Sadness from such happiness

The poets say that happiness and sadness are often "sisters" inside of us. That certainly was true this weekend as we bid farewell to our latest "Riepper," Joanne, the 16th woman to join us in our Benedicta Riepp program.

Thank you for everything, Joanne. Especially for your flexibility in living with 60+ other women and being willing to adapt to our methods of doing everything---from dish washing to writing notes, from car pools to "traditions" galore! You were a marvelous addition to our community for the past 7 months and will be greatly missed.

Drifting by Mary Oliver

I was enjoying everything: the rain, the path
wherever it was taking me, the earth roots
beginning to stir.

I didn't intend to start thinking about God,
it just happened.
How God, or the gods, are invisible,
quite understandable.
But holiness is visible, entirely.

It's wonderful to walk along like that,
though not the usual intention to reach an answer
but merely drifting.

Like clouds that only seem weightless
but of course are not.
Are really important.
I mean, terribly important.
Not decoration by any means.

By next week the violets will be blooming.
Anyway, this was my delicious walk in the rain.
What was it actually about?

Think about what it is that music is trying to say.
It was something like that.