Along Crum Creek

A peaceful respite from an all too busy life with a walk along the creek last Sunday. Trying to get back to finding time to blog again after too much time away but know it may be 2014 before that happens. So much has transpired in the last year. My oldest son has married, my youngest is applying to colleges, I have finished my Pennsylvania Master Naturalist training program.  I am thankful to know that when life keeps me running like this, I can head out into the woods to restore my soul.

Standing in Wisdom

I would love to stand in the wisdom of the trees. To feel fully rooted and all knowing. Able to reach up and out toward the light of the sky, embracing all of what comes. Standing toe to toe with the other sentinels of the forest. A heavy coat of bark working to keep out what causes harm. Yet still aware that harm can come from those planted nearby, limited by their experience of growing in the shadows. Wishing for them to find sustenance from the waters of the creek of life as they grow.

Into the Dark

After spending a few hours this morning outside with my dog group, I have done nothing more than read, research and write while sitting inside over the course of this winter day and I am ready to leash up my pup Dakota and go for a walk. I have found myself recently drawn to a local neighborhood park near my home during my evening walks and have enjoyed the stillness found there, the quiet that comes on when everything is cloaked in darkness. Houses, though just yards away, disappear at night and I find myself feeling as though I am deep in the woods, wandering alone, able to think more clearly, away from the roads and sidewalks and hurried commuters heading home from the train. I almost feel pulled there each night, as though my brain needs the rest this small oasis affords after a day of thinking. To stare into the ribbons of woodlot surrounding the park, not sure of what I am trying to see or discover as I let the cold evening air settle in around me.

Winter's Way...

I love how just a light dusting of snow can paint our world another color. Cover up some of the dark spots in our lives and brighten things. Walking along a snow covered path enlivens me. Offers up hope for a new way of seeing things, allowing me to walk toward the light.

 My pup Dakota bounds along the trail and into the creek as we walk. Even for her who typically lives life in the moment, this moment in the wilds of winter she seems more exuberant, embracing the day and all it holds. Always hopeful, moving forward.

May Dakota's example and the beauty nature offers me,  show me a way to move through my world in this new year.