Mary van Balen

PHOTO: Mary van Balen
Friends. God's Grace. Emerson said, "The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it." Tonight I would add that they are also the support that keeps it standing.

I have been emotionally fragile for the past week or so. Alone in the early evening, sorting through Christmas ornaments and preparing to pack up the last few things in the house we are selling, I realized I did not have the heart for the work. I called a friend to see if he would like to go out to eat; he had other plans. I stared at the mess for a while and decided what I really wanted to do was drive back home and have dinner; I wished I had someone to share it with me. Read More 

Spring rains pour down from the night sky soaking the earth and pounding against the roof making a familiar sound. Rainy nights often send me to a good book and a cup of tea, content to spend time quietly, but tonight rain sounds sink into my heart and remind me that I am alone with my book, computer, and thoughts. My stomach aches and my heart is empty as I finish another game of FreeCell.

I have not been alone all day. In the late morning I drove to my new part time job only to discover that the orientation had been canceled. I used some of the unexpected free time to find a pair of dressy black slacks, fifty-percent off. After a year of writing a book on my own schedule and then almost another year looking for work and moving, my wardrobe is tired and faded, not suitable for work.

Around two-thirty I headed home. As I approached the exit near my daughter’s house, I called and offered to pick her up and treat her to a late lunch, thinking we could buy cheap food, return to her place, and visit for a while. Read More