“. . .May this marriage offer fruit and shade
like the date palm.
May this marriage be full of laughter,
our every day a day in paradise.
May this marriage be a sign of compassion,
a seal of happiness here and hereafter.
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,
an omen as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky. . .”

~ Excerpt from “This Marriage,” Rumi, Trans. by Coleman Barks

It’s a shorter walk, with much to do. Charlie is not miserable, he is learning patience. Perhaps in their dog hearts of hearts they realize there is a flash wedding to prepare. All day the bride-to-be and groom-to-be make cheerful, anxious, happy, this is really happening calls with updates and details and expressions of gratitude. It’s fun to hear their nervous joy and chaotic certainty about details they are stringing together, moment by moment. Frank and I are in synch, tag teaming, being patient and cheerful with each other as we tackle details and to-dos. My youngest, who has signed her lease and is packing (!) to move Sunday, calls to tell me storms with high winds may come today. I urge Frank to secure the arch, which is still standing, and he does. I am committed to the spirit of spontaneity this wedding is calling for. Perhaps it will rain. So be it. There are umbrellas. Two outfits and a pair of cowboy boots for the bride-to-be have been ordered online and may be delivered on time. She says she will go with the flow and wear what she wears. (I hope the boots come!) Every year I plan, and someone else hosts, a back-to-workshop lunch for my Farm Pond Writers workshop which breaks for the summer, held a week before we begin, and today was the day. One of the members hosts an elegant light lunch around her lovely table. Because this writing community is a community. We honor writing, friendship, creativity, emotional and spiritual growth while attending to craft. We make time for truth and beauty and attending to the creative process with each other. I’m excited to see where the writing for each of these lovely women goes these next months into our 5th year. Tonight, among the dozens of details, I managed to clean out the fridge full of pig food I acquire for weeks until I have a full load, and Frank and I drove after dark to Unity Farm and filled the bin with our scraps for the pigs. All the tidbits of our daily meals they will heartily enjoy.