There's something about foraging in the woods.
I love to go out on a frosty day, clippers in hand, looking for a bit of twig and greenery.
This is where I meditate...
on life, on love, on ideas, on all of the problems of the world.
I like to think of it as my church.
A few years ago, we had a woman staying here from Australia.
She was traveling the world and a little bit lost.
She had found, what she thought, was somewhat of an answer to her troubles.
It was a ministry, complete with DVDs that she had purchased while at one of their retreats.
When she offered to play them for me, one day, I told her that I was about to go for a walk with Griffin
and would she like to come.
As we walked along, she talked about her depression and loneliness and how the ministries message was helping her.
I told her I was happy for her.
She asked me about my faith.
I told her that I had been brought up Catholic and was expected to go to mass on Sunday.
When I was 15, my brother, sister and I approached our parents.
Safety in numbers, you know...
We told them that we weren't satisfied with the church and asked if it would be o.k to explore other means of worship.
They respected our wishes and to this day, I still feel most at peace in the out of doors.
Don't get me wrong, for I respect those who find solace within their congregations.
I can still walk into a place of worship and feel that calm.
Some of the most beautiful buildings on earth are ancient churches, mosques and cathedrals.
But like I said, the woods, the sky, the ocean and high hilltops, give me faith.
So today with my bounty, I bring a little of that world home to my porch to begin the celebration of light,
in this dark time of the year.
Red Osier...
Ornamental crab apple...
Teasel...
(known to be the best thing, still, to card wool)
And some fairy lights to top it off...
At the end of my walk with the Australian woman, she turned to me and said
"I understand why you call these woods 'Your church'."
