Sanctuary

11-11-11...On a day of grave remembrance
when the ceremonies of commemoration
are concluded and the heart is in need of
consolation, a meander into the tranquil
woodlands under a perfect bowl of blue,
the trees standing bare; the spirit of the
forest calms the inner atmosphere of regret
and sad recollection of mankind's endless
strife. A gentle wind favours the near
environment with kinder memories.

The sun, high and bright, illuminates
another kind of reality, that of Nature's
curative blessings. Minuscule sparks of light
glance off the bright green needles of the
coniferous giants whose branches host
dark and silent birds, keenly observing who
passes below. The exuberant yet quiet
antics of squirrels preparing for winter
months provide light distractions.

The woods represent a natural cathedral
of subdued and emphatic life progressing
from season to season, enduring and, like
life, fraught with the unexpected turns of
happenstance and fortune. We, like the
creatures of the forest, are swept up in the
tides of natural form and function, action and
consequences. The tranquility we find there
a balm and a salve to heal self-inflicted and
historical wounds as in the final analysis
nature's entropy has the final word.