BE Hope was my mom’s favorite word. By 2003, she had bravely lived with and through multiple sclerosis, quintuple heart bypass surgery and ovarian cancer and was spending her final days in hospice in her home. I remember one bright summer morning when I was taking care of her, going for a walk in her neighborhood and randomly meeting a woman mowing her lawn who had survived stage four breast and ovarian cancer. This was two and a half years later after being given a one percent chance of survival. I ran home with excitement to tell mom I had just met someone who beat the odds and her reply was “That gives me hope.” We both knew that death was imminent, yet, I realized what a gift is was f
BE In recent years I’ve recognized how technology, being so pervasive, along with complex times create real barriers to being in and with nature. I often feel the pull between accomplishing one more task and taking a walk or between walking in my neighborhood to get it done and exploring new vistas. As I think more about the BE focus for today, there may be a subtle difference between “in nature” and “with nature” in that the latter suggests the development of a relationship in addition to a context or container for an experience. For me, being with nature is a call to walk and talk to the trees, to feel the sun’s warmth, to listen to what the birds are singing about, and to thank the egr
