TODAY'S TAO READING

Today's Tao reading resonates with me.  May I share bits of it....

When one walks in the woods, there is a wonderful unity of body, mind and spirit.  ...... Away from the madness of society, one is freed to observe nature's lessons.

Erosion.  Gnarled roots. A flight of swallows.  Reflection of rushing waters.  Budding bare branches.  Gray rock, cracked, shattered and worn.  A fallen tree.  A lone cloud.  Even a little circle of rocks beside the trail--who put them there, or did any hand arrange them, and no matter which, what are the secrets of that circle?

There are a thousand meanings in every view, if only we open ourselves to see the scripture of the landscape. 

This brings back memories of me going for lone walks in the woods by our beloved restored log cabin.  To the woods would I go any time life hit me with a flying rock and cracked my heart wide open.  It was with the trees, the squirrels, the flying hawks, the sparrows, the quiet, the river, the wildflowers......where my healing took place.  I remember the times I sat on the porch and cried with myself and a glass of my beverage-of-the-moment.  Maybe this is the reason the above words mean so much to me.  

It was being alone with Nature where I found comfort, peace, and where my heart felt an invisible Source gently rub a salve on it so I could walk back home and not fall apart.  

When I think there are millions of inner-city individuals who will never be blessed with the blessings I've received in my life, well, I am doubly grateful.  I'm also thankful that my upbringing taught me to "see the scripture of the landscape."  Trees and wildflowers didn't talk behind my back, berate me to others, nor did they ever make me feel unwanted or not quite good enough for them.  When the squirrels ran from tree to tree through the dry leaves, they made me feel welcome in their world.  Oh, and when the birds landed and sat on the porch beside me, well, I knew I was never really by myself.  Yes, to the woods I went to sort out all the litter that had been strewn on my path by those who sought to hurt me for whatever reason.  

How fortunate I was to have had a sacred space to go.  I wasn't running away from life, but rather running toward a source of comfort.  When my time on earth is over, I will be able to say that Nature never failed me, and my respect for the natural world is heartbroken by the cruelty shown to our forests and natural resources.   

So it is that even now after I'm settled in my late-life home, I cannot wait to take the drive that will allow me to see the tiny trillium that announces the arrival of Spring.  I remember bringing home itty-bitty bouquets of purple violets and putting them in a shot glass of water on the kitchen table.  I did that to remind myself that Nature was close by, ready and willing to take care of me, my soul, and my heart.  

In today's Tao reading, I like the words....."what are the secrets of that circle?"