Sunday, June 3, 2012

A Paragraph Leslie Marked in a Book Years Ago

Leslie's sister Shelley either gave Leslie a copy of or told her to buy Terry Tempest William’s “Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place,” a book relating to the Bear River Wildlife Refuge on the Great Salt Lake as well as to her family.  It is a 1992 edition, long before anything we have been dealing with recently. 

The book was behind a bunch of other stuff (some CDs, our camera, etc.) on a bookcase, so I doubt that Leslie has looked at it recently.


However, Leslie had marked the cover of the book “pg 178” in her handwriting before it wound up where I found it. 

This is the entirety of page 178 – which is absolutely marvelous. 

“I am slowly, painfully discovering that my refuge is not found in my mother, my grandmother, or even the birds of Bear River.  My refuge exists in my capacity to love.  If I can learn to love death then I can begin to find refuge in change.”


Bill Marcus June 3, 2012

3 comments:

  1. Incredible, Bill! Thank you so much for sharing this "gift" with Team Leslie...so beautiful and so very much our Les...

    My thoughts and prayers are with you, Les and your fine family, Bill. I will see you soon, my friend...

    Bobo

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  2. Congratulations on taking control of the Team Leslie Blog, Bill! When your message was announced via e-mail, I assumed that your touching story was appended as a comment to an earlier post, but you have apparently found the written instructions I left with you and Leslie on how to log in and create your own blog posts! :-) I'm tempted to add images of the book, & of Terry Tempest Williams, but if I do, it will be as a "draft" that you have control over and choice about using or deleting... -- Bob Nelson, PHS 1969 classmate

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  3. "Hark, when the night is falling,
    Hear, Hear the pipes are calling
    Loudly and proudly calling down
    through the glen."

    Farewell to as brave and bonny a lass who ever graced
    the Highlands, and who will be remembered long after
    "Birnham Wood has removed to Dunsinane."

    Farewell, friend. "Long may your proud standards, gloriously wave."

    Cliff N

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