A Year in Words

I have sat and stared at the screen for hours. Grammarly has tracked 750,000 words that have been written down. Some of the sentences have brought a smile to my face, reminding me of moments of laughter. Some of the stories have glistened in my eyes as they seemed to fail to articulate the magnitude of the moments.

I started writing, attempting to put into words stories—stories of family, friends, and strangers—stories that have been seen through my eyes and through the eyes of others. In those attempts, I tried to ensure that I stayed true to those I wrote about. The hope was to bring you next to a stream, a mountain's base, the ocean's surf.

“ We all have stories, just as you do. Ways in which he touched us, helped us, gave us money, and sold it to us wholesale. Lots of stories, big and small. They all add up. Over a lifetime, it all adds up. That’s why we’re here, William. We’re a part of him, who he is, just as he is a part of us. You still don’t understand, do you?’

I didn’t. But in my father's dream, as I stared at the man and he stared back at me, I remembered where we’d met before.

‘And what did my father do for you?’ I asked him, and the old man smiled.

‘He made me laugh,’ he said.”- Daniel Wallace, Big Fish

Thank you for journeying with me. I have no idea how much longer I will continue to write down stories, but I hope it has allowed you moments to imagine and be challenged.

To the stories that might come...

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