Letting Go

Today, around 8 PM, the edges of the sky turned gold, then dark blue, then purple.  Clouds lazed in their grooves while the wind sang a silly song.  Then I, brief repose complete, returned to my class.

It has been two months since my last update.  Much has changed.  Summer is fading and autumn is kissing the leaves.  Parts of my life that I believed unending have ended, and new chapters have begun.  Spring is supposedly the season of renewal, but perhaps there is a chance that buds can bloom before the snows arrive.  Although my progress is uneven, I have been learning to let go.

Happily, one flower, planted months ago, is reaching fullness.  Steph recently sent me the completed illustrations for "The Fox and the Shadow."  As individuals, they are precious.  Each somehow tells a complete story on its own, with colors and shapes wriggling about playfully.  But as a whole, they are far greater.

As you will see once the layout is complete, the images in sequence convey the transformation the Fox endures in the name of vanity.  The Fox is not a terrible being; his pure-hearted friends love and cherish him.  But he is a flawed one, and in the end, his flaw lays him low.  Somehow, Steph touches the Fox's soul and brings it onto the page for all to see and, hopefully, learn from.

One note before bed: Updates will be more frequent now, probably weekly.  As much as I would like to speak with all of you every day, my current work schedule combined with graduate school applications makes it impossible.  However, I will stay in better touch from now on.

I promise.