That Which Is Always There

The silence of the spheres is the music of a wedding feast.
The more we persist in misunderstanding the
phenomenon of life, the more we analyze them
into strange finalities and complex purposes of our own,
the more we involve ourselves in sadness.

But it does not matter much because no despair of ours
can alter the reality of things,
or stain the joy of the cosmic dance
which is always there.

~Thomas Merton

Of Note: Space is the next frontier. We have heard that over and over. Wouldn't it be sad to see nations try to carve it up and then fight over the crumbs like they have here on Earth? President Obama has a different vision. In June he proposed a new space policy that envisions international cooperation to a greater extent than before. It includes verifiable arms control programs as well as shared space projects. An official familiar with the new policy said: "The principles reflect President Barack Obama's desire to have Washington and various foreign governments increasingly share funding and expertise on major projects, while negotiating conflicts if possible and exchanging more data about orbiting debris and other hazards in space." That would be a good start. Anyone who has seen the debris maps of the junk left in orbit by various nations and companies knows that some kind of cooperative agreement is essential. This new policy differs sharply from that of the Bush administration just four years ago which rejected diplomatic agreements that could limit the United States' flexibility in space.

Today's Weather Report: Although rain was predicted to fall late this afternoon, it is coming down as we speak. More rain. We have certainly had our share of it this summer, and no one is unhappy about it. The lake has even said thank you and risen a bit. The flower garden has certainly been grateful and responded with copious greenery and flowers. My painting project set for today will have to wait. So be it. Might be a good day to read a book. Haven't done that for awhile.