Snippets in the key of life

On a random rant. Full of impressions, sensations, thoughts and ideas, streaming at me from everywhere.

From That Distant Land... "He liked the way the neighborhood gathered into itself on such days. Now and then, in the midst of the more casual conversation, a little trade talk would rouse up over a milk cow or a pocketknife or a saddle or a horse or a mule. Or there would be a j0ke or a story or a bit of news, uprisings of the town's interest in itself that would pass through it and die away like scurries of wind."

A simpler time. A conversation. Innocent and precious, and likely as or more important than the crap that passes for news or "national conversation" today. Makes me nostalgic for something I never really had. But is is community, si?

And from the same book, before I move on, a provacative thought: "If God loves the ones we can't, then finally maybe we can."

Only to ponder, guys.

Cycles of love and loss... most emotionally devastating pair of messages from friends, parents of Rachel, 28, who was a baby with our Colin. Simply must share, because it is so real and so raw and such a body blow.

"10/22

After over 5 weeks in the hospital, Rachel has been home with us since the evening of October 8. It is familiar and more comfortable for her. I wish I could say her coming home is good news in relation to her cancer. It is not...
...We take turns taking care of her at night. Evan took the last 2 nights and I'll be with her tonight...
...On the more positive side, she started another chemo drug last Saturday...
...So how are we holding up? Okay I guess. We have wonderful support from friends, family, work and home health care. It is tough to sit with a child slipping toward death. The best I can do is tell her I love her, put a cold cloth on her head, and do my best to make her comfortable...
...Evan has started reading to her at night sometimes. One of their favorite stories is "Where the Wild Things Are." So he read it to her a couple nights ago.

11/1
Rachel is resting quieter today then yesterday. Her breathing is slower and more steady. The focus of her care now is to keep her comfortable.

Thank you all for your love, prayers, hope and good wishes. It has given us strength."

So while we deal with economic crises, I am reminded yet again about what is important ... about how lucky we are, how it all comes down to stuff that is so very very basic: talk that "rouses up" and passes for excitement in the bucolic pace of simplicity, love for family, grief for loss, all of us just keeping on, keeping on. Extracting meaning and experience at every step.

How we keep all of that right up front within us and make it central to living is a challenge - but one worthy of taking on. It's all down at the core, baby.