FROM MY BOOK, “Things Trees Know,” in the Wisdom Of Nature series, here are some thoughts/quotes for a winter morning: Reach down as well as up. No roots, no branches. Stand tall, but bend when you need to. Be a shelter to someone. Grow from the bottom up, from the inside out. Welcome rainy days. Know that being beautiful is
The Orchid Blossoms
TODAY AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES the sun rises as a golden orb over the Father of Waters. It is cold, but not as cold as it has been. The golden star begins to spread butter on the pines. The chickadees gossip and sing. The pileated woodpeckers laugh and the Three Crows announce the new day to all the
A Planet With One Mind
WHEN I WAS a freshman in college, still living at home and didn’t know nothin,’ with no idea who I was or where I was going, someone who heard me play the guitar told me I should listen to the Moody Blues. I bought an album with a cool cover and interesting title. “To Our Children’s Children’s Children.” I put
Among Students and Teachers Once More
LAST WEEK I VISITED A SCHOOL. It was good to be back among students and teachers once more. As always, I sang a song or two, told some stories, shared books and talked about caring for the Earth. As I often do, I also talked about my hard times in school–about being an ADHD child and adult. After speaking about
Lovely Little Cloudbank Across The River
HERE ON PINE POINT at the Church O’ The Pines, there is a lovely little cloudbank across the river, like a low range of mountains, reflecting the rising sun. The chickadees, eternal optimists, are singing their ‘fee-bee’ spring song. It is about 25 degrees and calm. Beauty abounds. Of course, tonight we plunge back to 16 below. But we soldier
Portion of An Essay from My Memoir
YESTERDAY, AS INNOCENTLY as ever, I posted a short message about Kathy feeding the birds and critters of our congregation here at the Church O’ The Pines. I may have mentioned in passing that the temperature at the time was 117 degrees below zero. For some reason, this caused a number of respondents to question my veracity. And Honesty. And
Every Morning AT THE Church O’ The Pines
EVERY MORNING AT THE Church O’ The Pines, even when there are no services planned, Kathy begins the day by going out into the 117 degrees below zero churchyard to feed the chickadees. And nuthatches. And cardinals. And bluejays and goldfinches and woodpeckers and crows. And bunny rabbit. And red and gray squirrels. And deer. When it is 117 degrees
Old Thonet-Style Bentwood Rocker
HERE AT THE Church O’ The Pines Caretakers’ Cabin, we have a limited amount of space. For furniture or anything else. In fact, when Kathy and I watch TV together, I always sit in a simple, hardback dining-room-set chair right by the table. The chair gets harder as the program gets longer. Yesterday on a small outing we stopped in
Short Notes and Aphorisms I Wrote to Myself
IN MY ‘WISDOM OF NATURE’ book series, I present short notes and aphorisms I wrote to myself, on this challenging, joyful, fretful, real journey through Life we all share. Each thought is illustrated with a pen & ink drawing that was also a meditative exercise in itself. Every book has its own angle and perspective—from birds to flowers to trees
Little Woodland Congregation
IN THE CARETAKER’S CABIN at the Church O’ The Pines, it is first light. The parson is awakened by the chesty challenge of a great horned owl from the forest, echoing within the fine acoustics of cabin walls. This is soon followed by the sweet sound of two grandchild voices from downstairs. It is time to rise, make coffee—perhaps a