Taking a Step Back

Every now and then, one feels the need to step away from the day-to-day events of life in an effort to glimpse the bigger picture. I routinely do this on the first day of each season--I use the four transitional days as a chance to evaluate what has happened in my life since the last season began its tenure.

So much is so very different than it was three months ago that, had someone told me at that time just where my life would be on September 23rd, I'd have dismissed it as an impossibility.

Of course, Dad's death is the overshadowing event that has reshaped almost every aspect of my life. Three months ago, I was spending one day a week with Dad, handling his finances and running errrands and enjoying a leisurely lunch and reminiscing; had I only known how precious those days would be!

Cole and Christy are in the midst of a significant transition--Cole has just started a new full-time job, Christy is a full-time student, and they'll soon make the old Marchmont House their own home--and the absence of a monthly house payment will offer them new opportunities.

Jessica has solved her transportation problems, and she and Adam are engaged to be married in 2009. She's already beginning to plan for the wedding that will begin a major new phase in their lives.

Kimberly has found a kind and caring person to help fill her life, and she's been able to resolve some of the worrisome problems that had made her life more stressful.

The store has seen three of the best months in its history, and continues to grow and thrive at a time when other comic shops seem to be facing problems with growth, stock, and a shifting customer base.

Jared and Jenny are preparing to move into their own apartment as their life as a couple enters a new phase that frequently leads me to reflect on my and Susan's early married life.

Chris has become comfortable with his new job, MarKay is successfully transitioning her store into something that she enjoys, and their son Ben is beginning a new job in Japan.

Charles has retired some long-standing debts and has achieved a level of financial security that he hasn't known for several years--and with that financial security seems to come a greater personal satisfaction with his accomplishments.

Allyson and Brett are steadily eliminating some of the financial stresses associated with the volatile graphic design field, and Allyson seems to enjoy her new job more than any that she's held since I've known the two of them.

I've rediscovered friends and family that I had neglected, and am much happier for it.

A time of changes indeed...