Master Josie,
Greetings to you on the far shore.
Leave the woodchucks alone down in the mud flats, but of course I know you won’t. Yes, it was funny at the time. All is forgiven.
All the best,
Your teacher, Domino
. * * * * * *
Well, maybe all was not forgiven, but all was accepted. The losses were accepted, and an understanding was gained, though simple in extent. Perform your role, do your best, and take care of those in your charge. There is so much more I could tell, but my point has been made, and the lesson is learned. It is the curse of all parents that they cannot control the outcome of their children’s lives. At some point, the spiritual view of things dries up. Instead of perceiving evil, we perceive insanity or corruption, or both. I find insanity more frightening than evil. We can be emotionally brave in the face of evil, but in the face of insanity we are fragile. And the spirit, also, can be corrupted.
Once more I am spinning in circles. It happens. It will pass. Once more I am thinking too much. I must put each foot in front of the other, and seek a path of integrity. Clean hands and a pure heart to ascend the mountain of the Lord. This is the fullest version of our narrative that I could envision, and so now I shall step back. I am enamored of the power of words, and in poetry I see a little of the fine madness that provides a balm of sorts. Ask me who I like, and I am liable to mention Robert Penn Warren. I have no idea where words will take me. But right now what I need is a long hike in the mountains.
Below the fold, a geography of the spirit.
A photographic tour of Josie’s Hollow...
The Willow Glade
The primary spring
Form is emptiness
The view from the cemetery
Domino, the trickster
Josie at zazen
autumn
Never forgotten, but it’s time to move on.
Gone
Gone
Gone beyond
Gone far beyond
What an awakening
- Heart Sutra
Our son Kit
1973 - 2002
Part 1: Genesis
Part 2: The Weight of Reason
Part 3: Dog Walk
Part 4: Dispatches From The Front
Part 5: Legacy