This link is the soundtrack of this story. Let it play in the background as you read.
“You know I’ll never go, as long as I know it’s straight from the heart.”
Another late night on the deck writing. Why do I do it?
I can’t lie. I can’t stop myself. I write because there’s something I have to explain. To relive. To discover. To be quite frank, it’s a compulsion. I might be sick, but don’t tell anyone. It’s our secret.
I grew up an outsider. Maybe you can relate. I think you can. I wrote about it for years in obscurity, twenty years or more, and then by chance or fate or providence I got published and discovered that I wasn’t the only one. I found my tribe. I found you. It was a beautiful moment, one that I treasure to this day.
These days when I’m out here on the deck fighting my way through another story, it’s not just my story I’m searching for. It’s our story. It might take many forms, but in the end it’s the old story. Banished from the garden. Looking for a way back in. The big story. The only story.
Sometimes I write strange stories. Goofy stories, Let’s face it. I’m a goofy guy. But underneath it’s always the same old story. The love that changes everything. Because when it comes down to it, the bottom line is always love.
Over forty years ago I met The Woman. Anyone who meets her immediately realizes she is the queen to my court jester. Sure, I’m a fun guy to be around at a dinner party, but when life comes down to the real stuff, The Woman is the one you will call. That’s just a fact.
I strongly suspect that many of you fall into that category. The ones people can count on when things get rough. The tribe of The Woman. And I’m sure there are others out there like me. those who feel it just as much but aren’t much use in the clinch. Here’s the funny thing. All of us, the jesters of the heart and the royalty of the heart, we’re all spiritual ragamuffins, cognizant of our frailty, all sharing a longing for a transcendent love, a longing that gives us hope that such a thing exists.
There remains these three things: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
As my third favorite Canadian said (the first two are Bruce Cockburn and Robertson Davies, the order changing according to my mood):
It’s all for one, and all for love.
Three years after we met, I made this vow to The Woman in the presence of witnesses. We have made it this far through no fault or virtue of my own, but by the grace of God. I must confess that almost four decades later she is still my true love, and as recently as tonight I told her how happy I am and how lucky I feel that we still share our fortunate lives together. Let the one you hold be the one you need.
On April Fool’s Day 2016, Wunderfool Press will release The Reluctant Saint, the sequel to Endless Vacation. It features Hensley Fletcher, the vagabond brother from Endless Vacation. A bohemian, a rapscallion, but one who suspects that there is something greater out there for him, one who fights for the possibility. It’s an unlikely story of redemption.
You might like it. I’ll be offering a sneak peak to the insiders in a future newsletter. To get the inside scoop, sign up on the form on the right column of the website.
In other news, I might have failed to mention that Wunderfool Press released a collection of satire articles I wrote for The Wittenburg Door twenty years ago. It’s released in Kindle ebook form, which you can read on a Kindle or on your computer or tablet or smartphone with the Kindle app. For those in the tribe of The Woman, I have marked the Woman-Approved selections.
Build Your Own Religion and other bad ideas from The Door
One other thing for your consideration. Amazon reviews are the lifeblood of an indie author. If you enjoy my attempts to explore the big story, please take a few moments to write a review for a book. A sentence or two is plenty and I will be greatly appreciative.
And if you’re ever in Austin, ping me. We can do lunch or dinner and I’ll do the thing I do best.