sunset - new beginning (13 steps 18)

Cherished moments fill my head as I recall a sunset watched from those 13 steps. It was early spring, leaves were still not on the trees. I remember calling out to Matthew "Matthew, are you there?" then his deep voice answering "Yes darlin I'm here." Darlin, don't you just love that. Matthew was a country boy at heart. The way he would roll that darlin off his tongue, made most of the fairer sex melt. He was my knight in shining armour. After I called to him, he came out and joined me on the steps. 1

The trees, silhouettes on a canvas of pinks and golden tones, all laid on the background of blue. I remember telling Matthew, "I wish I could paint what my eyes see." He told me there are more ways to mimic nature that paintings. He told me to use my words, again with the darlin he said "Darlin, I watched Papa come up these steps with you. I have seen how words flow from that tongue. You can not be silenced." He chucked and put him arm around me as I pouted. Then he added "You just need to learn to harness those feelings, let the words find their way to the paper. Darlin, you need to write." To this day, I still don't know if that was just another attempt to silence me. Goodness, they had tried everything else to zip my lip. But he was right, and that night I started my journal. Knowing it was for my eyes only, I wrote for myself. Knowing that I had words that needed to be remembered. I needed my thoughts to be visible.2