It is a little bit hard to believe that a year ago, I attended Jubilee! for the first time and became aware of Via Negativa, the fall season that can, and usually does, bring dark things into our lives - like emptiness, loneliness, uncertainty, and grief. Then it was explained as the ancient yin/yang symbol and made perfect sense to me, as I had experienced the joys of being married to LaVerne, then the deep pain of losing her to cancer. This year Howard explains them as "unwelcome guests" who come barging in, move the furniture around and decide to stay for a while. Not only are they unwelcome, they are unsolicited, unwanted, uninvited and just come in a takeover for while. So how do we get rid of them?
There are woods to walk in, chapels to pray in, food and drink to gather us, and blues singers and reggae bands who invite us to sing and dance. And perhaps the uninvited guest will leave us a gift: a reminder that love is still real, forgiveness happens and compassion is always an option. Thanks for these good words, Howard.
My post-Jubilee! stroll through down town Asheville was pretty quiet last Sunday. Then I saw this big dog as driver with a big dog as passenger and had to stop and smile! Then as I turned to go up Patton Avenue, this is what I saw.
After lunch at my favorite pub, Jack of the Woods, where I had a Scotch egg and a Greenman ESB beer (excellent! my new favorite!), I finished my stroll by going through the Grove Arcade. As a kid I remember is being a dull office building. Not anymore! It is very beautiful and full of fine shops.
It is good to be home again, no matter what Thomas Wolfe said!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.