On September 14, 2006, I had a mastectomy to remove an invasive tumor in my left breast. I am grateful and thankful that I have been cancer-free for nine years.

There are other calendar dates that invoke pleasant memories for me, including special birthdays, graduations, and weddings. Some memories span multiple days such as my first trip to South Africa in October 2007, pilgrimage to the Holy Land in November 2011, and pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey in November 2014. In every case, I have vivid recall of the people who share my memories. Without them, it would be just another day on the calendar.

Although our birth and death are events that we experience alone, most of our lives our spent in the company of others. I can read a poem, take a photograph or write a story, but it only becomes real to me when I have an opportunity to share a dialogue about its meaning.

It is the shared awe of our existence, and the existence of God, that leads to the deepest of emotions. Just like a tree’s silence when it falls alone in the forest, the richest joy is experienced only in community.

I give thanks for the past nine years and the wonderful people who I now call “friends.”

Thanks for being the most important part of my journey.

Blessings, my friend,
Agatha

My new book of forty meditations, Reclaiming Time was released on September 6, 2015 and is available as a Kindle eBook for $2.99 on Amazon.