A Path to Hope

When I was in elementary school, a teacher handed out blindfolds, guided us each to a tree, and gave us a short amount of time to examine it with all our other senses. Then, at the end of the allotted time, she brought us back to the circle, allowed us to remove our blindfolds, and asked us to identify the tree we’d spent time getting to know. It was an exercise that has stayed with me and that I hope this image might inspire in you. Take time getting to know the trees along this path in their infinite variability, each one unique. And feel the gentle warmth of that morning light on the trail. (Saddle Mountain State Natural Area)