There is a very special book I would like to share with you.
This is the introduction.
Everything becomes simple when you immerse yourself in nature.
Life's complications melt away,
Leaving only the truth of the present moment and the presence of what I call God.
In this place,
We can see ourselves reflected in every living thing,
Every gust of wind,
Every splash of rain,
And here we can find peace.
This is our true home.
Yet we are losing what few wild places we have left,
Those patches where the spirits of the earth are flowing freely,
Where harmony and balance still exist,
And we feel accepted for the truth of who we are.
We have strayed off course and need to find our way again.
An old pathway,
Overgrown and forgotten,
Is waiting impatiently to lead us back home.
Nature is willing us on.
Welcome to Grounded with Wendy.
This is an introduction to a book called The Garden of Awakening,
Designs to Nurture Our Land and Ourselves by Mary Reynolds,
And it's just a beautiful book that I picked up recently again and wanted to share with you.
Nature is such an elixir and a healer,
The constant in our life.
Nature is the thing we can always count on.
The moon and the sun will always rise and set.
There are,
Though,
Patches of nature that are furious,
And wild,
And scary.
The fires,
The tornadoes,
The winds,
The oceans.
It's as though it's angry.
And I don't blame nature for its anger,
And I don't blame my brother and my sister for their anger either.
Today,
I would like to share the simple idea that if we take care of our own patch of land,
Whether that be a little garden in our community garden,
Or a patch of ground in our backyard,
Or maybe just a simple plant,
And I shouldn't even say just,
But maybe a plant that's in our kitchen window.
Maybe it's an herb garden.
Whatever it might be for you,
How can we tend to nature in our own backyard,
In our own community,
So that we can feel reconnected?
This introduction to this book really caught me,
Talking about the gusts of wind and the splash of rain,
And every living thing.
It all has its place in our world,
And gosh,
If we could melt into it just a little bit more,
Open ourselves to it just a little bit more,
Open our eyes,
Maybe go to our five senses,
If you would with me,
Close your eyes,
And maybe you can smell the rain.
You can feel the sand in your toes.
You can feel the bark of the tree at your fingertips.
You can hear the bird songs.
Thank you,
Nature,
For your gifts,
For your reminders.
We have so much hope in watching the ants,
Or listening to the squirrels chatter.
You are a wise and wonderful teacher,
And we are here to bask in your lessons,
In your wisdom,
And all that you have to share with us.
If you take a few noticeable breaths,
Perhaps put a hand on your heart,
One on your belly,
And just say thank you for this gift of time,
And this message from nature,
And how if we tend to nature,
Nature will tend to us as well.
This reciprocity is a beautiful thing.
Thank you,
Thank you,
Thank you.
