“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view,” writes Edward Abbey. And it is true that the most astounding views often come from the steepest, most twisted and torturous paths, so Abbey offers this wish as a blessing, even if it might not seem like it as you wend your way up the hard trail.
What beautiful view have you come upon from walking a difficult path?
“If we think of ourselves as living souls, immortal creatures, living in the midst of a Creation that is mostly mysterious, and if we see that everything we make or do cannot help but have an everlasting significance for ourselves, for others, and for the world, then we see why some religious teachers have understood work as a form of prayer…. Work connects us both to Creation and to eternity.” ― Wendell Berry
How is your work a form of prayer that connects you to Creation?
Giraffes are beautifully adapted for eating leaves off the upper branches of trees. Which means that getting a drink of water can be a bit of an awkward stretch. We can’t all be equally good at everything.
What do you manage to do, even though it feels difficult and awkward?
“The object of the artist is the creation of the beautiful. What the beautiful is is another question.” ―James Joyce
What do you find beautiful that others often find unattractive?
So many markers, row on row, in so many cemeteries around the world. And each grave marks a hole in the hearts of family and friends whose loved one was torn away from them. So many markers. So many more holes.
Who will you remember this Memorial Day?
