The fact that in Southwestern PA it is simply gorgeous today; the fact that last week we celebrated Earth Day and the fact that, like the breeze, I have blown posting for far too long...I begin yet again.
One of my favorite stories from Sister Joan Chittister is a person visiting the monastery for the first time asked the Prioress, "What do you do here all day?" To which the priores replied, "We fall and we get up; we fall and we get up; we fall and we get up......" Consider this my getting up......
My roots and my limbs are centered in the joy and learnings of being outside. My father loved the outdoors. At least once a quarter he'd gather his brood and hike us into the woods for a Sunday dinner cookout. Many times I joined him in a hike in the woods to look for edible mushrooms (a South Buffalo truffle) or to plant trees. The key to hiking with my father was to stay nearby and close to the front. When he stopped to rest and to allow the slackers in the group time to catch up, upon their reaching those in front, he would be off again.
My dad's knowledge of the outdoors was a gift that aided me in ace-ing the assigment of elementary school to collect and name the leaves from indigenous trees.
Working as a summer program staff/camp counselor, the dean of the camp to which I was assigned asked me to gather a bouquet of tiger lilies so he could present it to the kitchen crew in appreciation.
A noble act from a grand gentleman. The only problem, was I didn't know a tiger lilly from a cala lilly from an Easter lilly from Lilly of the Munsters. Not wanting to admit my ignorance of the local flora, I replied, "Sure. Where do you think is the best place to get the tiger lillies?" He responded, "I'd go down to the path that leads to the Green Cathedral and there you'll see a whole lot of orange flowers."
As I walked to the aformentioned path, my fervent prayer was please God don't let there be various types of flowers. Just one orange flower would suffice. Mercifully there was, just as he said, an abundance of orange tiger lillies. The dean, the kitchen staff and myself were most pleased. Ain't nature grand!
