And miles to go before I sleep…
Robert Frost

I’m wide-awake at 2AM

Loud thoughts are dancing inside my head

Now I understand what Robert Frost meant.

My thoughts won’t permit me to sleep

And yet I am tired.

I need to write

About a journey

About our journey.

Life is made up of many moments

That happen all too briefly

And in a flash are gone forever.

Whether joyous or tragic

They remain suspended in time

Trapped within our hearts

Tied up neatly with a bow

For us to remember.

These moments

These many, many moments

Are the fabric of our lives.

From childhood to childbirth

Friendship to friendship

Family here and suddenly gone,

This is who we are.

Today the winds of change continue to blow

But now the breeze is shifting to a new direction

Because midlife is a time of great metamorphosis

A time of passions realized, truths revealed and authenticity unveiled.

We are older, wiser and filled with excitement

About the moments that lie ahead

A new beginning

A second chapter

A chance to rediscover who we are.

A time to speak our minds

Let go of disappointments

And move forward.

We make our voices heard

Because we have a lot to say

And we add great value,

And substance,

To a world that needs to listen.

Life springs us forward

With nothing to hold us back.

It’s our time now.

So sail into the breeze

Soar with the gentle winds

And enjoy every step of the dance along the way.

Forge new bonds

Discover enchanting adventures

And allow them to consume you

Enthrall you

And enrapture you.

This is your time

This is our time

To be who we were meant to be.

Always learning

Always growing

Always curious what’s coming around the bend.

Let’s greet our challenges

Overcome our fears

And inwardly nod for a job well done.

Say good-bye to our innocence

And welcome to our wisdom.

Life will never be perfect

Challenges will always arise

But today we are more sure-footed

Self-assured

And self-reliant.

We are a community of like-minded women

And with our intelligence, savvy and compassion

What we say makes a difference to each other

What we do makes a difference to the world.

Read more from Cathy Chester on her blog, An Empowered Spirit