Sunrise, Sunset: Life-long Trails

Photo by Danielle Simone, taken near John Martin Dam, Hasty, Colorado, 2010


My friend sent me a touching post which I want to share - in part.

One of the special life-jackets in life are friends who care enough to reach out and give support when our life-light might be a little dimmer than usual. It's a warm and subtle helping hand, an 'I understand', a 'been there, done that and please be assured, it goes away quickly' kind of caring. It is precious and rare, and a life blessing that is deeply appreciated and treasured.

I quickly add that among the friends, acquaintances and other people who grace my life, each of them has their own special life-force that blesses me in more ways than is possible to state here. Hopefully, I share adequate, ongoing appreciation and caring back to them along the way.

In particular, I will always treasure the Love of one close friend and neighbor who literally kept my nose above the churning waves, during my husband's recent illness.





















But the note below, found recently in my 'in-box', prompted a need to share.

So, for anyone whose outlook is a bit more shadowed or uphill than usual today, this is for you.



"There are things in life that just make no sense whatsoever - whether you have strong faith or not. Disease and growing old are two of those things.

We both love the sunrises and sunsets. They continue on... If there is a sunset, there will be a sunrise. The magnificence of nature brings us both joy. Life is like the continuum of nature --- the sunrise is birth, the dawn of a new day. We live through the morning, absorb the sunlight of prosperity during the day, and squeeze the last drops of sunlight out of the day (ie: old age, death, disease), long after the sun has gone down.

But...there is a sunrise the next morning. No matter how desperate the day ends, the sun will come up tomorrow. Life is a circle and just as it ends --- so it will begin. In my belief, that beginning is in heaven. That's where faith takes me.
In nature --- that beginning comes with the dawn. Although there's disease, death, and the night is full of marauders who thrive in the darkness, with the morning comes fingers of light and life. You appreciate the morning. But, I know that you understand the night too. Without the nighttime, there would be no morning.

When you're feeling down --- wait, patiently for the dawn... It's there, within your reach, just hold on tight and be patient".

Jan Verhoeff


As always...Nature prevails.






















NEW JERSEY SHORELINE, March 2010


Photos on this website taken by Danielle Simone unless otherwise stated.

Spring Trails: the sunrise of the season

Whenever Spring arrives, sunrises mean more to me. A sunrise symbolizes 'new' and 'beginning' and 'promise' and 'life' and 'hope'...all those myriad of things that occur in Spring. Nature raises her 'curtain' and begins her awesome show.

It's small, even minuscule at first. Here in southeast Colorado, a bit of purplish Kochia weed peeks through the more protected, moister places. You're driving on route 50 to Lamar or La Junta and notice that the cottonwoods have a slight yellowish hue (tiny buds swelling under the new warmth of the higher sun). As you struggle through your first cup of coffee or tea, you notice the sunshine on a different spot on the table.

The sunrise happens in Nature's wildlife as well. I awoke to the incessant pecking sound of birds making nests under my bedroom eave last week. Robins have invaded, actually several weeks ago, a welcome sight indicating warmth on the way.

As we walked across John Martin Dam the other evening, hoards of tiny, fervent bugs buzzed over the sides of the dam. Soon, the swallows will arrive and enjoy their 3 seasons of bug fodder.

Join with Nature in her seasonal debut. Pick up a Bountiful Garden catalog and order your garden seeds. Order some chicks from Cackle Hatchery and ready a warm, cozy chicky spot in your barn. Turn up your garden soil, rake it smooth for planting. Wash your walls, your windows. Clean out the garage.

Wait a minute! Maybe a cup of Celestial Seasons Tension Tamer might be my next move....

Nature prevails!

TRAILS OF NATURE; Everywhere

Nature is everywhere, and everyone has a unique relationship with the universe around them. Some are satisfied with the morning sun shining next to their coffee cup through the window of their 17th floor apt in New York City. Others crave the danger and interaction with Nature on the slopes of Mt. Everest. Some people can not kill an ant, their respect and awe of Nature is so complete and pervasive. One way or another, most of us interact with Nature, even if only to shovel the snow from our sidewalks or shake the rain from our coats.

Whatever your relationship with Nature, the point is – you have one, as Nature IS the air we breathe, the land we walk upon, the food we eat, the breezes in our trees and the sunshine that begins and ends our days – whether we see it or not.

My connection with Nature includes a deeper than physical relationship; I doubt I will ever be capable of explaining it succinctly, but this connection includes the need to share it.

Nature’s power is obvious through her volcanoes, tsunamis and plate tectonics, while the awe of her beauty is clear through her sunsets, sunrises and wildlife. Life – its origins, evolution and oddities, both on Earth and throughout the universe, are complex, and in reality – still new and unexplored by humanity.

What are your thoughts about Nature? Do you dream of the future flight of the Condor and the Eagle, as told in Incan prophecy? Do you ski through snow-laden slopes? Do you revel in the coolness and buoyancy of her waters through an early morning swim? Do you enjoy the laughter and innocence of children through your day-care services? Or is your passion exercised through chasing tornadoes for your weather related position at NOAA. All questions, concerns or comments will be addressed; let’s explore and share the trails of Nature.

As always, Nature prevails.

NATURE PREVAILS

No matter how far you travel from home , nature prevails.

Whether you study the comeback of an endangered species or patrol your park on your morning run as a park ranger, keep up the grounds in your summer seasonal city park position, dig up fossils for your next book on Dinosaurs, head your scout troop on a trek through the high Sierras, film a documentary on volcanoes at Mauna Loa in Hawaii, take rafters down the Colorado River, pick up trash along the road, drive semis long haul, fly emergency supplies to a hurricane-struck New Orleans or serve on a search and rescue ski patrol, Nature is your guide, your worst enemy and your avenue of travel. There is no avoiding Nature in this Universe; she is everywhere, everytime, everyplace…so long as we continue to breathe her air.

Accepting Nature in her complete attire takes understanding of her pervasiveness, acceptance of her power and our minute position in that schematic, as well as preparedness for her more grand gestures such as frigid temps, high winds and tsunamis. Nature is high-maintenance; boating in the afternoon sunshine under gentle breezes may evolve into a powerful thunderstorm in a matter of minutes, packing tornadic winds and killer lightning. Skiing down an expensive, blemish-free slope in the high mountains may instantly turn into a life and death avalanche. Basking innocently on a beach in India may be your last vacation as you realize the ocean that just rose 100 feet in front of you leaves you no avenue of escape. Living at the base of a volcanoe may end your life.

Nature also warms us, quenches our thirst, provides our food, calms us with her breezes, protects us from the ravages of space, keeps our feet planted firmly on the ground we call home, and most certainly provides the profound air that keeps our lungs inflated and our heart pumping.

Nature watched over the microbes as they blossomed into life in our oceans four million years ago, she applied her creativity as she continually rearranged her continents into their ever-evolving shapes and positions, she cried over the millions of lives lost during the history of wars, she surely smiled with pride as her myriad forms of life rebounded on Earth after thousands of years of planetary disasters.

Nature surrounds us in the vegetables of our gardens, the butterflies on our flowers, the breezes in the trees under which we rest on a hot afternoon; she brings us peace and relaxation as we enjoy the tapping of a gentle summer rain on a tin roof; she certainly feeds our soul through the gentle hug of a friend as we mourn a Loved one.

Embrace Nature in your life. Help a turtle across the road; separate your recyclable items; plant a tree; leave your car parked once in awhile and walk. Look around occasionally and count your natural blessings. You’ll improve your blood pressure, slow down your heart rate, bring a little peace into your soul…bring joy into your life.

As always, Nature prevails.

daniellesimone@centurytel.net

TRAIL'S END; maybe

A dear friend lost his Mother this past week. In passing conversation, my writer-friend and I exchanged the thought of his Mom still being here through the many stories he writes about his childhood and the other stories of his youth that he shares occasionally. Personally, I find this thought, consoling. I recently celebrated the 11th year of my Mother's departure, so death and life and all it's complexities continue to rattle around the corners of my mind this month. Several questions thread through these philosophical ramblings.

1. Do our Loved ones truly live on in our memories? Or is this wishful thinking? Is that crocheted doily of My Mom's that I so treasure, really her still in my life, or a ghostly representation? She bought the thread, she spent the effort and talent for its creation; it would not exist without her existence.

2. Are we physical beings, having an occasional spiritual experience along our lives, or vice versa? The latter leaves many open questions about our passing while the former presupposes a predetermined continuing of one sort or another. It surely makes for sweeter dreams when we go to sleep each night believing that a greater place than our physical lives, awaits our immortal soul.

3. Is this the only time we live in a physical body, or do we pass through this life more than once? Many written words suggest that we get more than one chance to learn our worldly lessons in preparation for a higher level of existence. If so, are we always a human, or do we take our chances as other animals as well?

In Nature, everything is recycled. And we know scientifically that we humans share many of the same ingredients that make up our surrounding world. For example, our veggie scraps live on to feed the compost pile - which feeds our garden - which sooner or later makes it back to the table - and again to the continuing compost pile. Is the garden...a veggie's idea of heavenly bliss? Maybe not.

Back to my friend. As a staunch believer in a hereafter, I sensed a peace in his voice when he spoke of his Mother's passing, as opposed to panic or overwhelming sadness. And as for missing his Mother, I know he will. I've listened past the words in his stories of his youth; his Mother and family are threaded through, around and inside every story he has - and still will write. And through these stories, I too have grown to sense a bit of who his Mother was through her quoted words, the ways he responded to those words, the gentleness with which he has described her on numerous occasions. So in some ways, I too, will miss his Mother.

In my heart of hearts, I guess I believe that we leave behind parts of ourselves in the crocheted doilies we create; or the certain twinkle we recognize - though not as our own, in the mirror each morning; or the memories of our Loved one's peculiar ways they behaved or a special way they Loved us.

My friend told me; 'This evening as I was bringing in the stove wood for the night, I could hear her again telling me when I was a boy, "When are you going to learn to fill the woodbox before dark." '

Yes, I believe we live on, in one form or another...or maybe in many different ways. I know my friend experienced that belief as he fed his wood stove last night.

As always, Nature prevails.

Winter Trails; the 'fabric of our lives'

Winter snows howl outside today. As I sit by the window, gazing through the blowing snowflakes to the far away thoughts inside my cozy brain, it seems it's the small things - the everyday, 'no biggie', collection of on-going moments, that seem to fill me. I used to believe the big events were the 'markers' of life...getting married, climbing the social and professional ladders, getting a raise. But are these bigger events really as important as the tiny parts of life that grease the gears of our 'every-days'?

When a loved one passes, what is it that comprises 'the memories' we so treasure. Is it..the way they smiled when they tried to hold back from telling about a secret gift? Or the way their eyes looked just before they said 'I'm sorry'? Or was it their particular walk that you watched for years as they left for work? How about their yen to take off fishing every Sunday morning? It used to annoy you, you wanted more time with them...then. How did their hug linger, the smell of their perfume, the toss of their head and the shine of their hair?

Yesterday, you were planning your vacation, your new move, the big party at Christmas, the "rest of your life." Tomorrow, your health may change, disease may creep in, and time will not stand still; it never does. What then, of your tomorrows? My dear Colorado friend always says..."T.C.! Things change."

Weave carefully, the fabric of your life. Choose the thread, gather it with forethought, add many colors, tie knots in the lose ends, wear it with reverence.

Nature is sunlight and sadness, growth and grief, forethought and forgetfulness, birth and death.

TODAY

"Possess this day with awe and caring.
It is a gift given quickly and only once;
Stain it not with tears of regret.

Look to yesterday with reverence,
For it is a teacher - a wise one,
A pathway for tomorrow, a memory, a vision.

Tomorrow is also a vision, but without substance.
It is a dream, a wish, a story - yet to be told,
A feeling waiting to be birthed.

Yesterday passes,
Tomorrow waits;
Ah...but for today."

Danielle Simone
1983
(copyright, 1991)

Nature prevails.

Sunset Trails; A Song of Life

Bridge Across Forever

There's a time for many seasons,
Many songs, and lovely names.
Feelings strong and spirits empty,
Who will ever know we came.





















As the day begins to nighttime,
As the stars fall into view.
Are we now...or are we ever,
Is this old, or very new.
Take my hand and take me farther,
Show me lifetimes lived and gone.
Bring me closer to the future,
Oh please sing to me, your song.





















If today will last forever,
If tomorrow's never here.
Can I ever be my future,
Am I anything...I fear.
If time is but a journey,
And life is but a tear.
Will we meet in our forevers,
Doesn't anybody...hear.






















Are my dreams no more than fancy,
Are my songs a wish for time.
Can we bridge across forever,
Were you ever...really mine.
We begin and then we follow,
We grow and then we die.
Are we moments full of meaning,
Or does time...just pass us by.





There's a time for many seasons,
Many songs, and lovely names.
Feelings strong...and spirits empty,
Who will ever know we came.

Danielle Simone
written 1991
(copyright 1991)






Nature prevails.