I aspire to be like this quiet Buddha statue, bathing in the light and shadows, observing life around me. He sits with such serenity as the leaves fall, the ivy grows around him, plants sprout and die back. To him, it is the ever changing landscape yet he is “seated” firmly on the earth. He is not jumping about in great joy nor is he wailing about some mishap or challenge in his life. He sits there accepting all, being present with it all. Loving all. As I sit and face him, I feel the peace emanating from him. I call in the essence of the Buddha to overshadow us both on this spring afternoon of gentle light. Everything feels so soft. The hummingbirds are dashing about, excited by the blossoms that have recently opened to the sun. A young hawk sits high on a tree branch and looks down at me. He is looking for my admiring glance as he lifts his wings and moves about on thebranch. I give it readily as I am thrilled by his wild beauty.

creek, the newly unfurled and tender leaves on his and others’ branches, the forget me nots stretching their tiny faces of periwinkle blue to the sky, the buzz of the insects wings, and the bird songs that are carried on the faint breeze. He is the conductor who knows how to inspire each one to play their best note. I feel the need to be more of myself. To rise to his direction and to sing as purely as I can. This is what our elders knew, how to listen to the earth and its elemental life and find their place in it. That is what creates the harmony. To sit with the land and let it speak to you before acting upon it. Then it is possible to work together to create more beauty and to offer one another gifts. The earth is bountiful and she wishes to share her bounty with us just as we wish to honor her and share our gifts. What a beautiful partnership.