i decided to read the letter out loud this year. in case you need a podcast episode from our christmas card…
PLUS, PHOTO CREDIT TO MY NEIGHBOR/FRIEND NICOLE MYHRE. She is a wickedly awesome photographer and whenever i see her she changes my day “for good”.
There’s no place like HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Act One: What Is This Feeling?
Once upon a time in the enchanted halls of Dear Old Furman University, two polar opposites collide in a clash of personalities. Ga-LEA-nda, the self-proclaimed princess of glitter & literary metaphors, sashays into the library confident & “Popular” (in her own mind). Meanwhile, ADAM-phaba, the self-proclaimed Rizzard of Awes, an “unusually and exceedingly peculiar and altogether quite impossible to describe” wizard-in-training, is at work on mystical spreadsheets in the computer lab. At first, there’s “loathing, unadulterated loathing,” but before long, paths converge, and they begin a duet. As if it had always been “The Wizard and I,” ADAM-phaba sees Ga-LEA-nda is “a girl on whom he can rely…”
Act Two: Dancing Through Life
Ga-LEA-nda, still wishing she could bubble her way through the days, works magic daily as a high school theatre teacher adored by (most of) her students. Her "Popular" lessons (or so she believes) make her classroom the Emerald City of creativity. Meanwhile, ADAM-phaba remains grounded & fiscally sound, never melting under pressure, juggling spreadsheets, yard tools, & the occasional spell to stretch their finances (which to Ga-LEA-nda’s chagrin, are definitely not “Unliiiiiiiiimited”) or fix-it-up another broken area of their vintage home. Together, they make an unlikely & imperfect team, believing “As Long As You’re Mine” as they “see how bright we shine.”
Act Three: For Good
Their three grown munchkins have ventured far along their own yellow brick roads. They are definitely not in Kansas (or Tallahassee) anymore. Their Scarecrow is thinking deep thoughts in Pittsburgh, their Tin Man is shining bright with so much heart in Los Angeles, and their Lion is roaring through Boston bravely conquering new challenges. Though scattered, their journeys remind Ga-LEA-nda and ADAM-phaba that "For Good" doesn’t mean “forever together,” but forever a family. Miles apart from the munchkins, Ga-LEA-nda & ADAM-phaba sing a wistful tune: “So much of us is made of what we learned from you. You’ll be with us like a handprint on our hearts. Because we know you, we have been changed for good.”
Instead of settling into an empty Emerald City tower, Ga-LEA-nda and ADAM-phaba threw open their castle (well, old house) doors (sometimes difficult to do with the Florida humidity). In May, they welcomed Jon & Jose, into their home. These two delightful Spanish soccer players (attending the University of Evansville) were in Tallahassee to play for the BattleLions. Showing the Marshalls that “No One Mourns in the Empty Nest" when there's a full fridge, laughter, & fútbol filling the halls.
Later in the summer, new neighbors, Bay and Vincent, added even more “Wonderful” chaos to their home, turning every game night into a battle of wits and snacks. There really is a magical place where leftovers disappear faster than you can click your heels. “Where so many roam to we'll call it home, too. And then, just like now, we can say we're just a few friends, sharing one short day, in the Emerald” Kitchen at ADAM-phaba & Ga-LEA-nda’s home.
Act Four: Defying Gravity
This summer, Ga-LEA-nda spread her glittery wings (again) on a journey to Stratford-upon-Avon, visiting the home of the Word Wizard, Shakespeare, and then London. She sang joyfully: “Everyone deserves a chance to fly…” as she headed off. And yes, as you hoped, she “couldn’t be happierrrrr”. So if you care to find her in June of 2025, look to the UK skies.
In November, the Marshalls celebrated a magical milestone: Ga-LEA-nda’s father’s 90th birthday. The family surprised him with a special dinner, filled with love, laughter, and memories of a life well-lived. It was a moment that reminded them all of the beauty of life’s journey, no matter how many turns that twisting yellow brick road may take.
Finally, in a burst of Broadway brilliance, Ga-LEA-nda and ADAM-phaba set off to NYC in November. Primarily to see Ga-LEA-nda’s latest musical obsession, The Notebook (but they saw 4 other shows too. of. course.). Much of their time was spent chatting with former students, friends, & neighbors, a Drunk Shakespeare show, & shedding a tear or two hundred (even the Wizard would have been moved by The Notebook). It was a reminder that love stories, like yellow brick roads, are long journeys, with sadness & joy as two sides of the same coin.
Finale: Thank Goodness
As the curtain falls on 2024, the Marshalls prepare for the holidays in their Emerald home. Ga-LEA-nda sprinkles the tree with sparkle, ADAM-phaba mutters “Witch, please” while balancing the budget, and their hearts are full of gratitude. May you defy gravity in your own adventures. May your road be paved with brains, heart, and courage, and remember that sometimes the most wonderful journeys start with a single step down your yellow brick road.
Encore:
If you need of a game night, a perfectly mowed lawn, or a little drama, follow the Emerald glow to their door. We will be holding space (with lamps ablaze) to greet you with open arms, a fridge full of snacks, and a Broadway song playing in the background. Because…
There’s no place like home.
dear friends/family/those worth the $.73 postage (YIKES),
welcome to lea’s lengthy part of the story, all in lowercase, meandering, & long-winded. it’s much like a maze. there are no shortcuts, but hopefully it’s worth the twists. my word for this year is labyrinth, which feels fitting as i’ve navigated dead ends, turns, and unexpected beauty around every corner in 2024.
from its ancient greek roots, labyrinthos describes a complex winding path full of uncertainty & discovery. the most famous labyrinth, built by daedalus (father to the original high-flying, quick-falling icarus), housed the minotaur, a creature monstrous & tragic. but a labyrinth isn’t a prison. it’s a purposeful path. forcing you to keep moving, step by step. without ever seeing the full map, much like my life. if yours feels more planned, precise, & peaceful, then i implore you to text 850.228.3779 & share your secret. but if a mythical puzzling pace speaks to your journey, welcome friend. grab my hand & let’s keep walking together. i think we need each other. & this wendall berry quote, “we live the given life, and not the planned.” sigh.
i always want a detailed map. i crave the why behind every blocked path. answers to prayers. happily ever after. or just more nap time. but a labyrinth doesn’t work that way. it requires you to let go of control (ugh.) on a good day, to find joy in the perplexing process. & on a bad day, to simply put one foot in front of another. & change directions if you hit a wall. again. & again.
but there were many lovely turns along the way. over spring break, i flew to los angeles to visit maxx, where we explored art museums together. staying with tony & martel hale added another layer of joy, unexpected treasures along the labyrinth’s path. in may, we took a trip to chicago for rosie’s wheaton graduation. it was a glorious closing to her graduate program at the honeyrock campus in wisconsin. & we took in a live second city improv show. which was a bucket list item.
june brought me back to london and stratford-upon-avon, where walking always retraces old steps with new friends, fun discoveries, & amazing theatre. there’s something restorative to my soul in sipping tea in covent garden, exploring museums, & riding the tube (me at my logistical best). being a part of patron’s day at the royal shakespeare company reminds me why the bard’s labyrinthine plots & characters remain an obsession (as was tom holland in romeo & juliet). london is a where the threads of theatre, history, & storytelling first intertwined for me. & still do.
not all labyrinths require travel. some show up at your home if you open your doors to something new. this summer we enjoyed a labyrinth of energy & laughter when we hosted two spanish soccer players. tasked with feeding two college athletes was chaotic. delightful. exhausting. i leaned on old favorites like "change-your-life chicken” & cooked new (to me) spanish dishes. it was a beautiful season filled with another language, so. many. cleats, euro cup soccer on tv, games of codenames, and endless publix/costco trips.
in the summer, a ninja trip to savannah with my three besties took us down cobblestone streets & under moss-draped oaks. we laughed through historical tours, idiot tours, and ghost tours (because apparently, we like a themed tour). we lingered over good meals, told old stories again to each other, and laughed. a lot.
in late july there was a 48 hours road trip with adam to visit rosie at her new home in boston/gordon college & then on to lavida base camp in the adirondack mountains where she was living for the summer. the drive was long, winding, and full of rest stops, but seeing our wild child thriving was worth every mile (and road closure). it was one of those moments that felt like reaching the labyrinth’s center: peace, clarity, and the realization that a thread has led you somewhere truly beautiful.
other turns brought familiar faces back into our lives. bay, who hiked the appalachian trail with maxx a few years ago, & vincent moved in next door weaving new threads into our story in a way that felt like it was always meant to happen.
at school, my theatre students embraced our theme: “what if everything works out?” it feels tailor-made for a labyrinth. my students and i tread our own winding creative paths & trust the process. theatre isn’t about rushing to an end. it’s about exploring every twist, finding stories in the uncertainty, & believing that something extraordinary waits around the corner.
this year, i also continued my slow crawl toward a graduate degree in literature. my focus is greek mythology and the women within those tangled stories. i’ve been drawn to figures like ariadne, helping theseus navigate the labyrinth with a golden thread, only to find herself abandoned, penelope, persevering in weaving/unweaving threads to save her home, & eurydice, who grieves a dead end with “what was there to complain of, but that she had been loved?” they remind me that the labyrinth isn’t just a physical journey; it’s emotional, spiritual, & full of hamartia (human error).
in this labyrinthine year i’ve also pondered george macdonald’s fairy tale, the princess and the goblin. in the story, princess irene follows a magical thread through dark tunnels, trusting it to guide her forward. the thread works only if she moves ahead. if she tries to go back, it disappears. there’s no backtracking, no “what ifs”, only forward steps. like irene, we hold onto our threads of faith, love, and hope, trusting they’ll lead us through darkness into clarity and light. as c.s. lewis said, “there are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” even when all we can see is the darkness of the corridor we are in right now. i hold so tightly to my thread of hope as i turn another corner/calendar page.
in november, adam and i took a trip to new york city, where we saw the notebook musical (& several other plays/musicals). it is a gorgeous, heart-wrenching story on the stage. & yes, i cried through most of it. its themes of deep love, sorrow, & the bittersweet joy of memories felt like a perfect reflection of this year. how “sadness & joy“ seem to always walk hand in hand, winding through the labyrinth together in this “messy, beautiful life”.
this year, i’ve tried to embrace the labyrinth’s lessons of perseverance. rather than rant/rail against its perplexing twists. as rainer maria rilke wrote, “be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.” in those unanswered questions, i’ve found bright glimpses of grace: the kindness of friends, laughing with students, my patient husband, the quiet joy of our church lighting candles against the dark, & the sure steady presence of a God who walks each step with us, not taking us from the labyrinth, but assuring us in the holy mystery of these moments that His name Emmanuel truly means God with us. we are not abandoned. not forsaken. we are walking toward a beautiful eternity, where He will wipe away every tear. The journey is intentional, every turn is purposed, and even every (seemingly) dead end is for our good.
the labyrinth certainly isn’t a comfortable place to be, it isn’t a walk in a park, it isn’t a vacation stroll on a beach at sunset. it’s a stubborn, steady, sweaty saunter. there are moments of sadness, frustration, and letting go of the way “i thought it would be”. but there is also light around every corner: the glow of theatre lights as students tell their stories, conversations with spanish boys devouring huge bowls of food, game nights with new neighbors, book club evenings, art museums, graduation ceremonies, 90th birthday parties, and the small lamps i insist on leaving on in empty rooms (adam rolls his eyes, but i like to think it says, “we’re still here. come back anytime.”).
as the year winds down, i’m still trekking in the labyrinth, still walking, still learning. but i’ve come to trust the path (some of the time, which is progress, right?). even when it feels like i’m doubling back. or when it all feels so unmanageable, unending, unsettling, unsatisfying, and i am utterly unprepared for the next turn. but in each new twist of the labyrinth, i can find flickers of joy. a reminder that light, however small, can scatter the shadows.
i don’t know what twists & turns await in 2025. for me or you. my only plan is to hold tightly onto my thread, trusting that i will be led where I need (but probably not want) to go. as kaitlyn bouchillon wrote in one of my favorite reads of 2024, even if not, “we can trust the unknown of the future to the God we know is authoring its pages.”
thank you for being part of my journey, though it is a baffling choice on your part. i am grateful for your wandering through this maze/lengthy/oversharing letter with me. let’s keep holding tightly onto our threads, trusting the twists, & lighting each other’s way as we walk the winding paths ahead. with hope. together.
with love from inside a labyrinth,
lea noblin marshall
“The labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread.
And where we had thought to find an abomination,
we shall find a god. (a good & gracious God)
Where we had thought to travel outward,
we shall come to the center of our own existence.”
{joseph campbell, the hero with a thousand faces}
“God came to us because He wanted to join us on the road, to listen to our story,
and to help us realize that we are not walking in circles but moving toward the house of peace and joy.
This is the great mystery of Christmas that continues to give us comfort and consolation:
we are not alone on our journey.”
{henri nouwen}