My Masterpiece

I have not written a word for this blog, or really for almost anything else but my journal, in quite a long time.

I've written a few extended posts on FaceBook about Cindy and my dealing with her passing, but those were more stream of consciousness, emotional outpourings that I needed to do to maintain my sanity. I'm glad I did them though, for me, and for the many family and friends who have thanked me for sharing my feelings with them.

I suddenly feel motivated to write and so I shall. The muse is strong.

The photo below is my Mona Lisa. It is my El Capitan. It is my Christina's World.

This photo gives me more pleasure than any I have taken before or since. It is my masterpiece. I love it.

Cindy is vibrant. She is radiating a joie de vivre, a playfulness, a sexiness, a fire that overwhelmed this photographer and gave him those first thoughts that this was, indeed, the woman for him.

Well, there is a story to that, in fact a story within a story, if this can be considered a story.

Cindy and I went to high school together and then went our separate ways. We then met up again after 23 years. That is a story for another day.

This photo was taken on our first date in November 1995. It was a photo taken at the wedding reception of Cindy's cousin Frank.

Cindy said it was a test. If I could survive her family and the grilling I was going to take from them, I could withstand anything. I did, and I'm happy I did. In fact, we lived nineteen more years of happy.

Pictured on the left with Cindy is her cousin, Donna. The two of them were having a great time catching up on life and partying when I took this picture.

Since I saw the first print of this photo, it has been in a cheap plastic frame on a dresser near my bed. I look at it every morning when I rise, and every night before lying down to sleep. I still get tingles when I look at it.

Donna is so cute. Almost every time I see her, I remind her that I go to bed with her by my side every night. She blushes. I always thought that was sweet. Cindy always thought it was hilarious.

Yesterday, I received a card from Donna just letting me know that she thinks about me often.

I think about her every night. If she sees this, I hope she blushes.