<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;" class="">The Country of Marriage</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Sometimes our life reminds me</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">of a forest in which there is a graceful clearing</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">and in that opening a house,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">an orchard and garden,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">comfortable shades, and flowers</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">red and yellow in the sun, a pattern</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">made in the light for the light to return to.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">The forest is mostly dark, its ways</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">to be made anew day after day, the dark</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">richer than the light and more blessed</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">provided we stay brave</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">enough to keep on going in.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Wendell Berry</div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></body></html>