wednesday, September 3, 2025 Quote of the week

“Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.”

Henry David Thoreau

Walking through the woods recently, I noticed subtle changes along the way. The sun now lazily stretches along the edges of the sky, and its heat is more tolerable. My dog, Phoebe, ran through crunchy leaves where just days prior had been sprigs of fresh grass. Speckled dots of crimson and buttery-yellow leaves are now snuggled in among the green. Change is coming.

Nature, as Thoreau suggested, can teach us how to accept the inevitable changes that we encounter in life. Nothing stays the same, for it is continuously transforming and renewing. Literary critic, Samuel Johnson, wrote “There is, indeed, something inexpressibly pleasing in the annual renovation of the world, and the new display of the treasure of nature.” Whether summer resigns to fall, or winter relinquishes to spring, there is astonishing beauty to behold. Likewise, whether the changes in our lives are welcomed or not, we know that there are treasures to be found in them all.

We are nature. Therefore, there are subtleties occurring within us everyday. The difference is that Nature simply follows its course whereas we tend to doubt and question. “The goal of life,” Joseph Campbell wrote, “is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” Campbell is suggesting we become one with Nature as we navigate our losses and befriend our grief.

There are numerous Biblical teachings about renewing and transforming, which indeed is what Nature illuminates. Romans 12:2 helped me throughout my grieving where it says to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” as well as Ephesians 4:24 to “put on a new self.” Moving forward does not negate our loss. We are instead transformed into something new because of our loss. Acceptance of life and death, as well as everything in between, is Nature. Just like the rings of a tree are uniquely their own, so are the prints pressed upon our fingers.

They may not be noticeable, but soon we do find ourselves navigating the bumps and the smooth paths as we are moving forward.

Storylight A transformational journey SHARON M WIBLE

wednesday, September 3, 2025 Quote of the week

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