Letter: The Beautiful Sound of Silence

As I wandered aimlessly the trail I happened to look up and at that moment there was caught – as a spider hopes to capture flying insects passing through – the spider and its web itself, caught by the rays of the sun.

What incredibly intricate spider silk strands – so symmetrical, appearing so fragile – and telltale gossamer threads suspending it all in space.

Then it was gone.

What beauty had been there just seconds before had disappeared into the shadows of the forest as the earth – and the place where I stood – rotated ever so little, the sun now obscured behind the trees.

Such is life.

Seven months ago, yesterday, I lost my wife to cancer. A half-century of incredibly intimate years – memories linked together like strands of a web – are captured in picture albums and in my mind.

Because now she is gone.

And so it is that I am drawn to return to where we began. The deep quiet of the forest. The commanding majesty of the mountains.

Walking in silence.

Beholding beauty.

Listening.