A Wish

We hope you...

• build forts


• climb trees


• make mud pies


• catch falling leaves


• find secret hiding places in the bushes


• chase after lightening bugs


• hold a ladybug, a caterpillar and worm in your hands


• swim in a lake


• get muddy knees


• pick blackberries in the woods


• wade through cold creeks


• jump in puddles


• drink water from a spring


• climb a mountain


• collect rocks


• feel rain on your skin


• throw rocks


• squint at the sun


• hold a fishing pole


• take a walk under the stars


• look under rocks for worms


• skip rocks on a lake


• chase butterflies

You might just get bug bites, bee stings, blisters on your feet or muddy jeans. You might get wet, sweaty, cold or dirty. We hope you do. Those things are part exploring this beautiful world, and part of appreciating your place in it. You are not the center of things, rather you are a part of things. Nature will calm you, stir your senses, make you creative and give you a sense of awe for the Creator of all that beauty.

From Richard Louv...
"Now, my tree-climbing days long behind me, I often think about the lasting value of those early, deliciously idle days. I have come to appreciate the long view afforded by those treetops. The woods were my Ritalin. Nature calmed me, focused me, and yet excited my senses."