July 5, 2025, Saturday, 59* 0646
After twenty-eight years together, a diagnosis of cancer joined north and south in marriage. How Atlanta Georgia and Manhattan New York came together is not this story. It is not remembered who made the coffee eight years ago this morning in Potter County Pennsylvania. Remembered is passing through security at the Galeton Courthouse, July 3, 2017, to apply for a marriage license, before passport or Real ID requirements. It was a sunny day with clouds, perhaps a shower, according to weather history. Early for our 1:00 appointment with the Clerk of Orphans’ Court to marry us, we waited in the Jeep-- decided not to exchange rings as part of the ceremony. At times I lost my voice repeating words spoken, holding his hand, looking into his eyes. Three months later his diagnosis.
This morning, I pushed the button to start coffee dripping into my sunshine cup. The three clattered down the ramp. I brushed away spider webs and spiders using a snow brush (also good for brushing dogs), looked for deer in the clearing, listened to birds, hearing above the others a flute – the Hermit Thrush; described as “a beautiful haunting song, as oh, holy holy, ah, purity purity, eeh, sweetly sweetly.”
Like the song of the Hermit Thrush so are the memories of us.
Art: LJ Austin (Of Time)
