I am reading tonight of the passing on of Wendell Berry. He was a human, not without fault, but one of my absolute heroes. He always tried to think of what was the best actions we can and should undertake. When I was in high school, I typed out his poem "Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front" and for years hung it somewhere. We would all be better off by reading some of his writings on the value of human community and dignified work and care and concern for the land over profits for a few.

A few years back, I made a pilgrimage to visit with Mr. Berry, exploring the country around Henry County, Kentucky, talking with his daughter, Mary, and others at the Berry Center, and visiting with him briefly in Louisville, where he was to speak. I'll be praying for his wife, Tanya, and all of their family. I am grateful for his thoughtfulness, and I hope more of us would stop to read some of his works. He had much to say about the priorities we crudely give to things that will not sustain us.

There are others, but here is a one of my photos of Mr. Berry (I’ve posted before). He was engaged in a thoughtful conversation with his daughter Mary and, I think, absent-mindedly pinching his lower lip to better concentrate on what Mary was saying. Thank you for a life very well and selflessly lived.