We’re a parade
Susan, Amy, Matt and me, warm and cozy at Cracker Barrel, November 2017
“Friends: we’re a parade – even by ourselves!” – Mary Anne Radmacher
Pictured above are three people whose presence in my life is a tremendous blessing. Without going into the details, let’s just say that without friends and loved ones, life is unbearable. But with them, it can be a celebration, even in the midst of unceasing woes.
Many of you who read this, whether you realize it or not, are part of our parade. When I started down this road just over five years ago, the path ahead was dark and thorny, and my trepidation of what might lie ahead was well justified. “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” as Dorothy said. Only in our case, it was illness, surgeries, and death. And the end of this path, as far as what is in store for Matt and me, is far from clear to me even now.
What is clear to me is perhaps the most important truth I can grasp right now: we are not alone. So many of you walk with us, march with us, run with us, even dance with us at times. If you believe life can be beautiful despite the hardships and sorrows– if you understand that we are blessed just to awaken each day– if you are determined to leave the world better off than you found it– you belong in our parade! Look at the photo above and imagine yourself there. It’s a bit blurry, as it was taken by a lovely staff person at a restaurant in low-light conditions, but you can see the warmth of the cozy fire and feel the joy. Come with us! The road ahead is uncertain, but what an adventure it will be.
This post was first published seven years ago. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: cozy, determination, encouragement, faith, fireside, friends, hope, joy, love, loved ones, loyalty, optimism, relationships, resilience, support
Defeat Despair 
Good morning, Julia!
What a fun memory!
As I reflect on the quote by Mary Anne Radmacher, “Friends: we’re a parade – even by ourselves!”- I am thinking about how most planned parades are in the morning, while the day is hopefully not yet too warm, and our energy is still pretty high. But when we would most benefit from that parade energy could be any time of day, so it’s good to consider throwing our own little parade as needed.
I sure am glad to be part of the parade of fun, kind, whimsical and cheering comments on your blog, too!
Love to you and Matt, to Amy, and to your other readers as we parade across these pages!
Susan, I love that picture mainly because it’s such a good shot of you. Good thing you were at the front of that “parade.” 🙂
Good morning my dear friend, Julia. I seem to have gotten lost in the trials and tribulations of life, as well. I continue to read your posts and think of you and Matt every day. Love and caring thoughts cross the miles! ✝️🧡She
Sheila, what a delight to hear from you again. I have been intending for the longest time time to write you a proper letter and find out how you are doing. Meanwhile I too think of you! My lovely calendar is hanging on the wall behind me, and just two days ago (in a Zoom meeting) someone commented on it, asking about it. I took it down to give him an up-close view, and tried to explain about “Club Verandah” but I think something was lost in translation– he had that vaguely confused look on his face! I decided “it’s a girl thing.” (Or maybe I should say, “an old lady thing”) 😀 Thanks for being here! I hope you are doing as well as possible through the “trials and tribulations.”
Hi Julia,
How are you? Hope you remember me.
Hello Bindu, YES, of course I remember you! I am overjoyed to hear from you again! How have you been? Several times over the past few years I have checked your blog to see if there were any new posts. I hope all is well in your world. Are you back in Kerala now?