I honestly had no idea what to expect when I was invited to facilitate a group meditation deep in the woods of the Catskill Mountains.  Carting my bowls up the drive, I’m greeted by the statuesque Melinda, her friendly dog and a brown rabbit hanging out near the front door. The rabbit seems oddly relaxed, vacillating between twitching and stillness. It’s staring at me and I’m curious as to why it’s not bolting with an active barking dog so close by.

“I think it’s the same one I saved”, says Melinda, as we both stand watching the rabbit watching us.

About a year ago, she spotted a rabbit caught in a fence on her property, its leg wrapped and tangled in wire. She managed to tenderly free it, without injury. Ever since then Melinda has become accustomed to its frequent, fearless visits into her garden and on the back porch. While setting up the bowls inside, I watch as the bunny stares at me again, now through the glass of the studio door.

This is a good omen. This is going to be a special night.

I could have stayed in her studio for hours, days…The silence was delicious. In every corner and crevice were layers upon layers of texture, paint, simplicity, complexity, handwritten messages, paper, brushes, beads, teeth, and rocks; laying among found objects haphazardly placed just so.

Being here brings out a deep sadness as everywhere I look I’m reminded of a friendship lost long ago. In this same moment, in an instant of a breath, I welcome the peace of the birth of a new kinship, a connection freshly formed.

As Melinda watches on, another part of me is tenderly freed.

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