‘ONCE, IN A BEAUTIFUL, FAR AWAY LAND, that was, somehow, not so very far… A land where every stone was a teacher and every breeze a language, where every lake was a mirror and every tree a ladder to the stars…’ (From Old Turtle and the Broken Truth) We are born into this land, into such a world. But oftentimes,
‘THERE SHOULD BE at least a room, or some corner where no one will find you and disturb you and notice you. You should be able to untether yourself from the world and set yourself free, losing all the fine strings and strands of tension that bind you, by sight, by sound, by thought, to the presence of others.’ Thomas
A NEW YEAR. Full of new days. Filled with sunrises as well as sunsets. Light as well as darkness. A world full of subtlety and mystery and unanticipated blessings, as much as difficulty and unfairness and loss. It is possible to be grateful for the light and the beauty and the possibilities, while summoning strength for battles and challenges ahead.
TODAY from the Church O’ The Pines, a small outing to the Little Stream. The woods seem dead, but are only resting. The stream is frozen, but only on the surface. Beneath the cold, still ice, everything is still moving, singing, flowing, living. Everything important happens below the surface. One day the ice, too, will move. It will be tossed
THERE IS A PATH I know that leads to the most marvelous series of trees. Northern White Cedar, Arborvitae. Their roots stretch and reach over bedrock—anchoring, holding fast to the earth. To life. I know other paths, many of them, that lead to shadowed haunts and streams of sunlight. A great many people are hurting right now, burdened by doubts
THERE’S NOTHING like the smell of a forest on a misty, foggy day. Be it the Coast Redwoods or the Olympic Peninsula or the humble Church O’ The Pines. It’s a fragrance that reaches inside of you and reminds you that you are a part of everything and everything is a part of you. On a gray, monochrome day, not
AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES, all is calm and rather bright. The blue jays holler and the squirrels scold. The chickadees gently gossip and the local deer herd drops by for a visit. The deacon pines reach their arms toward heaven. And the whole congregation seems to be at peace with the world, sharing the general feeling that it’s
OUR PET/WILD THING Koda the Forest Kitten has a secret friend. His/her name is Bunny Rabbit. Bunny Rabbit lives under the deck. B-rab is not really secret, because we know about him. We sometimes see him hopping around the cabin at night, and this time of year find the familiar tracks in the snow. But what transpires between Koda and
THIS SMILING, HANDSOME FELLOW is Bob Heim. We’ll get back to him in just a moment… Here at the Cabin-in-the-Woods, in the grove also known as the Church O’ The Pines, Kathy and I feed the blue jays. And crows. And red squirrels and gray squirrels. And nuthatches and pileated woodpeckers and other feathered friends. And deer. And a whole
AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES, there is a bit more roof work—moss and pine needle removal—to be done. Up on a roof, near a stone chimney-steeple, there is a wonderful change in perspective. One sees the world with something closer to the eye of the chickadee, the crow, the jay, the hawk. The golden carpet of needles is more