When I am an old man I shall not wear purple. I shall retire to the Pahranagat Valley and dwell not too far from the lake. I shall not wear purple – but dark brown and burnt orange – except in summer, robin’s egg blue. If they will have me, I may for a time ride circuit to churches which may not now exist and some that do, until my vocation fades and my absences are the greater blessings.
And I shall be obsequious to the Sharps, the Whipples, and all the valley thanes. I will develop a Druidic devotion to a tree, perhaps three, remembering the oaks of Mamre and hoping for a visit. I shall tend them gratuitously, officiously, and like a kind woman, they will tolerate my attention.
Eventually I will be buried beneath the thick mat of fallen reeds along the lake shore. Strong young people will cover me with a cairn of stones they have wheel barrowed from the nearby hills, forgiving me my incorrigible devotion to the Church and its arcane beliefs because they know I meant no harm. When the cairn has sunk into the soft and sodden decay of reeds, my faults and failings will be forgotten even by myself. This is not a sad reverie I indulge here on Windmill Ridge, but hope for a personal peace on earth and with the earth, that I may find joy in heaven.
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2 comments:
A beautiful autumn reverie. I guess someone young might find it sad, but in the latter half of my life, I find it hopeful.
It has often been a comfort to me to know that there were good people worshipping beside the Truckee River long before I came, and that there will be good people worshipping here long after I am gone.
It seems to me that it is part of the beauty of maturity to be able to see our lives through the lens of humility.
You have no idea how many times I've dropped in at the Windmill Ridge -- well, actually, you probably do. Sometimes on Fridays when I get a late start an am hungry -- the food is decent but the baked items are great! And, I drove by it again this morning about 7:30 a.m. as is my weekly routine Mondays at the crack of dawn.
BTW, I did not find it sad.
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