…grief apparent only in the moment
of forgetting, then the river, the mountain,
the lifting song of the Sky Lark inviting
you over the rain-filled pass

With the loss of my mom last year, my own ‘lifting up’ is the struggle and journey of finding myself as the ‘last generation’ of our family … facing my own mortality, the reality of life’s swiftly passing years and the issues of aging. Letting go of these names – or loosening them as relationships change – daughter, mother, sister, professional, Nonna — is my pilgrim’s challenge — the letting go of life’s accumulations – the paring down, the simplifying, the finding of peace in the ‘now’ – how much gratefulness helps on this pilgrimage…..!

Kevin, thank you for this. I have had such a similar experience that reading your story just brought tears. Quite a number of years ago, I was going thru a painful divorce — I was depressed, frightened, feeling so alone. At the time I was taking botany classes – our instructor would take us into the ‘field’ to identify plants and learn the ecosystems that supported particular communities of species. When he brought us to a forested area …. I felt an immediate peacefulness …

I returned to that same space time and time again. It was a forest of pines … and their scent, majesty and towering limbs brought immediate comfort … I’d take a long walk under those trees — beginning the journey feeling distraught, and yet emerging from walk feeling embraced, refreshed, filled with hope, and with a sense of peace that things would all work out.

When things finally did settle, I’d still return to those trees in gratitude, and have dedicated my life and career to teaching about our natural world and yes — planting trees …