The River
Originally posted as a response on Facebook to Birthday messages, I came across this recently – and was shocked that it was from almost 10 years ago.
Another year comes and goes with a little more gray hair and joints a little more stiff on a cold morning to mark its passage.
Over a lifetime there are millions of little changes that provide landmarks along the journey of life. A scar, the first gray hair, a relationship, a new home, a new job, a new car... All of these give us a point of reference to navigate the timeline of our lives.
But these landmarks change as well. Just as coastlines change, mountains erode and trees fall; Scars fade, relationships fail, houses are sold and cars are traded in... all of them become muddled by our memories – we unconsciously alter the past to corroborate how we want to remember things – not necessarily how they were. These landmarks that define us are mutable in our minds and our map gets redrawn as each year passes.
There is one consistent point of reference though – the friends and family that are on the journey with us. They remind us of how things were and correct our sometimes bastardized view of it. With their help the map stays a bit more true. They've helped build our vessel we take on the voyage and their influence is, in some way, present in every piece of it. They help us to create the future with their guidance and input. They are the stars – unchanging in our lifetime; providing light and helping us to always find north on our map when we get a little off track or lost.
I am reminded of that every year by the folks here. Thank you all for being who you are throughout these many years. Thank you for being my stars.