The Glimpse of a Promise
They flood my television screen as the hour nears midnight. Variegated hives of revelers swarming the streets of iconic cities - arms pumping the air, faces split open in joyous grins. No one is immune to the palpable excitement that builds as the numbers fall - ten, nine, eight - into a mad frenzy now keeping time to the fireworks popping outside my own window. It is a universal excitement that almost takes form - swelling out, stretching up, reaching back, branching forward - sprouting hope and desire that flower almost before our eyes into goals and ambition; a great rolling tide of optimism that gathers us all up and leads us, singing, into a new year.
Here, we share a quiet kiss.
A dog’s head gets a tousle.
Thus, we pass another waypost on our journey through time.
We turn a corner.
We start off anew.
Prone to contemplation, I am sitting by the window in thought when I hear my name called. The Songwriter has accompanied Edward and Apple on their bedtime ramble out in the back garden and I am being summoned to join them. I wrap a shawl round my shoulders and head outside to the dark.
“Look up”, he says, smiling.
And I do, into a sky of navy blue, speckled over with winking stars.
“Yes, it’s lovely”, I say.
“Keep looking”, comes his reply.
And then I see it.
Skimming across the canvas of night like the spark from a magic wand, a hope made manifest, a visible dream encircling the stars.
A shooting star.
“I saw one, and now you’ve seen one too. Good omens, I should think”.
We wait a while longer, but no more flash above us.
Just two.
Just for us.
We reach down and pat the dogs sitting silently at our feet.
One white, one black. Both dear.
We four follow each other back inside to the warmth, knowing whatever this untested year has up its sleeve we may hold fast to the glimpse of a promise that soared through the sky on its very first night.
Happy New Year indeed.
Oh, how lovely. I hope your this year brings nothing but joy and happiness.
ReplyDeleteFeliz Año Nuevo, besitos, Candice
A quiet turn of the year has its own special beauty. Here in our Scottish glen we had no shooting stars, but the moon lit up the fast-flowing river and dark hills, and a faint aroma of whisky came from the nearby distillery warehouses.
ReplyDeleteA very Happy New Year to you.
That sounds like good luck to me!
ReplyDeleteAn augury of happiness .
ReplyDeleteBeautiful...like I was there with you..
ReplyDeleteLove from The Hilltop
How lovely. Wishing you a very happy new year!
ReplyDeleteOh what a lovely beginning!
ReplyDeleteAll my best to you & yours, Pamela, and please give very special pats to those two dear furry heads.
Christi
Happy 2012!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to see a shooting star, it's something I've never yet seen.
ReplyDeleteA lovely blog post to read. Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say 'Happy New Year!'
ReplyDeletethank you! for sharing that most special moment with us.
ReplyDeletei felt the absolute stillness, the cool air, the soft fur of apple and edward... and the fleeting star. stars.
thank you dear heart!
happy merry new year,
tammy j
Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing for you both!
ReplyDeleteI saw no shooting stars but, between Christmas and the New year there was a night that sent me restless outside at three in the morning and as I lifted my eyes to the stars, a red star like mars caught and held my eye as I realised it was moving across the sky and jiggling about as well as though to say: keep looking at me. As I looked and it faded into the distance, I saw the miracle,the tail of a bright, bright comet beaming up from the horizon like a massive searchlight. I felt I had truly seen a miracle.
I wish you many joys and quiet contentment in this just started trip around the calendar, and 'The best of British' as we here Down Under say as well.
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Best Luck for New Year!
ReplyDeleteDelightful words!
ReplyDeleteBlessings for 2012 to you and dear Edward!
In this new year, may there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine upon your window pane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near to you and
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
Dear Pamela, The Songwriter, Apple & Edward
ReplyDeleteSeeing two shooting stars is definitely a good omen and may your days be full of twinkles and sparkles and may 2012 be your best year ever.
Helen xx
H
In the wee hours of the 4th there are going to be a lot of shooting stars; a meteor shower.
ReplyDeleteMay the worst of 2012 be from the best of 2011; Happy New Year from Thistle Cove Farm.
Quiet gifts from the universe...very auspicious!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing better than seeing a shooting star as the year turns is seeing it with someone you love. Such a beautiful picture to go with your experience. Pamela. Happy New Year!
ReplyDelete..."hold fast to the glimpse of a promise that soared theough the sky on its very first night..." BEAUTIFUL
ReplyDelete~ Violet
What a sweet and very special gift you all were given to help in setting the New Year into motion, it was lovely that you were able to share in the moment together.
ReplyDeleteThe very best to you, the Songwriter, and dear Edward & Apple in 2012!!
xo J~
Like a comet in the sky, the new year comes...thanks for the lovely quiet picture of the arrival of 2012.
ReplyDeleteI just love shooting stars Pamela, and they are so much better (and luckier) when you view them outside rather than through glass.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Pamela!!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Years to you and yours! Please come and enter my Giveaway from Serena & Lily.
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Lovely post. And a Happy New Year to you!
ReplyDeleteOh wow how lucky! A shooting star!
ReplyDeleteI've never managed to see one...
What magic, and a wonderful omen for the year to come.
A very Happy New Year to you Pamela, I hope your wishes are granted...you did make a wish? Course, you made a wish!! ;))))
Hugs Jane x
Yes, the "glimpse of promise".....each of us has one...we would hope. That would be a "good" New Year indeed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for so eloquently putting into words the kind of evening that my husband and I shared with our beloved black lab, Gracie.
ReplyDeleteI guess I just never thought that our quiet evening at home, holding down the fort while our teens were out on the town, was post-worthy. Thank you for reminding me to savor the quiet times with my best friends. One at my side and the other at my feet.
Wishing you all the best in the new year.
Lisa
How beautiful. Promises held. Oh, the wonder.
ReplyDeleteBonne année.
Oh Pamela,
ReplyDeleteSounds as if you and the Songwriter are in for a wonderful year with Edward and Apple in tow.
The fireworks in London mean so much to us these past two years as our son mixed the music and syncronised it all. They were AMAZING.We are all so proud of him.
I want to thank you so much for all of your support throughout 2011and for your blogging friendship.
From the bottom of my heart I wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year filled with many magical moments, love and lots of fun.
Sent with love from my fanmily to yours. XXXX
Happy New Year, Pamela..definitely, I prefer your positive stance in regard to the promises in the new near..whereas I approached it from the other angle on my blog, looking at the year in review. Either way, we will be just fine...
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Pamela..definitely, I prefer your positive stance in regard to the promises in the new near..whereas I approached it from the other angle on my blog, looking at the year in review. Either way, we will be just fine...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, and the shooting stars were definitely not harsh to the ears like the fireworks displays!
ReplyDeleteHappiest New Year ever to you, the Songwriter, and dear Edward and Apple. May all your dreams come true.
Hugs - Mary
Happy New Year, dear Pamela, Songwriter,Edward and Apple.
ReplyDeleteWill you come to New York in 2012?
A shooting star, what a good omen. I love the "promise" that each new year holds for us. Such beautiful prose, thank you.
ReplyDeleteKaren
You each glimpsed a promise! That is fantastically special and especially fantastic! I wonder what 2012 will bring - I am hoping for the ability to recognise opportunities when they present themselves, that magical interludes continue to astound me, and that I'll have the good fortune to meet up again with lovely friends from across the seas. :)
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful! Your quiet celebration sounds perfect. Happy New year to you all:)
ReplyDeleteDear Pamela,
ReplyDeleteYou are such a wonderful writer.
Whate a beautiful scene, with the two dogs. May 2012 be a terrific year for you all.
best wishes,
yvonne
Wonderful, wonderful. You bring such serenity to the world, Pamela. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
ReplyDeleteMay Peace and Love be always with you.
It is such a joy to know you here.
~Bruce
That sounds like the best New Year's Eve party ever - just the 4 of you and a shooting star! I stayed back at home reading by the fire with my puppy at my feet. I was nursing a bad cold, but it was a nice evening all the same. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteA very good omen indeed!
ReplyDelete