I asked a friend the other day why he thought it was that I was still alive, I was thinking of my open heart surgery last July and the doctor who told me in the emergency room that the good news was that I was not  dead. Why not?, I have often wondered, why was I spared?

Because, he said, your work is not done. I think that is true. I am  here for a reason, I know it. One is to love Maria fully and completely. Another is to see my daughter build her life in New York City with someone she loves. Another is to try and raise my voice to save the horses and the animals in our world, they are in great danger. Another is to write more books, my passion and purpose. And to share my life on the blog and take my photos and cherish my friends and the community around me in my wonderful town, a place of values and connection and creativity.

I feel my writing is stronger, clearer, has more feeling that it has for some time. A strong and beating heart makes a difference, it is, in many ways, the engine of life.

I am stronger than I have been in a long time. I am full of energy and purpose, lucky to be teaching my writing class, living on this farm, exploring my life with animals. Chloe the horse will soon be living here, before too long there will be another dog here. Life is filled with crisis and mystery. And love, discovery and meaningful work. That is why I am still here.

I am here because my work is not yet done, my purpose not yet fulfilled.