I have needed quiet lately. There has been a shift. A dear member of our community passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack late last week. He was only 62, a loving father, husband, & brother. One of a trio of brothers who adds light and joy to our neighborhood. A wondrous craftsman. A friend to many, A man that will be truly missed.
I am a professed hermit, I do spend a lot of time alone...but not completely. I have lived in this area for 28 years now. Lives intertwine, kinship is created. There are gatherings for fellowship, fun, politics, or lending a hand. There is true connection here. It is hard for me to explain. I grew up in the suburbs of Seattle. I know what it feels like to be anonymous. We did not know our neighbors that were a stones throw away even after living in the same house for 15 years. Here I feel "well" known. There are so many folks I could turn too if ever I have a need and so many that have given me a hand without my request in times of challenge. These same folks respect a persons privacy and ones need to be enclosed in a private spot and will just leave you be.
As our community prepares to celebrate this man's life and support his grieving family I feel my Self sad but deeply, deeply grateful to be here among so many extraordinary & humble folks. There is a sense of deep love flowing. There is gratitude for the life that is emerging all around as the winter world wakes up. Spring is the perfect time to experience the continuation of life.
The work of life goes on. I plant, things grow, birds nest...my heart is with my community and the one who is with us no more.
The world is always full of trouble and always full of joy. I choose joy~~~~
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| Raspberry Work |
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| Baby Spruces Planted |
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| Garlic Emerges |
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| Ravens are Nesting! |
I leave you with a poem that always brings me comfort..
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Wendell Berry
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