The Storm Before the Calm

I've been up since four with a thunderstorm, the moving to-do list running through my head, thoughts of leave-takings that once were theoretical becoming actual, wondering what it will be like to live in the absence of thunderstorms.

The movers come on Monday. No, I am not ready.

This week, a friend sent me a poem by William Stafford called "The Way It Is." Here's a bit of it:

There is a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn't change.

The poem ends in the imperative:

You don't ever let go of the thread.

Well, I'm wondering: Can I have two threads? Mine have always been just what this blog is about: family (which, for me, also includes dear friends) and writing. As one life begins to fall away and another begins to unfold, I'm just going to hang on to my threads and believe that all will be well.

I'll be back here when we resurface on the edge of the continent. Until then...