This is a necessary sequel to my July 2020 post, Paciência.

Since returning home from our sailing trip, my husband, David, in his own quiet way, has continued to try to learn Portuguese; enrolling in Practice Portuguese, a language learning site out of Lisbon, doing their exercises religiously, practicing speaking Portuguese weekly to a couple of people online, keeping a daily journal in Portuguese, reading Portuguese news, watching Portuguese TV, and even cooking from Portuguese recipe books.

Well, here we are sixteen years later and it seems that his paciência — and his shocking persistence — have paid off.

This spring, at 70 years of age, David went by train to the Portuguese Consulate in Toronto and, along with several 20-something-year-olds, took the country’s official CIPLE exam that evaluates all aspects of language proficiency (oral and written comprehension, writing skills and the ability to converse).

And he passed! I couldn’t be prouder!

For our wedding flowers, we had Talisman Roses. Talismans are thought to have magic powers and bring good luck. And, it seems they worked. This week David and I celebrated forty-three years of marriage!

On our anniversary day, David surprised me with a lovely bouquet of these special roses.

As I look at them by our kitchen window, on the cusp of a brand-new year, I’m filled with optimism and wonder. What positive adventures lie ahead?

And, amazingly, these roses have not yet wilted. Rather, throughout the week, they have continued to blossom. David says this is a sign … an optimistic sign! I tend to agree!

To all my friends and family, I wish you a new year full of happiness, health, and magic too.

I am so pleased that my memoir will be out in May 2019! Check out Ready to Come About at Dundurn Press! Stay tuned. Details about the book launch and other events will follow.