Esther Chilton Writing Prompts “Plans”

The best laid plans…

It is the last day of a horrible year, I am not sure yet how I want to usher it out. Grab the year by the belt and back of the collar and throw it out the door? Sounds good. But this is about plans.

When my husband was alive and feeling good, we were dreamers. Our plans were unusual. One plan after my retirement was for us to buy a big old boat with a cuddy cabin and do the Great Loop, or at least half of it. The Great Loop is a system of waterways that begins in the Great Lakes, goes up to Canada, out to the Atlantic intracoastal waterways, the Gulf, then up the Mississippi and other rivers to complete the loop. My husband’s ancestors lived in Newfoundland and were great sailors and fishermen. His father owned a sailboat company in Oakland, CA. Water was in his blood, and he wanted to have an adventure on the water.

My husband also wanted to ride his motorcycle across the country again. He had already done this once with Jason and some of their friends. But he had a bike with a sidecar, and wanted to take me. He assured me that we would take our time and he would make me comfortable. It would have been an arduous, but great adventure.

But our plans for a big adventure were never carried out. Oh, we had small trips and a few visits to California to see his family. But Billy was in and out of the hospital so much, getting treatments and seeing doctors that we couldn’t be away for long. Over our last 5 years together, we never took advantage of the remissions, either. I thought he was healed and we had all the time in the world. I never understood that the type of cancer he had always comes back. It always comes back.

What will the New Year hold? I know I will take my memories and grief with me as I navigate the days ahead. I will also take the strength God has given me and my faith. Perhaps I can start building a new life, too. My sister sent me a Christmas card and she wrote: “My wish for you is that the year of 2025 will be a time that you will find a calling on your life and a purpose that God has for you.” Wow.  I believe that my plan for the new year is to try and make my sister’s wish come true.

God bless you in the New Year and may all your plans come to fruition.

Writing Prompts

Writing Prompts