Journal82309: Today we celebrate a birthday in the family. I expect we will move into it much like we have every other birthday, except this time as a quintet, with no assumptions. My responsibilities will go beyond showing up with a lighter and the camera, ready to lead off into the birthday hymn.

We carry random scenes from birthdays past. This is a given. Carried along with these monumental impressions are tiny polished gems that acutely fade in and vanish. They come at unpredictable times. They show up in the doorway of my mind and shower me like a concentration of feathers drifting in the breeze...gusting up from just down the road or streaming in from years away, on some transcontinental current.

Memories are fickle to me…They appear, leave gifts to cherish, then slip away. They never mention coming back…but always do. In the beginning, when they pushed their way into our house, I never wanted to answer the bell. They came only to remind me of what I no longer have. Nowadays I stay vigil as I pass every window… hoping to catch a glimpse of that unannounced guest strolling up the lane. Even if it is only a brief visit, it’s still a chance to sit on the steps… on the steps at the back door, studying the hillside… sharing stories…as that guest becomes my close friend.