I had a post all queued up for today. Then I remembered the date.

I’ve seen quite a few 12-12-12 celebratory posts out there – special themes for a rare day.

And when I thought about participating, I felt… overwhelmed. Exhausted. Which is not – I think - the point of any kind of celebration.

So, I sat down with Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Come Darkness, Come Light on low in the background, the kettle on to boil, and a dozen candles holding the darkness of a stormy northwest morning at bay. I pulled out my journal and a favourite pen to ponder Susannah’s question: What do you wish for?

This.

I wish for a sunny front porch, for an herb garden filled with fragrance and bumblebees, for light streaming into a morning kitchen. I wish for friends around the table playing board games and laughing. I wish for bravery. I wish for the perfect pair of jeans, to master making a foamy latté and espresso shots with frothy crema. I wish for the companionship of a loyal dog, for an unending supply of my blank-paged Moleskine journals and for coloured pens that slip across the page. I wish for confidence. I wish for a good night’s sleep, for hummingbirds to visit our feeder, for thoughtful conversations with passionate, caring people. I wish for forgiveness. I wish for all young people to have access to books and time to play outside. I wish for a trip to New York, to saunter around all of its libraries and museums and neighbourhoods. I wish for time in the NYPL reading room to think and dream and wish. I wish for more road trips. I wish for safe passage for my daughter in the world, even as she navigates her chosen adventures.
I wish to always know the gratitude I have now for having found Ed to share my life with. I wish for time at the beach and for my stories to touch people. I wish for love to grow.