September 19, 2019

SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 We were deep in the forest on our way to Tupper Lake It was an early fall morning full of sunshine and song from a beautiful Spanish singer whose soulful caress can cause a tearful recognition that it’s a joy to be alive! North of Long Lake the vistas opened up to the shimmering bright colors of the Adirondack reserve, the deep vivid reds of merlot and claret, tempranillo and cabernet, the oranges and yellows of the fall farmers markets all thoroughly embedded in the rugged massif and the semi-boreal landscapes of northern New York For people somewhere else it was simply a Thursday, with routines and obligations and complex navigations through the duties and requirements of family, work and home, and supported by kindness, good intentions and love against the many manifestations of malfeasance and misfortune in these dark dangerous days of our interesting times But for me it was more - a contemplative journey full of gratitude and wonder, meditation and prayer, and in ways that were invisible to the students in the van, I just broke down and sobbed for the privilege of life, for the joy of being loved, for the ability to make a difference in the affairs of my community, for the opportunity to be with them in a stained glass discussion of transformation and closure, its brilliant saturation of red wine, and fruit, of fading green leaves and emerging evergreens a breathtaking spectacle in sacred sunlight from a painted blue sky!