Amanda Burns

Story threads (can be read in any order they come):

(front) I grew up in a small town 28 miles northwest of Baltimore City, Maryland. A southern state. On Sundays, we often went north
(back) to the Gettysburg Battlefield. I would race my father to the top of the viewing towers - steel and concrete. I always won.

 

(front) Music, words, poetry, heartache, joy, melancholy. So much out there. A mood shifts on the wind. Today is difficult.
(back) Today I wrestle with the heartache and pain of knowing I shall break the heart of someone I love. Love - not enough.

 

(front) Love is the driving force. Pure light when given and received unconditionally. Laughter. Oh! so important is laughter. The jokes we (back) share with a wink and a knowing glance bring up fond memories when we are away from one another. Giggle. Guffaw. Snort.

 

(front) I love. You love. He loves. She loves. We love. They love. Embrace. Dance. Grace. I am full of Grace. My legacy is to leave

(back) each of those in my wake with the experience of knowing, at least for a moment, unconditional love and grace. Go forth and hug. x

 

(front) I love my life. I wouldn't want to be living any other life. This one is full. It is rich. This life brought me loss and gain.

(back)Iamawidow. Iamamom. Iamawife,asister,afriend,alover. Iam. IshallstayasIam.I am more than enough.

 

(front) So take a thread. Sew your garment. Wear it. Wash it. Care for it. Rinse when needed. Let it be your sanctuary. It is color. It is non- (back) color. It is soft, pliant, cross-woven with life. It has threads of our parents, our siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and our loves.

 

(front) It begs the question - what is family? My family today spreads well beyond the biologic, nuclear one. Women. My women friends. (back) They come to me in every age, shape, size, ethnicity, and race. They are my consorts, my confidants. We weave a story of love and light.

 

(front) The women. Strength. A soft place to land. Tears. Laughter. We weave a tapestry of our experience. My tapestry overlaps

(back) with that of hundred of others. Loss of husband, boyfriend, girlfriend. New children. Pets. Homes. Vacations. Work. And TRUST.

 

(front) The focus must remain as Love. Love in action, deed, word. Love as it emanates from the heart space. When

(back) love is present, Grace is present. Unconditional. No hope or expectation. Stay with it-in it- near it-around it. Spread the love.

 

(front) It was a chaotic, dramatic, tension-filled upbringing. My father drank. And when he didn't drink, he rages. My mother shopped. A

(back) carousel of accusations and denials. Above it all, keeping the family together. If you can't count on your family, who do you have in this world?