After reading Thomas Merton

Dried trees stand limp and lifeless. There has been no rain for almost two weeks, requiring gardener to hand water what is left of the summer garden flowers. They are ready to quit, to leave this earth on this late summer day.

 Even the crickets and cicadas have lost their impetuous singing at dusk and at dawn.

The stillness coupled with the damp heat forces the gardener up before the sun would rise. A tiny breeze at seven a.m. acts as a mini prayerful reprieve.

So much has been lost, yet so much can be savored.
Tomatoes and corn, show- stoppers at all the farm stands bring folks to buy locally, and to cook native vegetables and fruits.

Harvest time is upon us. What dear friends are we harvesting in our soul--to keep the temperate sun of summer within our hearts-- throughout a long snowy winter?

May integrity, compassion, and non-harming guide our choices, with fruitful outcomes of lasting inner peace and joy!


-kate lamberg