In my herb garden, right next to the Etta Bend rock, I have a sun dial. I’ve had it for years. On it is an inscription from a poem by Robert Browning, “Grow Old Along With Me; The Best Is Yet To Be.” I’ve always liked that line. I suppose that Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning had a wonderful marriage and did grow old together. Some of us are blessed to have a mate to make life’s journey with us; some of us are not. If I dared, I might change Mr. Browning’s quote just a bit and “old” would become “older”. Everyone grows older each day she lives but if we keep our minds and spirits young, we don’t have to grow “old”. Whether we grow older alone or together, the road we travel is a lot better if we have Jesus traveling with us.
I think there’s something about the human spirit that desires companionship. It’s nice to have shared experiences or interests, to have someone to talk things over with at the end of the day. I remember, as a child, waking up each morning and hearing Dad and Mom talking quietly in the kitchen. I believe their time together grew dearer to them the older they got.
Those of us who enjoy reading fiction (and poetry) like a story with a satisfying ending. And some of us like a story with a satisfying ending that has a bit of romance thrown in–even in cozy mysteries. Or maybe, especially in cozy mysteries. In Grave Shift, Darcy’s heartstrings vibrate with the appearance of slim, handsome Ventris County Sheriff Grant Hendley. And Flora, although she’s quite a bit farther down the road in the “growing older” journey, finds there’s something really wonderful about Levi’s lawyer Jackson Conner. And by the way, this is the main reason I like to write cozies, I get to control the journey my characters take and make sure that for the heroes and heroines, it gets better as they go along. And as the story ends, the reader has the feeling that “the best is yet to be.” I hope it is true for you too.
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