Amelia is the person I am closest to from my high school days. She is much, much more insightful and wise than I; she is graceful, funny, humble and compassionate. I envy her immensely. We've only seen each other a handful of times in the past two years, the last time being at her wedding last May. We communicate though email. The only benefit of this is that I have four years of correspondence saved in one folder--it's fascinating to see our growth over that span of time; track from one August to another to another; from one crisis to another. Anyway, I'm off topic. (The story of my life!)
Today I got an email from her that was a response to my elated "We made it!" signature to my last email--she asked if I meant as individuals or as friends. It harkens back to all these tidbits of memories over the past few years, and how much we didn't know then and how little we know now. But how that little that we know is serving as a base to whatever we are supposed to learn in 5 minutes, in a week, in 5 years. Too often I look back and shake my head at my naivte; will I ever cease this practice? Such distain for my reactions to daily trials!
Amelia pointed out one thing that got me--we know so little about the immediate future or about how it will end; we can only know how we will live it. Being Easter sunday I have thought a lot about this--how the duration of time on earth isn't half as important as the quality done. That observation gives me some peace about where I will be in less than a month--regardless of what I cannot control that is to come, I can consciously control how I will face it.
