I have bits and pieces of thoughts today.  It hasn’t been a productive study day, though it should have been.  The government research homework is very difficult and after several hours I have successfully answered zero out of 6 questions.

I moved on to do some  research for my archives final paper.  My internet went down halfway through the first potentially good article I found.  I moved on to read a book.  Good ole books, you just can’t beat them for reliability! 

Which brings me to another, only partially related, topic.  Yesterday as I was working at a branch of the library I found myself with time on my hands and I began to straighten shelves.  (Librarians do that sort of thing.)  So as I’m straightening I keep finding books that I think would be fun or nice or interesting to read.   I pull them out and puruse them, only to put them back on the shelf; I have no time to read anything that isn’t a requirement of one of my classes.  I feel sad.  I miss books.

Which leads me, in a round about way, to my third unrelated topic.  As I was driving home from work last night listening to a book on tape (the only way I get to read anything fun!) I noticed my rear view mirror was totally orange, and up in front was a beautiful rainbow.  I pulled into a parking lot to look at the sky without causing a chain reaction wreck.  The sky to the west was solid orange clouds, the sky to the east was grey with a beautiful, full rainbow.  It was amazing.  And then it began to rain, and the orange faded away, as did the rainbow.  But what a gift it was that I got to see it!

Which brings me to my fourth and last unrelated topic.  Today Dad has been in my head off and on.  Sometimes he interferes with my work and I have to stop and gaze outside, straining to  remember little things.  During my computer breakdown earlier today I decided to read the newspaper.  Mitch Albom had an article on the 10th anniversary of his book “Tuesdays with Morrie” in which he said that Morrie taught him that death ended a life but not a relationship, and that as long as he could hear Morrie’s voice in his head he wouldn’t forget him.  Which I guess is what I’d been trying to do all day today.  Remember.  Not let go.  Keep him close.  But Mitch and Morrie both say I shouldn’t be afraid.  The relationship stands, the voice is still in my head.  Dad’s not so far away.