LISTENING TO THE QUIET AT 75
Late Fall and the onset of Winter in Michigan can be downright dreary. Bright snow falling back in the day used to blanket the ugly bare ground, but climate change has squashed that. Damp, cold, dark days pile up. Nature has her ways of slowing down, gathering warmth, sheltering from the storm; a wayward bat found it's way into our laundry room to find refuge from the elements as the cold weather advanced in November. On Thanksgiving, I turned seventy-five and the Lions lost to the Packers at Ford Field. Turning seventy-five was more of a milestone than I expected. It's a big number! My family coordinated the assembly of a reflection/memories book of photos and writing which touched me deeply. This birthday set me upon a course of reflection amid the Winter doldrums that persisted throughout the Christmas Season and into the New Year. At the end of January, I traveled South to reflect, to explore, to socialize, to walk, to ride, to discover, to listen. The monks at