Taking leave of each other

I went over to my sister's early this morning to say good bye to her and my niece. They are driving down to Tennessee to get my niece back to college. My sister says she "hates" the drive. It's long, and leads to leaving her dear daughter. But they have a beautiful day for the drive. They will actually do it in two days, I think. The night eyes aren't what they used to be...

We like to start our journeys with prayer, but everyone was too choked up to do it. Finally, I managed to say a few words, but they were tear-filled ones. My brother-in-law seemed particularly melancholy, perhaps because he was not going, too. He stood and watched them disappear around the corner and then went into the house without a word.

I went from there to one of my favorite local meditation spots: the lake in the next town over. I watched a sail boat careen capriciously over a ruffled surface and marveled at the trees and weeds along the shoreline. Tired as I was last night, I gave myself over to spiritual and physical rest today. Tonight and tomorrow will be busy, but for now, I am at peace.

Photos: Julie saying good bye to her old cat, Mittens, while her father looks on; Jerry watching the car disappear; sailboat on Lake Quanapowitt.