Hard to believe that December is here! In honor of the above quote, I will share with you a most unusual memory - my "December rose".
It happened on Saturday. Someone asked me when my love for writing began. I honestly don't know. I remember writing lots of reports in fifth grade and really enjoying the process. But the first time I think that I wrote passionately from my heart was in the sixth grade. We were all assigned a paper on "Thanksgiving". It must have been the first time that I researched the Pilgrims. I remember being very moved that they had such a difficult trip. I also remember trying to put myself in their shoes. I couldn't imagine getting out of the Mayflower and having no where to go. I couldn't imagine being so cold, and hungry, and sick, yet still have to work hard in order to have a home. I couldn't imagine being a member of this little group of people and witnessing the deaths of half of the group! And so I wrote from my heart on what I imagined that first Thanksgiving was like.
The day came for my teacher to read the "winning" paper to the whole class. I thought for sure that it would be mine! It wasn't. The best paper was written by Arie Mast. I hadn't thought about Arie for over forty years! But that memory of the Thanksgiving paper competition came back to me as if it had happened just last week.
What makes this memory so sad is that yesterday I received an email from a friend telling me that Arie passed away on Sunday. How sad is that? His funeral is today - the first day of December. There is something very sobering about hearing that a grade school friend has died. As I read some of the memories that people left for his family, it was obvious that Arie had touched many lives - deeply. It was also obvious that Arie had an unshakable faith in God.
May his family and friends be comforted during this sad time, and may they cherish their memories of Arie. May those memories be their roses in December.
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