The Journey by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice–
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do–
determined to save
the only life you could save.

–Mary Oliver

Saratoga Peace Stories

You do not want to miss this opportunity to experience award-winning storyteller Kate Dudding! She will share stories about the kindness of strangers, ways she’s found personal peace, and a story about one path to world peace.

Since 1995, award-winning storyteller Kate Dudding creates entertaining, heartwarming and memorable stories about real people who made a difference. She tells at venues in the Northeastern USA, including The Clearwater Festival, First Night Saratoga, and The Norman Rockwell Museum. Many of her five CDs received national awards. She won the story slam at the 2010 National Storytelling Conference. She has presented workshops at the National Storytelling Conference and other storytelling conferences. Kate and her producing partner Alden (Joe) Doolittle have produced over 150 storytelling performances. They received the 2015 Brother Blue and Ruth Hill Award “in recognition of extraordinary commitment, dedication and loving encouragement to the storytelling community” from Northeast Storytelling. KateDudding.com

The Gates Are Made To Be Entered

A recitation:

https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3E5PX2MLt6AArDgvy2etvu?utm_source=generator

A prayer from Harlow’s Mahzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: A Prayerbook for the Days of Awe (New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 1974)

“Sunset at Heaven’s Gate at Pura Lempuyang Luhur Temple in Bali, Indonesia, can be a magical experience. It’s no wonder it’s one of Bali’s more revered temples and also one of the most photographed and visited locations on the entire island.”

📸 + caption by Ty Newcomb Photography

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