“Friday night, Todd told us a story about an aging Emperor who was ready to choose his successor. As a qualifying test, each child in the land was given a seed to care for. After a year, the children reconvened to share their results. All but one presented the...
“Look at this Stick Bug,” said Ranger Scott, flashing a smile as I exited my car at the old Boy Scout Camp trailhead. The creature took me back to a time of limited vocabulary. My family was sitting in the woods. “Look at this, Kimmy, it’s a Walking Stick,” I...
A small local Forest Preserve beckoned that morning. A creek runs through it. I love a place where the water and the woods meet. On my way to my favorite trail, I walked by a shelter as a couple was unloading their car. Noting a cooler and chairs, I asked if they were...
‘Tis a gift to share ideas. Turmoil isn’t fertile soil for contemplation of the abstract. Devastation doesn’t inspire philosophical wanderings. Our bodies choose survival over pondering the nonessential. I understand this as I have struggled through the last...
I had dinner with a wise friend. We have known each other for a long time, and I feel free to speak from the heart. I was mentally stumbling and contorting logic in an attempt to explain a series of events. The truth is, I was trying to UNDERSTAND the outcome of said...
Yesterday, I was walking around Siegler Lake at Big Rock Forest Preserve when I came upon a family. A little girl had a large black stuffed animal strapped to her back. “From behind, I thought you were a bear,” I joked. We laughed as I passed them. Then I cried. The...
