"Shall auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Shall auld acquaintance be forgot,
And the days of auld lang syne?
And the days of auld lang syne, my friend,
And the days of auld lang syne,
Shall auld acquaintance be forgot,
And the days of auld lang syne?"
When the fiddle had stopped singing Laura called out softly, "What are days of auld lang syne, Pa?"
"They are the days of a long time ago, Laura," Pa said. "Go to sleep, now."
But Laura lay awake a little while, listening to Pa's fiddle softly playing and to the lonely sound of the wind in the big woods. She looked at Pa sitting on the bench by the hearth, the firelight gleaming on his brown hair and beard and glistening on the honey-brown fiddle. She looked at Ma, gently rocking and knitting.
She thought to herself, "This is now."
She was glad that the cosy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago."
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Big Woods
Through this little patch of prairie, this simple girl... still in my heart just a girl with wondering eyes, bronzed cheeks and dark braids... has come to stroll with some beautiful new friends and grown ever closer to long-treasured ones. Thank you for each step you have taken with me this year... every blossom we watched open... every song we heard on the breeze... every quiet moment we just allowed ourselves to be still... together. "Now is now." ... And I am so glad to share it with you.
May the New Year bring you much laughter and love... and moments never to be forgotten.
From my heart,
Susan
