suddenly there is a huge backlog, a huge pile of autumn leaves to bury a path through, therefore only significant happenings: themed family
chinese new year this year was exceptionally lovely, the best in my memory in fact, collecting and calling back all the family cheer and warmth that flew or wandered away during the course of weeks, months, and even years. having everyone back together from various points of the world in physical form - and for a week or two everyone's heart returned to the same nest as well. having j and sc enter our family was/is special, and helped bind the tenacious but often vague lines connecting us
some conversations made me think of a tree, where each of us could fill in different branches with the leaves we remember, the different buds that had left flower imprints in our hearts. the trunk with its multiple rings of our common memories, different perspectives of the same meaning.
and so with the end of the season, brother's departure to aussie, it has lapsed back to the same of living...just a little different though. there is a shift that stays... :)