Life can change in an instant. We all know this. We strive to cherish what and whom we love, not take anything or anyone for granted, and wake every day with gratitude in our hearts and minds. Henry David Thoreau has been an inspiration to me since spending a solitary and pivotal day at Walden Pond in 1975. One of my favorite passages remains "Every leaf and twig ..." (click on the link to read the entire passage). During a spiritual retreat I attended in Minnesota in 1987, one of the exercises was to find something in nature that symbolically represented ourselves. We had two hours of silent meditation in which to accomplish this task so there was no rush. Nevertheless, when the bell rang to begin the exercise, I took off in a run and was a half a mile down the road when I heard Thoreau's words, "if I seek her elsewhere because I do not find her at home, my search will prove a fruitless one." I stopped cold, and realized these words applied to me. I didn't need to go miles away to find my treasure. I had already seen it right outside the door that very morning. Over the years since then I've heard those same words many times to remind me to look within, the time is now, and I have everything I need right here. I have life and a living faith in goodness. All is well.
    

Blessings of Oneness,