FEBRUARY 19
With the help of these and other commonplace objects—with
the help of the two big elm trees that shaded the house from
the heat of the sun, and the trumpet vine by the back door,
and the white lilac bush by the dining-room window, and
the comfortable wicker porch furniture and the porch swing
that contributed its creak...creak...to the sounds of the sum-
mer night—I got from one day to the next.
—WILLIAM MAXWELLWhen our world is shattered by grief, sometimes the only
things that get us through are the familiar objects and
routines that say in their very being, Look—you have not lost
everything; some things are the same. They make no demands
on us, these familiar objects, they are just there. They repres-
ent stability in a world that has suddenly fallen to chaos.
We are grateful to them in an irrational, embracing way, as
though they were dear friends—which, in this crisis, they
are.
In this time of upset and change, I am grateful for the solace of the
familiar.