We Round Out One Another

This weekend my Thanksgiving festivities came to a peaceful close with a hike through the Bartlett Arboretum in my hometown of Stamford, CT. As I walked, I homed in to experience the woods from new perspectives.

 
Through the needles of a fir tree, I could appreciate the fall continuing to make way for the winter.

Beyond the lingering leaf of a Maple tree, I could perceive water running through the brook and imagine it flowing through all of life.

And past a heap of Autumn debris, I could envision my life's path, open and inviting, blessed by those up close and personal in my life, who round me out with their unique love and who help me appreciate life anew.

Our Essence Remains

Today was a sad day as I bade farewell to a former student who transitioned out of this world too soon. Leaving her service, I sought out color and found it at our local farm. It was comforting to see remnants of this autumn so vividly on display. 

The wreaths hanging outside served as a warm welcome to this season of bonding and gratitude...

...while arrangements like this one eased me into the spirit of the upcoming winter holidays. I close my eyes and feel the essence of this season emblazoned in my own, and I evoke with a smile all the beauty of those who are no longer with us but who continue to inspire us with their eternal essence.

Reflections Ground Us

Today I hiked Pratt's Brook Conservation Land here in Acton and came across this lone cairn. Whenever I see cairns I feel reassured that I'm going the right way and that things are as they should be. 

But things are not always as they should be. At the Ice House Pond, I look at the reflection of things to try and gain new perspective and understanding.

The trees are mostly bare now. Their branches tremble in the wind and their leaves are crumpled at their feet, but despite their nakedness and vulnerability, they continue to feed from the Earth and stand tall and bless us with life-giving oxygen.

Sometimes our lives are distorted and we feel helpless, turned upside down. Sitting with the distortion, I reflect on life. I sit with a straight spine, my body weight resting on my sitz bones, rooting me to the ground. I inhale deeply and then slowly release a breath of loving-kindness, in a long embrace to all beings in the world who grieve and who suffer from great loss.

The Harvest Fulfills Us

In the naked light of the mid-day autumn sun, 

the harvester gently rakes the leaves and the last of the fallen apples, 

pausing every now and again to let small swarms of flies have their turn, 

and looking up he sees the lone fruit, hanging on so as not to be forgotten, 

and he plucks it from the branch and gives it a hard and satisfactory bite 

that echoes in the universal harvest of bounty and gratitude. 

We Blend with the Earth

Today I took a drive to the nearby Nagog Hill Orchard, where I was delighted to witness the autumn palette of colors still burning on the trees.

There was a brilliant blending of warm earth tones...

...accenting and balancing every aspect of the landscape...

...and springing up in vivid bouquets of trees that were reflected in the water.

When we see and feel the beauty all around us, we too become part of the landscape and thus blend with the Earth.