Embracing the Journey: Navigating the Circles of Life, Love, and Loss with Timeless Wisdom from Mom
A Gentle Circle: Remembrance, Roads, and Reflections
Oh, the memories that spiral forward in the mere act of driving!
A much younger Amy, ever inquisitive, often asked my mother, Jackie, "Why are we going around in circles?" These seemingly endless highway off-ramps, spinning us gently towards our destinations in our Mercury Comet, instilled a sense of dizzying curiosity. It wasn't merely about the physical route, but an existential pondering: was life itself a sequence of interconnected circles?
With an affectionate smile, Mom would knowingly respond, "Because that's the way the road goes to take us where we want to be." A simple truth, yet so profoundly impactful. At age 4 or 5, did the depth of those words resonate with me? No. Now, journeying through the 50+ chapter of life, do I treasure her gentle wisdom? Unquestionably, yes.
Driving home last weekend, Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game” came on the car stereo. Joni’s lyrics, poignant and timeless, swirled around, encasing me in a bubble of nostalgia and reflection:
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return, we can only look Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round In the circle game
October 1st marked not just the onset of a warmly unseasonable fall but also a moment of serendipitous connection. Tears silently cascaded down my cheeks. A profound gratitude for this cherished memory enveloped me. In that moment, I felt an immense closeness to my mother, absent from this physical world for nearly two years.
Thank you for the visit, Mom.
Undoubtedly, my journey will continue to weave through various circles until, one day, the road takes me where I want—or (rather am meant) to be.
More Later!
-Amy