Friday, Dec 21, '07 End of a Season…..

Looking Back

My dad died suddenly on December 20, 1989. We expected it, but it was still a shock. Christmas was not the same that year for the family. It marked an “end of a season” for us. Who had he been to us? What was his life all about? How would we remember him? What did the mosaic of his life look like, and was it complete? We all have those questions, don’t we? And even though I wanted immediate answers, I figured I had the rest of my life to figure them out, so I was not in a hurry.

Our lives, like the years of our lives, are kinda like that. Each year we have a chance to look back and let the events of the declining year settle in. Time has a way of distilling the essence of a person, or a year of events, so that their sum represents a pretty good mosaic of the past. After a few unhurried years the details merge into a composite mosaic of a life or an era. The mind is always assimilating more parts of the puzzle, but the retrospective is really what assembles it into something comprehensible.

Retrospective…an interesting process in itself. What is emerging of 2007 as we backward-glance it? I see several puzzles all at once, perhaps as many as the new people I’ve met, the new friends I’ve made, the old ones who have departed one way or another. Puzzles come, they go. Nonetheless, each comprises mental compartments and sooner or later the “distillation of their essence” becomes another tangible part of an intricate design. How fascinating! I can’t wait until tomorrow to “turn over” some new pieces, so to speak, and “hurry” the process of seeing what my own mosaic looks like…but alas, the process has its own pace!

How can we make sense of such a mosaic? The Apostle wrote these words that give guidance, which I have contextualized:

“…Love never fails…for we know in part…but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then, face to face; now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. Now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

The Friday Forum exists because Chef Mike, Vanessa, Marjorie, Renn and I hope to add to the mosaic the admixture of love and community spirit…we hope it makes the island a bit more intimate and friendly. We have faith that when the time comes for the puzzle to be completed in our years and lives, we hope that it reflects the joy of your enthusiasm and the picture of each of your faces prominently displayed. And for those who only read the email, be of good cheer, you are not neglected!

The Trumpet plant in my yard is blooming profusely now, carelessly spreading its short-lived fragrance over the whole landscape…strange that it would bloom in this season. But it is, perhaps because in thanks for the tender love my daughter had for it in its several transplants. The sun sets low in the southwestern sky, casting long shadows on the plant in these short days. It gets only small slivers of sunlight daily. Soon it will retreat in rest for another season; but the distillation of its essence has carved out a place in the mosaic, which shall not be denied it.

In a few days 2007 will be over forever. What has distilled for 2007? In time we’ll know. Meanwhile, like the Trumpet plant, I think I will rest for awhile and let it evolve. After all, I have the rest of my life to figure it out! And so do you!