I look out my window and see the dried up husks of plants. Stripped of their blooms and their leaves, they decay over winter. Their seeds lie dormant in the earth covered by a blanket of snow, while the trees with their bare branches watch over them. This is a time of rest, being held by Mother Earth. The seeds wait for the warmth and light of spring to grow again.

Nature brings this message for humanity as well. Winter is the time to pause and be quiet in your life. And then with the change of seasons in spring, we move forward again.

This is the natural order, which gets lost in our busy world. Remember. Pause, be quiet, rest, integrate.

This work is real, and it matters.

(This photo was taken a few years ago at the Merrimac Preserve / Riverland Conservancy, one of my favorite places to hike over winter.)

January 7, 2022