11:11pm June 15, 2013

What do you say?

• When you know it could be the last time you talk to someone, ever. Here is what I thought of "I have a great book I want to bring you in the hospital this weekend. I think you'll love it. I'll read it to you, just like last time." I also thought to bring up a story I heard on NPR about the tart cherry in the United States. There's a woman who travels all over the world collecting cherry pollen by hand to Craft her trees. Because last time, when I thought it might be the last time, I read to her, a few pages at a time, Epitaph for a Peach and the stories were so similar. The peaches are dying. Three cherries are dying. The bees. The bees.Then we talked about how much her father loved being a farmer and how he instilled in several generations, the love of the earth. Nite his grandson farms the same land. Christmas trees instead of filberts. There's comfort in the land. If you don't stick your hands in the earth and bring your face down to view the tiny life happening all around you, you haven't lived. Pick things growing from the earth and eat them. Eat life.
• She says she is at peace. I say "I'll bring the book Saturday."

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