"I'm going to speak my mind because I have nothing to lose."--S.I. Hayakawa
_______________________________________________________

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Last Call...



Please lift your glass of whatever as I toast you…

To all my friends—the ones with me and the ones who arrived at that Great Finish Line in the Sky before me--please know that I love you dearly and think of you often.



May the wind blow softly as it passes your house,

May the weight of the snow never cause it to fall,

May peace and friendship fill all of your days,

And may you have the happiest New Year of all.


Love you,

Gullible

Oh, and Pablo, too…


Just for fun, here are a few of my favorite pix of the year. Remember, you can click on them to enlarge to full screen. Assuming the cybergods allow, of course.




























































Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Never. How could I? I keep them in my heart where they stay warm and toasty on a night that’s near zero..

and never brought to mind,

Every day I thank them for being in my life. They are a part of me as surely as my hands and feet and head are a part of me. I leave a part of myself with every person I meet, and take a part of them with me.

should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Without them, and one in particular, I would not be here writing this. I would not be writing at all.

for the sake of auld lang syne.

On these cold, cold nights in Alaska, when I stuff the woodstove with spruce and birch, and drink mugs of Mint Chocolate Truffle hot chocolate, I think back on a year filled with adventure in company of good friends.

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syng,

we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand my trusty, friend!

Let me help you with that. It’s the least I can do.

and give us a hand o’ thine!

I will never forget the hands extended to me as my husband fought Alzheimer’s for seven years, nor the hands that helped me stand up in the aftermath.

and we’ll take a right good-will draught,

We’re all in this together, aren’t we?

for auld lang syne.

Remember. Always, remember: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.”--Anonymous


8 comments:

  1. After our last conversation I decided reading your blog would be my first priority of the day...it set a better tone than the obits. Your blogs always add sunshine to an otherwise dark and gloomy day, and today is no exception...plus, it's 50 degrees.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I shared your beautiful photos with Lon just now. We both enjoyed sharing your year with you.

    Like you mentioned, we're all in this together. When we look at life with that attitude, how can we go wrong? I don't think we can.

    The wonderful thing about cyber friends is that we communicate heart to heart without all the distractions that often interfere with and mar in-the-flesh friendships.

    Thanks for your kind feelings in this post. I look forward to months and months of fun and adventure with you in the future.

    Love,
    Shaddy

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just exactly what Shaddy said.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm with Shaddy and Beth! You leave quite an mark on the people you meet.

    Your words are inspiring, your stories uplifting and those little peeks into the heart of and mind of Gully are pure comfort for the soul.

    Here's to you Gully.. I'm raising my glass.. To a new year full of love, life, and friendships that last.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I can't really add to what has been said except that I can't imagine life without my friend Gully in it. Those long weeks when you're off on one of your adventures seem twice as long to me as I wait for your next post.

    Also, reading this and looking at your pictures put this in my mind. You should put together a book of your pictures accompanied by your writing. Yeah, that's the ticketl

    ReplyDelete
  6. Here is a toast to the new year, a glass of sweet Maui Splash! Most of the local pics are now my new screensaver. As usual, your eye enabled you to catch just the right moment in time, light, and beauty. My hat is off to you, and may your next year's journey be just as fruitful as the last.

    love you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. These are breathtaking photos. And your words are equal to them. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a shame such wonderful Posts such as this lay silent and forgotten as the years roll past all of us. Thanks for the gift that you are to so many people. Cap and Patti

    ReplyDelete