HOL 4: To wrap up

The purpose of HOL is to hash out life,

and while usually we hash it out with Geoff,

this girls weekend was full of special moments in the place we first learned what just-getting-in-a-car-and-wandering could lead to--

random-castle-sighting, 

case in point.

Sunday morning we took more advantage of our view,

talking on the deck as we watched the fishermen,

talking with our window view
when sprinklings of rain drove us inside.

After getting ourselves packed

and tearing ourselves away from our house
[not to mention from Randy, our cranky/absolutely-lovely innkeeper],

we spent some time at the beach.

[There is nothing quite like a rocky New England beach...]

We wrapped up the talking,
making sure we shared all of what's good
and all of what's heavier about life these days,

and then wandered out to drive through the campus of Gordon 

that brought us to the North Shore in the first place,

many years ago.

We reflected on those girls we were,

the women that we are now.

We thought about all we've learned,

the strength that we have gained.

And we laughed about if only we could 

have seen ourselves today back then, because,

did I mention the inn-with-quite-an-expensive-view?

But our hearts ached too,

at the innocence we didn't know we'd lose.

And then we wandered more through my old streets,

until we found the train on which to send Lisa home.

In this beautiful, memory-full place,
we wrapped up 16 years,

ready for whatever is next.