what an incredible spirit!

Ann Dickinson Beal

what an incredible spirit Ann Dickinson Beal was—

brilliant, as her mind pierced and enveloped

so that the deep mysteries 

within past and present revealed themselves,

brilliant, as her heart knew you, loved you,

helped you to be even more impressive as yourself,

Ann appreciated fine food, fine drink, fine people,

Ann knew the joy inherent in every moment

if we can but let ourselves live it,

particularly the joy of poetry, 

of watching tennis,

of swimming in a friend’s lake,

of her friend Rick’s description of her “4 Bs”:

William Blake, Wendell Barry, the Beatles, Bob Dylan,
of exploring the way history and religion weave together
in the lives of John Rogers, an ancestor, and William Tyndale,
who, like Ann, believed that all should have access to TheWord,

as strong as her spirit was,

so was the fragility that could also infuse her:

a marriage that could not last

but which produced two amazing children,

a body that had to give up when the assaults were too much,

we miss the amazing wonder that was Ann,

and we treasure the memory of her incredible spirit.

by Henry H. Walker

December 21, ’17,

Ann’s birthday--
she should have been 74 today