Reprise

A reprise:

The repetition of a piece- played again at the end or repeated throughout a score.

A reprise stirs again the thoughts and emotions of before, reshaping them and calling to a deeper place, perhaps, perhaps not. It is an invitation to feel. The joy may be rekindled, the flames may rise a little higher.

This reprise is a rest from the weight. It is a burden of a different kind. It is a return to the dusty trail where I felt the heft of surrender digging into my palm. It is a reflection on a year that was surprising, challenging, heartbreaking and life giving. I’m going back to Peru… Going back to the Canyon… Going back to the windswept highlands that are barren and empty, lonely and full.

I’m going back to Peru. The music plays through my head.

The first time I remember feeling alone and feeling uncertain. That underlying melody is the same, but the bridge is different. Because last time I was given a family and last time I surrendered my certainty.

This time I’m bringing a journal with the hand lettering of a friend. The script in black across it says “Be Courageous” with a feather lying alongside because “…hope is the thing with feathers.”

Mostly, this reprise sings to me of Hope.  

And the melody is haunting.