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17 May 2014

Unwary Comeliness, Missoula, Montana


“Art was the rememberer. He know what he knew and what had been known by a lot of dead kinfolks and neighbors. They lived on in his mind and spoke there, reminding him and us of things that needed to be remembered. Art had a compound mind, as a daisy has a compound flower, and his mind had something of the unwary comeliness of a daisy. Something that happened would remind him of something that he remembered, which would remind him of something that his grandfather remembered. It was not that he “lived in his mind.” He lived in the place, but the place was where the memories were, and he walked among them, tracing them out over the living ground. That was why we loved him.”
- Wendell Berry, in his story “Are You All Right?”, from the five-story volume "Fidelity"


This paragraph brought to mind some beloved and comely daisies in my own dear family. What a delightful blessing, to partake of their rememberings.

2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Glad to hear it! Wendell Berry is an all-time favourite word crafter. Every time I pick up one of his books, I self-wonder why I don't read him more often.

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