Day 879: Friday, August 12, 2022

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away

Today is our 45th. wedding anniversary - can you imagine! It's the year of the sapphire. I'm happy to share a couple of photos and a reading I like to describe love, friendship, and commitment.

Love is a temporary madness.

It erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.

And when it subsides, you have to make a decision.

You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together

that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.

Because this is what love is.

(Barbara and David's Wedding August 12, 1977)

Love is not breathlessness,

It is not excitement,

It is not the promulgation of eternal passion.

That is just being “in love” which any fool can do.

(Leaving St. Elizabeth's Oakland after the wedding)

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away,

And this is both an art and a fortunate accident.

Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground,

And when all the pretty blossom have fallen from their branches,

They find that they are one tree and not two.

(Wedding party: Betsy (sister) Anita (mother) David (with hair), Jake (father of the groom) Uncle Bill Coyle (Franciscan) Barbara and Barbara's Brother Steve)

An Excerpt from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières

Announcement for Sunday at Knox Presbyterian and Thanksgiving Methodist:

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

As you know, we’re moving our celebrations to the shared communities of Knox Presbyterian and Thanksgiving Lutheran across the street from Resurrection Parish.

They would like to welcome us this Sunday at their 10 am service. I know there are lots of folks who can’t be there but we could form a group and say hello. It should be very relaxed and fun. Let's meet at 9:45 in the parking lot.

The address is

1650 W 3rd Street

Santa Rosa, CA 95401

Here’s a letter I wrote to Therese Taylor who has agreed to host us:

Greetings from the Emmaus community. Thank you for opening your doors to us. We are very excited about participating in your lovely community. We already feel so welcome!

As we are nearing the time when we will begin meeting at Knox, we'd like to prepare a bit before our first celebration. May we begin by visiting your Sunday liturgy at 10:00?

It would be an opportunity to say hello and to get to know the mechanics of ZOOM as we would very much like to provide our liturgies to our distant members some of whom live in Monterey, Sacramento, and beyond.

And here’s her response:

Therese Taylor

We would love it if you could join us this Sunday at our 10am worship service. Our pastor and I look forward to introducing the Emmaus community to our folks. See you this Sunday!

- Therese Taylor