There are days when I feel that I have failed her so badly, that I want to wake her from sleep to make amends.

When I spotted it, my first thought was of the person who hung it there, and how we so often have no idea the degree to which our stories intersect.

I walked out into the frost and the cold air caught my breath. Oh yes, autumn has definitely arrived.

I nodded when she said that next year would be different, and noticed how my feelings of excitement were cushioned by clouds of sadness.

Today, I saw her laughing with friends, backpack slung over her shoulder, and it was like I was seeing her for the very first time.

I was surprised to see the persimmons on the tree, since so many fruit fell this summer during the drought. I wouldn’t have noticed the abundance if she hadn’t pointed it out to me.

It was enough to walk to the creek and back. The time alone brought me back to myself.

There are days when I feel like a thirsty woman trying to cup water in the palms of my hands.

Oh, how like the once sun-scorched earth is my resilient heart.

The day started with a call to be truer to myself than I ever had before.