Dear All One,

I haven't abandoned the site, Maddy, just posting occasionally or when there's a big benchmark, to give you all an update. As you can imagine..."no news is good news". Bill started driving 2 weeks ago and is able to get himself to cardio rehab 3 days a week up at Kingston Hospital, where they actually have valet parking for rehab patients. All he has to do is drive himself to the door and the wonderful staff parks the car, so there's no long walk. Having said that, at the beginning of July, Bill joined me and 45 friends on a beautiful farm outside of Toronto for an incredible week of practical and artistic work. Germaine, Heather, Ellen Backer were there as well as many young adults made who made Bill feel comfortable, cooked great meals and where he was able to join in at his own pace. We got home in time to unpack and re-pack for a week with Walt Michael's Common Ground on the Hill where Bill co-taught a banjo workshop daily with Howie Bursen as well as a performance workshop in the beautiful theatre at McDaniel College in Maryland. We got to hang out and get to know the stellar faculty of old (and new) friends (including Harry Orlove, Cindy Mangsen and Steve Gillette, Guy Davis and Nerak Roth Patterson, just to name a few). We even performed on the Thursday evening faculty concert. Amy Fradon was with teaching there as well for the week and in the performance she got to sing "Fly Away", the absolutely beautiful song she wrote for Bill when the Company was in Texas on their own, just after Bill's heart event. The time at Common Ground was extremely challenging. It was very hot and humid and the dorms, classes and committments were all a good walking distance. Bill's stamina built that week for sure! He's knowing when to rest and how to better care for himself (and would be seen occasionally flat out in the gazebo en route from one place to another) . Coming back from Common Ground we went right into Merlin Larsen and Abigail Freeman's wedding at magical Larsenland (where SummerDance is now taking place until August 10th). I had the great honor and joy of marrying them (having gotten ordained for the occasion). I'm just reflecting on so much joy in this community here. We really know how to celebrate and how to support each other in every way. There is something so strengthening about that. I think this is what makes the CaringBridge website so marvelous....it creates and sustains community. That's the key here: Community.

So, now I'm sitting in the Company office looking out at Mohonk...about to go to the Lifebridge Sanctuary to help them celebrate their Peace Pole planting. Toby, Fode and Andy Teirstein will meet us there to provide music for some of the SummerDancers and a flag ceremony will be led by the World Peace Prayer Society.

We just lost our friend, Gayil Greene a few days ago after a long bout with cancer, and her family and this loving community just buried her less than an hour ago. So here we are living, loving, dying in this cycle amidst all the other cycles of each other's lives in community. How do we touch each other? How do we make a difference in the world and in our own world?

If anyone would like to have one of Bill's first poetry books that he printed up (and wow, the poems are still coming!) please give me your address and I'll mail one to you. I love the last poem in this booklet, and will end here by quoting the ending:

"And now that the song is ending, I must ask, What about death?

Death comes to dance us away, But the song goes on, The dance goes on, The story goes on, and on, and on."

*************

Live your life and love fully.....each day, and write when you can,

Livia