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Alone, thinking, late on a Wednesday night

Posted May 10th, 2012 by

My wife Lindi and my friend and writing partner Sharon have gone to sleep. As they rest upstairs, I sit alone in Sharon’s dining room; thinking. The clock that counts down the time until Gather at the Table is published ticks by very quickly. Lindi and I arrived at Sharon’s home yesterday. We depart tomorrow. The time is much too short, as it always is, to accomplish all we hope to while we’re together. But it will be enough.

Sharon and I have been growing our friendship and working together for three years. Our book will be published in October. We finished the proofreading process just over a week ago. The book is now undergoing final preparation for printing. As Sharon noted a few days ago in this blog, the first article we wrote together was published last week in the Oklahoma Humanities Council‘s quarterly magazine. We’re working with our team at Beacon Press on publicity and marketing plans to ensure that our book gets into the hands of as many readers as possible. We are beginning to plan our book tour for the fall and winter. I’m lucky to have found a writing partner with whom working is truly a joy. Challenging? Sometimes; of course. And a joy.

Lindi has traveled with me on this trip, which is a rare treat. She’s traveled with Sharon and me before, but not often. She’s been supportive in many important ways throughout this entire journey. One of the photographs she took of us will adorn the book’s cover. I’m lucky to be married to my best friend; that Lindi is both patient and supportive of the work that I do that involves so much travel and so much time apart; but not this trip.

Sharon and I worked most of the day today and we got a lot done. We have several more hours set aside tomorrow to wrap up all we hope to accomplish during this visit. But work is not all we do, which is why I’m feeling so grateful this evening.

Sharon is a terrific cook. For lunch today we had a delicious crab soup that was perfect on a cold, cloudy day. For dinner she baked vegetables that went with homemade polenta and a tomato, mozzarella, and spinach salad. I baked apple pie for dessert to go with the homemade mango-peach ice cream Sharon had made. I like to make pies that are quite juicy. This one bubbled over and made a mess in the oven so the house filled with smoke. It was worth it.

After dinner we watched Monster, the movie for which Charlize Theron won an Oscar. It was hard to watch; one of the saddest films I’ve seen in a long time. As much as the work Sharon and I do is focused on healing and hope, we recognize there is a great deal of trauma and sadness and hopelessness in our world; some of which does not heal.

Work. Good food. Enjoying each other’s company. This is what friends do. We gathered at the table today; Sharon, Lindi, and me. I’m grateful. Now I’ll join Lindi in Sharon’s guest room and look forward to a good night’s sleep. I just thought I’d pause and share my gratitude. I wish you all pleasant dreams (especially Sharon and Lindi).

One response to “Alone, thinking, late on a Wednesday night”

  1. Thanks for writing and sharing this, Thomas. I look forward to reading the book and welcoming you to Iowa during your tour.

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