Exposed

Angela and Galit gave us the prompt this week. Write a short fiction or non-fiction piece inspired by any or all of the photo above. Word limit: 400 words

Early morning sunlight prickled the dark space, finding its way through the tiniest of spaces. Tia sat silent on the edge of the bed. The loneliness of morning sat heavy on her shoulders. The smell of coffee slipped from the kitchen and into her consciousness. Single coffee cup sat on the table. No idle chat of weather and politics before work. No kiss on the cheek bidding farewell or to hang onto through the day.

The two year anniversary of loss was approaching, but the freshness of grief still came in waves.

With patterned motion she readies herself and moves into a day of work.

Lesson plans, emails and phone calls to parents fill her morning. Her intern for the quarter comes in with that all-to-eager-to-teach smile he wears. They prepare for the day and exchange plans, ideas and a behavior plan for the student who continues to get everyone’s attention.

At lunch a friend leans over with a whisper

Who’s the guy?

Tia answers simply without deliberation. She finishes up lunch, and continues in movements without much thought or inspiration through her day.

Before he leaves he hands her an envelope of photos taken by his professor, thinking she too may enjoy.

Later when her papers have been recorded and graded, and emails all handled or deleted… she looks at her purse on the chair. She thinks of the drive home, and the empty apartment. The silence of solitude seems to be all that will be waiting. Not ready yet to go home and face her emotion, she opens the photos he shared.

She shuffles through and then on one she stops. She can’t help but stare.

A photo of her…looking at him.

She recognizes that glint in her eye. She remembers the smile on those lips…

She can hear the catching of her own breath.  

Feels the wings of hope just barely fluttering in her heart.

What had she been missing? Walked by, sat with, yet never aware.

Exposed in this photo.

Tomorrow she thought; things might be different. Like slipping into the 3d glasses at the theater, images around her suddenly coming to life. 

No longer hidden behind grief and pain, exposed and awake to the living.

Wait on that Miracle

Sometimes we look at people and wonder...why is it so easy for them?

They walk through their lives and everything just seems to come their way. It is easy, natural. They wish upon something, and it seems they have this little fairy godmother who pulls out the wand...and *POOF* it happens.

Where is their rocky marriage? Where are their kids that don't seem to want to listen, they have the ones that never go through years of rebellion? They decide to have a baby...and the next month they have the announcement, followed by the perfect pregnancy....and later, PPD, no where in sight. They have the careers, the college bound children and the money to travel.

Honestly? I don't really think they exist...but sometimes, sitting where you are, throbbing in desire for a life such as theirs...it seems as if they are. That seems to be a lie...a life without a struggle?

Today, I received a little precious jewel about that struggle. And I think it is true.

The marriages that are healed when all hope was gone.
The son who returns...after the years of rebellion.
The conception that occurs when you were ready to quit.
The job offer when you are about to lose your home.
The autistic child who says their first word.

Miracles!

When all hope is gone, all strength pulled from you, faith has been pushed somewhere out of reach...it is then...the miracle occurs. And how much sweeter it is at that moment. The grateful heart is full. Moving from the struggle to the gift...priceless.


These are the miracles...and without the struggle, they would be not much at all.
With a miracle a joy is multiplied, faith strengthened and made real.

Those others...you know, the ones with the magic wands...they have no idea of the treasures they hold. Without the struggle, the value isn't quite the same.

What is your struggle and wish worthy of a fight?  Hold out, keep fighting and trying.

 Wait on your miracle...it's coming.

Linking up this Friday with Let's Bee Friends

Happily Ever After

I am linking this post to two places. I didn't plan it, I had two ideas going on in my head and they merged. 

For this prompt I was to write about a trip either you or a character has taken, it doesn't need to be a literal trip but can me more of a figurative journey.

For RemembeRED I was to write about a time that rhythm or the lack thereof, played a role in my life. And don't use the word rhythm

My journey to get to Happily Ever After was uneven, unbalanced. It had no specific pace, it moved according to the forces that energized it.

However, here in the Happily Ever After I have found something I can rest in. I rarely write about the destination, more about the journey. The journey is where the drama thrived. It is what readers want to read.

How often do we read the details of the Happily Ever After? Seems it sits at the end, undescribed and left to our own imaginations.

So today I devote my post to where I am...in the midst of happily ever after.

Here...the air is light, easy to breathe. You want to breathe it in deep and allow it to move through you. It fills the spaces that once were empty. It is renewing, refreshing, cool. The breathing here is easy. It is not weighted down, unpolluted, clean. I now breathe effortlessly. No need to hold back a breath, or to quicken it or slow it down. Here is where I breathe in tempo.

In.
Out.
In.
Out.

Here it is warm and bright. The darkness and cold removed. The light reveals the me, that had always been hidden. Its beams like a spotlight on my gifts and emotions. It is exposing. Illuminating desires and hopes. I stand there boldly, ready to move without shame or guilt, free spirited. The warmth is comforting and real. It is not overpowering, just reassuring. No longer invented, it is authentic. I dance to a pulse in this place. Moving to the beat of my heart.

Thu.
Thump.
Thu.
Thump.

Here the water is calm, clear, unlimited and boundless. The vision is not clouded or murky. It is easy to see beyond and below, here and within. The waters are steady with small ripples. It feels safe and easy to handle. No longer the fears with storms raging. I am carried on the sequence of the tides. Carried in, carried out. Predictable and patterned. I swim with grace in these waters. The legs and arms move in time.

Left.
Right.
Left.
Right.

Here I sit and linger in the moments. The time is steady. No need or desire to rush it. Seconds, minutes and hours creating memories and dreams are coming true. Here I can reflect and ponder. Pray and meditate. I move through the moments in succession. I meander in the visions. My movements sway to the beat of a clock.

Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.

Here in the happily ever after ... I am not fooled. I know it could be shaken at anytime.

So here I write with the cadence that I feel. I write of the chaos and disarray.
I write how the journey deposited me here.

I write of the changes in the air, and the calming of the storm,  the revealing of light on the darkness, the comforting of warmth in the cold, and the steadying of the time.

I write of  the erratic movements of a journey...settling into the consistence of the happily ever after.