A beautiful bittersweet truth, one that seems most poignant in this autumn season. A time of longing as the daylight lessens. Yes, I find my heart re-awakening to those long-ago loves, the dear ones lost over the decades -- people, pets, places too, that knew me best and loved me back. In my heart, they still do; it's still a sharing! Around this Solstice-time, they're appearing in my sleep-dreams as well as in my thoughts.
The beautiful truth is that -- even though the corporeal form of each lost love is 'gone', each is yet as close as breath and will be whilst I myself last. As novelist Elizabeth Bowen, who knew a lot about these things, put it, "The story of one's past is an intricate web, woven of a thousand threads. Some threads shine brightly, while others remain hidden in the shadows." ... "Love is not something that you can possess, it is something that possesses you." and "The past is never dead. It's not even past."
Time expresses life's treasures through each of us, whoever we may be, keeping all our hearts beating all together in any given moment, weaving us into its great tapestry that dissolves into the vibrant impermanence of all things, ourselves included. No wonder gratitude and longing weave together!
Thanks, Therese, for your kind words -- attributed quoting always fine.
As a responsive rather than a creative writer, I never 'have anything to say' in order to write for publication. Maybe 'next lifetime' I'll be granted the kind of soul that simply "has to" write creatively. Meantime, in this lifetime, I stick to writing letters, and comments, and to reading for pleasure. Best wishes to you for your own writing endeavours.
"~ At Our Best ~
O, humans.
The ancients were just like us.
Blood, sweat, but also tears.
At our best, we love so helplessly, and well.
-S.C."
A beautiful bittersweet truth, one that seems most poignant in this autumn season. A time of longing as the daylight lessens. Yes, I find my heart re-awakening to those long-ago loves, the dear ones lost over the decades -- people, pets, places too, that knew me best and loved me back. In my heart, they still do; it's still a sharing! Around this Solstice-time, they're appearing in my sleep-dreams as well as in my thoughts.
The beautiful truth is that -- even though the corporeal form of each lost love is 'gone', each is yet as close as breath and will be whilst I myself last. As novelist Elizabeth Bowen, who knew a lot about these things, put it, "The story of one's past is an intricate web, woven of a thousand threads. Some threads shine brightly, while others remain hidden in the shadows." ... "Love is not something that you can possess, it is something that possesses you." and "The past is never dead. It's not even past."
Time expresses life's treasures through each of us, whoever we may be, keeping all our hearts beating all together in any given moment, weaving us into its great tapestry that dissolves into the vibrant impermanence of all things, ourselves included. No wonder gratitude and longing weave together!
Thanks for this so-generative prompt today.
I am stunned by your beautiful words.
They moved me.
"No wonder gratitude and longing weave together."
What an amazing thought.
Your wisdom shines through, like sft candlelight.
I love your words, you speak so powerfully.
I am writing a book of quotes for next year.
I would like to quote both you, and Elizabeth Bowen as well.
May I quote your words, attributed to you.
I need to search Substack for other wise words you have written, and I'm excited by the promise of that.
I always felt love and the longing for more of it went hand in hand, now that concept has expanded in my thoughts.
That is a real gift.
So, I thank you fully and honestly for it.
I feel like I've unearthed a real treasure in you and your writing.
It speaks to me powerfully.
My impression of you overall is that you have had nearly 8 decades to soak up the world's best literature, and it has been sunk into your bloodstream.
I follow others, but your words have had a profound effect.
I wonder, have you written any academic books, or novels?
Your way with words is smooth as butter left out on the bench.
Thank you again.
Thanks, Therese, for your kind words -- attributed quoting always fine.
As a responsive rather than a creative writer, I never 'have anything to say' in order to write for publication. Maybe 'next lifetime' I'll be granted the kind of soul that simply "has to" write creatively. Meantime, in this lifetime, I stick to writing letters, and comments, and to reading for pleasure. Best wishes to you for your own writing endeavours.