I’m very excited again this week to join a talented group of women bloggers in an online, unedited flash mob free write. This week, the word-prompt given to us by our fearless leader Kate Motaung (whose wonderful blog can be found at katemotaung.com) is “alone”. My timer is set for 5 minutes; ready, set,

Alone. The concept has weighed heavily on my mind and heart for some time now.

As a widow and an empty nester, I spend a vast amount of time alone.

In fact, just the other day, it dawned on me that, except for two periods of only a couple of months each in the past couple of years, I haven’t lived alone since I got married 30 years, 11 1/2 months ago!

Now don’t get me wrong. I love having some alone time. I don’t love being alone most of the time.

And I know that I’m not really alone, that God is always with me, and I appreciate that. I really do.

But I long for the companionship — on a consistent basis — of loved ones with whom I share a common history, who I know well and who know me equally well.

I miss the days when the fabric of my life was woven from 4 strands that were diverse, that often went their merry way, but that regularly came together to create a tapestry of love and laughter, of shared joys and sorrows, of inside jokes and gentle teasing, of shared experiences.

Oh, how I miss those days.