Anticipation

One of my very dearest, most loyal friends--Sue--was supposed to be here at my home with me as of last night. But instead she's stuck in Atlanta in an airport that is on gridlock because of a winter storm that blasted the city, leaving thousands stranded in their cars on highways with jackknifed semis and freezing temperatures.

She's flying home today as soon as she can find a plane that is heading north. Poor girl.

Poor me.

I was so looking forward to nonstop talking and pedicures and some amazing meals as Sue is simply a divine cook. But alas...I will have to wait another year.

Good friends make the world go 'round. I met Sue our very first year in Wisconsin back in '95. We were moving into our home and she pulled into our driveway. Hey! You're new here! Looks like we could be friends and we really need friends right now! And so began a friendship that has lasted almost 19 years now. She has come to visit twice since we've moved to North Carolina, whisking in with stories and a listening ear and barrels of fun. I am always sad to see her go...and always excited to see her come back.

That's one of life's most precious gifts: anticipation for good times to come.

I was thinking about that this morning actually--how much I am looking forward to events happening in the spring: Roy's homeshow (a yearly fave), Savana's graduation from Southern, and then blessed summer with all of its bounty. The promise of good times ahead give us so much to be thankful for and look forward to and help us stay focused on the positive.

I know there are so many people struggling in my own neighborhood right now. I was talking to one of them this morning and she told me that she is so stressed she is having difficulty eating and sleeping.

Poor thing. That is a whole lot of miserable.

And I've been there. We all have at some point because...well, that's life...and sometimes life is cruel.

So we talked about taking hot baths and reading good books that whisk you away to another land and drinking chai tea with a cozy blanket and spending time with dear friends who get you. Because sometimes life is filled with potholes that we have to crawl out of, our nails filled with grime and grit, and our faces smeared with tar. Those times are never fun, never easy. Those times leave us destitute.

But time passes and has a way of healing all wounds. And if we persevere, we will discover that we are laughing on Super Bowl Sunday; we are making plans again for dinner out with a loved one; we are looking forward.

Sue's being stranded in Atlanta hasn't left me flat on my back of course; but it does make me sad. But I have much to be grateful for today. It's break here at the academy with its promise of lazy mornings and a couple of long days that stretch before us to be filled with our own sort of bounty. Savana is coming home and I am going to continue knitting my scarf. I am in the midst of a great book and I'm sure Roy and I will find time to squeeze in one meal out, just the two of us.

And hopefully, one of these days, Sue will return, bringing new recipes to try and her laughter and all of those affirmations she always gives. So until then, I will keep looking forward, keep trudging along, filled with anticipation for good times that are just around the corner.