No one ever said there would be no pain in life. There are no pathways to wander without trial and strife. As we journey to our final, unavoidable appointment, there are no gentle shortcuts. But there are great treasures along the way. Each day provides the opportunity to witness the beauty that surrounds us. Each year we successfully navigate allows us to develop new friendships and new experiences. Each bond with another brings with it new joys and new blessings. So the trial and stride is balanced out, and time marches on.

Each decade we survive embeds unique topographic lines on our features, outward symbols of the immeasurable complexity the passage has written on our soul. These lines recount the stories I seek to capture, the tales I wish to tell. For in the knowledge and understanding of one another is the incomparable grace of love. And that is a story worth repeating.

The gifts He has given me are abundant, His love unbounded. For that, I am eternally blessed. I remain His scribe.