{"id":161,"date":"2004-12-26T01:10:58","date_gmt":"2004-12-26T05:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.silkentent.com\/History\/?p=161"},"modified":"2009-01-01T15:38:00","modified_gmt":"2009-01-01T19:38:00","slug":"fin-de-lannee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.silkentent.com\/History\/?p=161","title":{"rendered":"Fin de L’Annee"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 26, 2004
\nSunday
\nThe Feast of Stephen<\/span><\/p>\n

To keep track of these lives we live is not just a means of enriching our understanding . . . but a truly sacred work. In these pages I tell secrets about my parents, my children, myself because that is one way of keeping track and because I believe that it is not only more honest but also vastly more interesting than to pretend that I have no such secrets to tell. I not only have my secrets, I am my secrets.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u201d <\/span><\/span>Frederick Buechner, b. 1926
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 American writer and theologian<\/div>\n

\"Holidailies<\/span>Since the early 90s it’s been my habit to start a new notebook for my paper journal on this day, as a way of starting fresh for the new year. I started this online journal in February of 1999<\/a>, on my mother’s birthday, and in December I took up the habit of paralleling my private journal habits by starting a new volume of it on The Feast of Stephen. That was my father’s birthday. I remember my parents’ birthdays more now that they’re gone than I did when they were around to be told, glad you’re here<\/span>, the whole reason we celebrate birthdays anyway. My year-end letter, the thing I send instead of a Christmas card, is always dated on this day, if not mailed until maybe Epiphany. Last year I didn’t even write one. I don’t remember now why.<\/p>\n

For a writing exercise this morning I reviewed all the Feast of Stephen entries in my paper journal (the Buechner quotation above was entered in 1995) and the online versions as well. In 1999 I noted that I had made up a fancy French name for this time of year, Fin de l’Annee<\/span>. I don’t really know French, but I do know the literary term fin de siecle<\/span> (bandied about much in 1999), so I’m guessing that’s how one might say “end of the year.” In 2000 I was emerging from a bout of medical complications that had threatened to derail the season entirely for me. In 2001 I was trying to come to grips with the sudden death of a young woman of my acquaintance. In 2002 I changed the name of the journal and announced that after nearly abandoning the effort I was going to write more regularly. I didn’t. In 2003 I changed the name and focus again but ended the piece with the uncertain, “Joy to the world! Now what?”<\/p>\n

I’m making the same promises to myself and to my readers that I’ve made for several years now. I’m going to lose weight, develop as a fiction writer, get back to cross-stitch and other handcrafts, go out with friends more, declutter my house, and develop as a nonfiction writer by posting more often to this site. Holidailies<\/a> has been good for me in this regard. I’m over 15,000 words and have had a lot of encouraging feedback.<\/p>\n

So thanks to everyone who has read and especially those who have written. I’m ready to meet all those old goals and<\/span> go to Wyoming.<\/p>\n

To be included on the notify list, e-mail me:
\nmargaretdeangelis [at] gmail [dot] com (replace the brackets with @ and a period)<\/em><\/p>\n


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