forever

"It's like I waited my whole life for this one night."

Marlene was exhausted. The sun had been blazing all day. She thought some relief would come when the desert night rolled in, that a breeze would arrive to bring some comfort. But there would be no alleviation tonight. The stale, dry hot air remained.

Her crew was tired too. After all, they had been toiling out in that same heat as Marlene. She knew they all needed a rest, but the expedition only had funding for one more week. Each day, each minute were crucial.

And she knew this would be the last time she would have this opportunity. This was her third trip to Egypt. Marlene knew the pharoah's treasure was buried, she was nearly certain it was buried here. But she couldn't imagine that after three failed attempts she would be able to convince someone to sponsor another search.

An hour later, and with no find today of large or small significance, Marlene was ready to send everyone home. She was even considering a later start to the day tomorrow just to give the crew more time to recover. Then the whistle sounded. Each digger had a whistle they blew when they found something. Once for something small, twice for something moderate, and thrice for a big find.

Marlene put down her shovel and turned to the direction she thought the sound had come from. The whistle blew again. She began to walk towards the origin of the sound, hoping that whatever this trinket was could salvage morale.

The whistle blew again. Marlene quickened her pace. Her mind became alert again, but she restrained her optimism. After a few minutes of brisk walking, she came up on a jubilant digger. She didn't know this guy's name but surmised he could be no more than 20 years old. She was prepared to dismiss his excitement as naivete until she saw Joann, her assistant. Joann had tears in her eyes.

Marlene looked down and gasped in disbelief. Unearthed were three stairs, each with the distinctive emblem of the pharoah engraved on them. This was it. These were the stairs to the tomb, to the treasure.

And she sat there on the top stair. She cried, she smiled, she dreamed, she shouted. Her crew sat there with her in awe. Marlene could imagine the days and weeks to come. The uncovering, the fanfare. But she couldn't imagine that anything could be better than this night. This moment when it was just her and the realization of a dream.

love makes things happen

"Love appears at the worst..."

Rondell met Alexis when he was 42 years old. They literally ran into each other in a bookstore. He fell in love with her before he even looked at her face. The books she had were some of his favorites. He looked up with intrigue and found himself staring into an exquisite face.

They sat and talked for an hour. They exchanged emails and soon were chatting on the internet daily. His conversations with Alexis became the thing he looked forward to each day. At 42, Rondell finally understood what a soulmate was.

"...and even the best of times."

Rondell met Jeanie when he was 24 years old. She was beautiful, smart, quirky, and ambitious. They dated for two years and everything seemed so ideal. They had the similar dreams of the future. They both wanted so many of the same things. Jeanie got along great with his family. He truly cared for and loved her. So they got married, bought a house, had a family, and settled down for a long life together.

That is, until Rondell was 42...

angel

"Spent all your time waiting for that second chance. For a break that would make it okay."

I imagine that he always wanted something more. More than the poor health, more than being adopted, more than being a bus driver. I hope that I'm wrong, that he was happy and had things he wanted.. But I doubt it.

Maybe if I had been older then I could have done more. Stood up for him to his siblings. Encouraged him to be healthy. Maybe I could have gotten over my fear of that house after my Gam died and visited more often.

Right now I mostly feel lost because I never mourned. I didn't go to the funeral and barely had time to acknowledge the loss...

I hope that he is with my grandparents. I hope that they are reminding him how much he is loved. I hope he can see that he is missed. I hope he can see the importance and value his life had here on earth from his new vantage point. I know he is happy there, but I still wish he could have been happy here too.

all i got

"Got a mind that lends me strength so I ain't afraid to stand."

There are things I believe in wholeheartedly. Causes, candidates, ideals, and people. And I believe in my opinion. I believe in taking a stand. I believe that there is a fine line between concession and compromise.

My mind never stops thinking. I dream ideas, plans, and strategies. I see possibilities and beauty on every corner. I find inspiration in intelligence and altruism. I take in everything and let my mind turn everything into an action. A cause to advocate for. A subject to study. A story to write. A rightful compassion and determination.

I like to sit back and think. How can I express some distinct human story? Whose political opinions should I give deference to? When and where should I speak my mind? How can I do my part?

And it is here I find my focus, my clarity, my purpose.

a new day has come

"The world thought I had it all. But I was waiting for you."

One day she found him. It was like she turned a corner and he was there. It took only one moment, one look for Nia to know. The person she'd been waiting her whole life to love.

A boy. With long eyelashes covering his dark eyes. With an infectious laugh. With a wobbly gait. A boy. Two years old and already the person of her dreams.

Nia had dreamed of kids. She was a successful entrepreneur. She owned her own home. She drove an expensive car. There were men falling at her feet. And she was happy but lonely.

Then she met Eric. She saw him one day when she was volunteering at the local humane shelter. A group of kids from a nearby orphanage had a "field trip" there. And she fell in love.

A two year old boy had brought a purpose to her life she had never felt.

miss you much

"I'm not the kind of girl who likes to be alone."

Annika had this boyfriend. Neil. They met at a club one night and instantly hit it off. They exchanged numbers and the rest, as they say, is history. The two get along great, have a lot in common, and really care about each other.

Enter problem. Annika lives in Charlotte. Neil lives in Boston.

Annika adores Neil, but six months into the relationship and she already knows its not for her. She likes to cuddle on the couch. She wants spontaneous dates. She needs someone to be there in the flesh. Not a million miles away on a phone.

But Annika can't bear to break Neil's heart. And so she let's the relationship linger on... and starts to feel a resentment and bitterness. She acts against these feelings by going out. She begins dating again.

Then one day there's a picture of Annika. With this guy Elijah. All cuddled up on a couch at her favorite lounge. A picture on Facebook. A picture that broke Neil's heart.

with you

"When I'm with you I wonder why people do stop and stare and smile at us."

Miranda would come to the park everyday to watch other people's lives. She sat on a little bench near the water fountain with the guise of reading a book. But really she watched.

She saw lovers' spats, kids playing carefree, lonely folks feeding the ducks, and motivated joggers. But every once in a while, she would see love.

Miranda would see a couple walk by, oozing love from head to toe. It wasn't really about whether they were holding hands or kissing or staring into each others eyes. They would be connected. They were content.

The couples would walk by, talking about the weather or work. But their faces said so much more. A passion that was almost blinding. Caring that would make a bystander blush. And butterflies that were inexplicably contagious.

Yes, Miranda sat on that bench and waited for love to walk by. She watched because she had never been in love, but wanted to be sure she could recognize it when it came.