I love to live in twilight, it is my favorite time of day.
The mystery of the in-between…
… an hour when one doesn’t know whether they are coming or going…
…whether it is the end…
…or just the beginning.
And then we choose, we choose together, to continue on.
Although the light is fading…
…making the path uncertain…
…we trust in our internal guide…
…and the bedrock solid shoulders of loved ones…
…to steer us straight into the new beyond.
One can linger in such moments…
…the dreaming and pondering can be delicious…
…or one can buckle down, dig in and do.
In the twilight, everything seems possible. Details grow, becoming crisp.
And then the moon and stars appear…
…as reassuring as old friends.
In the beautiful village of Gordes in the heart of the Luberon…
…I walked the high-wire through the gloaming…
…until I crossed into the deep true of night.
Step by step, without looking back…
…and dazzled by believing’s shining light.
This post was written as a little Happy Birthday sonata for a lovely woman who writes under the nom de plume of Vickie Lester at one of my very favorite blogs, Beguiling Hollywood. Vickie has been hard at work on her novel, It’s in his kiss, which takes place in, “A camera-ready world of fantasy fulfilled, artifice and bone-deep glamour.” Now, doesn’t that grab your interest? It should. Each chapter that I have read had my heart racing, leaving me hungry for the next. For you see, Ms. Lester is not only a brilliant writer but the real deal who writes about Hollywood, it’s wonders and foibles, from the deep insider point of view. And some of the scandalous tidbits? Well, they very well might be a slightly disguised truth, which we all know is stranger than fiction.
But not so long ago, after the final edit had been sealed and the book cover designed, Vickie discovered that the publishing team that she had been working so hard with had been dissolved. Just like that, quicker than a sunset. Can you imagine? Years of work. So what to do? In the in-between, we have to make a choice. And rather than lie down on the floor and sob for a few weeks – which is frankly, what I would have done most likely – she kept going. Yes, just like a heroine in one of those old movies that we love and that Vickie knows like the back of her hand (her knowledge of Hollywood, old and new, is positively encyclopedic). And so now, she is bravely stepping forward into the world of self-publishing, a high-wire if there ever was one. She is surrounded and supported by all who know her because she is that kind of woman. So when our mutual friend George Kaplan asked if I would participate in a virtual birthday celebration for Vickie, I said, “Oui” in a heartbeat.
Now, let’s get this party started:
I believe in you Vickie and you truly inspire me. May this year ahead be as great of an adventure as I feel it will be for you, I am sure of it…
Happy Birthday!
To read another tribute to Vickie, please see the very moving testimony on the power of friendship, beautifully written (as always) by Lanier at Scents Memory: here.
For The Perfumed Dandy’s tribute, please click here.
To read Beguiling Hollywood, please click here.
And to learn more about “It’s in his kiss” and to listen the the lead character’s soundtrack, please click here.
What a sweet post. You are such a good friend, Heather.
Oy vey, Vicky's story is what I am terrified of as I pluck away at my own novel. Whenever I get those negative thoughts, I'll stop by here and reread your words because there is always another solution.
Best, best, best of luck to Vicky and Happy Birthday. Now excuse, I'm heading over to Beguiling Hollywood, because you pretty much had me at bone-deep glamour!
De trés belles photos de Gordes et de la poésie en plus! Trés approprié à consoler Madame Vickie Lester un tout petit peu! Elle doit être trés, trés deçu! Bon courage et bonne anniversaire Vickie Lester!
Fort adorable aussi les deux copains 'de fourrure' côte à côte!
Ah, what a lovely, lovely birthday greeting; and I do love a gloaming.
oh heather!
twinkle lights, goldens, twilight and birthday wishes.
how delicious.
many happy returns to Miss Vickie Lester
and hello all the way across the world to You.
Happy Birthday, Vickie, and may your book be a roaring success! I love the French word for twilight….crépuscule. It's somehow so evocative. Your photos nearly broke my heart,they are so beautiful.
What a wonderful gift. I am now going down the rabbit hole of your fantastic friends treasure trove of a website. oh, and I can't wait to read her book!
Heather, this post is a beautiful gift to which I will return often. What you are able to "say" with words and images is unparalleled.
Happy Birthday and Every Best Wish, Vickie…I look forward to reading your new book!
Leslie in Portland, Oregon
Beautiful words and images. Wishing Vickie all the best of luck. I am sure she will have heaps of success.
Please pardon my spelling error of your name, Vickie …
Go Heather! … Go Vicky! … into the twilight and wonderful mystery of your next steps. Excellent post, Heather. Mahalo et Merci