It’s early in the morning on a warm summer day when I hear a noise calling to me. I am startled at first by the clear distinct sound of a soft gentle beat at the door of our home. Scared, in fact, because death is fresh in my life once again, and after so many years, I am still chasing purpose in empty pursuits. I’m restless inside when the sound calls to me, and when I hear the message it brings, I wish I could run, but I can’t move my feet. I know in my heart it’s time to retreat. It’s a wake-up call for me, a journey I share via poetry and poetic prose illustrated with photographs taken by my husband and one of my friends.