I still come here and sit quietly. I walk through the pages feeling the chill of a home that has been locked up tight with sheets over the furniture, curtains drawn, and the heat turned down low.
There are emails that sit unanswered. Questions of how I am, what I'm doing, how is the baby. I don't respond.
There are friends I haven't visited. Comments left untyped. My silence has extended from this space into your spaces as well.
I miss you.
I miss this space.
It has been over two months since I left here. I don't think it was a wrong decision. Contrary to my husband's and Cliff's opinions, I don't think it was a defeated decision. It was simply what I felt was right. To say that I was "defeated" means that I was in battle with someone, which is absolutely not the case.
Closing down gave me the distance needed to figure out why I do this in the first place and consider if it is important enough to me to allow access to everyone.
Even people who need restraining orders taken out against them to learn some boundaries.
The answer, obviously, is yes. Yes, it is that important to me. I miss you, and I miss this space. When I visit your blogs now, I feel like the guest that shows up at your house and never a cake or a bottle of wine.
You've missed so much. I've missed recording so much. There is dancing and cruising across furniture. There are five teeth and first words. There is so much joy.
I'm sorry to have vanished like I did.
For all of those who said goodbye, and I am so grateful for all of the comments - I had no idea there were so many of you out there reading - for all of the goodbyes, I hope that you don't mind saying hello again.
I guess that made my previous post an interrupted cadence. A V-vi if you will.
Of course, this is what you've really missed - some pictures of the big guy.