an ode to and in honor of samuel d. forrester

i am and will ever be an individual that is enslaved by that which is tantalizingly beautiful and that which is worthy of taking a moment to lean back in my chair, take a deep breath and let the beauty seep into the deepest crevices of my soul. i do this often when reading, especially when i take in the likes of anais nin, proust, elizabeth elliot and the book of psalms.(really the list goes on and on but i don't want to bore you) there are moments when the words just paralyze me, rendering me useless until the aftershock has released me from its grip. i find it is in these moments, fleeting moments etched in the corridors of my mind, that i have been granted some special access to something that many others would just pass off as another paragraph in another book. and i have in my lifetime been privileged to know people who inspire me by their intense passion for life and all they pursue with paralleled intensity and ferocity. and in my wildest dreams did not imagine, and in my most sincere prayers did not ask, yet i am privileged beyond anything i could have asked to be able to share whatever days are alloted to me with the only man i have ever truly loved, my sam. as he is rounding the final lap, passing the tortoise and the hare, turning the last page of the chapter to his masters degree i find myself in such awe and admiration for all that he has achieved in his noble quest. but not only is he about to be the first to graduate with a masters degree in his immediate family he is doing it with high honors. the almost 2 years of our married life have been partially dedicated to this quest to conquer this masters degree. and now that we are here, now that he is here, i swell with pride at the thought and in the realization that i am honored to have taken this road with him. i really have never seen anyone work as diligently and passionately for anything. and i am proud. and i am in awe. and i have had to sit back and take a deep breath and let the illustriousness of his accomplishment have more than just a fleeting moment of my time. and i wish i could say more, i wish i were better equipped with the words that i have been given to express just how proud i am of samuel d. forrester. but proud also that his name is now my own and i get to accompany him, walk and talk with him, along this cobble stoned path that we have chosen to stroll down together, into the sunset of course.

sam ~ you inspire me challenge and encourage me to not give up on my own dreams. i love you dearly.