Dear Friends, Family, Neighbors, and Those of You I Don’t Yet Know —
Tonight’s Odd Company will be another short one. I am in Reno with my parents, who are appreciative of a little extra support just now. Dad will be having some surgery tomorrow, and we are all keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes well.
In honor of the occasion, here is “If I Needed You.” This deceptively simple tune was written and first performed by the late, great Townes Van Zandt in 1972. Since then, many different performers have done covers of it. It’s that kind of song. This version, a duet by Emmylou Harris and Don Williams, is perhaps the best known. It’s the musical distillation of compassionate action.
My plan for this week was to do another issue on the complicated subject of forgiveness. It’s like meditation or grief. There’s a lot to it, and a thousand words can’t begin to do it justice.
I have spent the past few days reading “The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World,” written by Desmond Tutu with his daughter Mpho Tutu. It seems a very wise book. Here’s a little taste.
Forgiveness is nothing less than the way we heal the world. We heal the world by healing each and every one of our hearts.
Signing off for now, from the family couch, with the family dog nestled close. Till next week, take care.