Tuesday, August 20, 2013

"Does the song of the sea end at the shore or in the hearts of those who listen to it?" ~ E.E. Cummings. Something happens to us when we allow ourselves to open up to and connect to nature. It is as if we can take our burdens out with us into nature and return home unburdened. Immersed in her beauty, we swim in an ocean or river or lake, or walk in a forest or park. Yet rather than having to solve our problems there, nature gently, profoundly allows for a return to balance. In her poem "Wild Geese," poet Mary Oliver writes, "nature calls to you like the wild geese...harsh and exciting, over and over announcing your place in the family of things." Indeed, we find sacred connection in nature. The trees become cathedrals, and the dolphins and whales become our chorus. It is in nature that we breathe, walk, and appreciate the profound gift of being fully alive, somehow connected to all things. Joy and appreciation become our natural resonance. The healing power we experience when we connect to nature doesn't stop at the sea or in the forest. It echoes in the hearts of those who have heard its song.

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