(This is the last post of the Slice of Life project)

Has it really been a full month of daily slicing? I guess so. I had not intended to write every day in March for Slice of Life but I got so caught up in the moments, and the network of connections, that I just kept right on going as the days of March rolled along. I appreciate all the work that Stacey and Ruth put into Slice of Life and I am amazed at the quality of writing that I found when I went back to travel around the blogs (not nearly enough … I apologize).

I was thinking about Slice of Life and its effects as I stood staring at the white bucket hanging from our tree with a tube running into the bark. Our neighbor taps our trees for sap and then boils it in his yard into syrup. The kids love this — the fire and thick smoke draws kids from near and far — and like Slice of Life, it only lasts for a short intense period of time. The sap runs when the conditions are right and then it stops. But the sweet taste of memories remains with us for some time, as we get some of the syrup in little jars. Our neighbor has already packed up his fire and syrup pans but the bucket is still on our tree for now, ready to collect whatever may still drip out. But, we’re on our own now if we want to create syrup.

Slicers, I hope all of your words keep flowing like the sap from our tree, and that your experiences are just as sweet. You are welcome to tap my tree any time you want — read the words, watch the movies, listen to the songs, engage in conversation. In the end, we all get something out of the connections we make in these virtual writing networks. Projects like Slice of Life remind us of that.

Thank you for sharing your month with me.

Peace (in slices),
Kevin