children with the talents she has and helps her DO it, and I don't know..gives her hope for the future.

I wish I had the immediate support of group of friends, of a knitting group. The thought of moving out of my house, moving from this town, starting over YET again would be much easier if I had that kind of support.