Endings and Beginnings

I hate endings. The end of a weekend, the end of a good class, movie, book, or holiday. Today was the ending of another holiday weekend, but this was different. I got to see my sister and her two children, my nephews, neice and uncle. The family gathers, as all familes do on such holidays, to eat and say thanks for the lovely life we have made here in this time. It is another holiday without Billy, but each one gets better. I spent time with my sister, something I have not done in over a year and we made plans for another visit; however, the weekend is over and I have to come to terms with endings again. Each ending of some time, or activity, brings with it a certain sadness that means "we are finished with this time now, and we hope another will come soon."

This weekend, I was absentiminded, or maybe I'm getting better, but I forgot about Billy for a day or so. I went to Atlantic City with my sister and ate really great food, gambled and laughed out loud, exuberantly. I did not come home to realize I was alone until Sunday evening when the entire family left to move on with their lives for the week.

Every ending is a new beginning. Yes, I've heard this one before; it's like a bad joke that you hear comics speak. But this ending was healing for me. I saw my family and it made me feel...better. For once in long while, it was nice to just feel better.

Today

Because words escape me on days like today, I will let the nobel prize winners do the talking for me:

"Consider love in its perfect form, in its unconditional sacrifice, its affinity with all that is loftiest and magnanimous in the soul of man. Consider the force it opposes to everything evil and impure. Consider the power of love, how the hovel is transformed into a palace, how chill winter becomes radiant summer, how poverty itself becomes a very bed of roses."
From Independent People by Halldor Laxness, Nobel Prize winning author, 1955