Journeys come in phases, I’ve been told. It’s hard to know when one phase begins and one ends. Our thirteen journeys intersected at a major crossroad ten years ago. We met and went on our way, always coming back to each other, twice a year, changed. Would those changes in us have happened anyway or were they enhanced, somehow made better, by the experience of us?

We didn’t become “us” until later down this road. Each of us had to grieve in our own way and in our own time. We still do, but we are stronger, somehow more forgiving of our emotions, and more open to closer connections with each other. Some of us meet more frequently, twice a year just isn’t enough, and for me, the farthest away physically, I think of us more often.

You are in my thoughts when I step off the curb of my safe place. You are with me when my feet feel like running away instead of taking small steps toward another goal, another path.

The beginning of another phase in our journey has begun and this time it’s not hard to recognize. The blog world is ours to share. Let’s celebrate our tenth anniversary the way we’ve always celebrated each other — with words.

~Betsy Anderson