A year of endings…

While speaking with a friend back in Spring, I conveyed to her that 2020 feels like a year of endings; seven months later I realize how thoroughly it’s held true. After thirteen eventful years, it was time to end our careers as speech and debate coaches, decided in February, before the pandemic hit the school system and the onset of juggling virtual tournaments and distanced practice meets commenced. My husband and I feel we got out not-a-second too soon there, actually. With the onset of the global pandemic and resulting library shut-downs, I’ve experienced the ending of job security (although I am grateful to be employed full-time again, for now, phew!) However, it is a study in awkwardness just getting through the workday. My thoughts are with those who were not so fortunate and who struggle everyday to regain that security.

Personal family endings hit hard with the profound loss of our beloved friend and pet, Johnny Funtime, aged fourteen. We said a peaceful heartbreaking goodbye in April and it is still too hard to write about today. Shel and I think of him often, miss him daily and nightly, and are slowly learning to accept the emptiness of his absence. Even the high-school graduations of my nephew and niece seem like the resolution of a bit of childhood in many ways. No more band nights to attend, games and events to cheer on, nor fundraisers to support; now weekly gatherings for dinner are a thing of the past. These days, I get to assemble college care packages, provide course advice, and have more adult-like conversations with them. Wow, it’s astonishing how quickly time presses on –I will always cherish my role as an aunt.

Johnny Funtime 3/26/06 – 4/6/20

Although my heart and mind are still processing these changes, I am not self-involved enough to think I am alone in facing such shifts, with the world going through an upheaval of apocalyptical proportions and all. (although, show me a blogger who isn’t somewhat self-involved; I mean it’s literally a forum for expressing personal likes, whims and lifestyle choices.) Which brings me to the decision to end writing this blog, as it currently exists anyway. I decided not to renew my yearly membership. I don’t feel compelled to write on such topics these days. Perhaps the tide of blogging may be ending as a trend. I don’t know, I hope not. I just know that I no longer need it as the escapist diversion it once held.

What’s not ending— my free blog account, my archives, and reference pages, which I will update with Reading Challenge news around the beginning of the new year. However, it will look different, reverting back to my old theme (whatever that was) and my check-ins will be even more infrequent. –My friendship and kinship with those bloggers I’m fortunate enough to call friends, Sandra and Julie, endures, as long as we continue to virtually share in each others’ lives.<3 –And of course, my love for discussing home fragrance and bookishness lives on. Any interested friend and follower may find those updates on Instagram @the_scented_library.

I thank each one of you for joining me in this public commons of the blogging sphere. As of this writing, my family are well and healthy, I wish the same for you and yours’, friends.