The Accumulation of My Years

Gather all the years of your life, the bright and the bruised.

– Patricia Lynn Reilly, Imagine a Woman in Love with Herself

The Bright

Year One. My first birthday. I am in a white dress at a block party celebrating my first year of life. Mother tells me to this day that everyone came to the party. I don’t remember it, but it nevertheless holds a special place in my heart.

Year Three.