With so much tragedy occurring in the world I struggled to find a theme for the blog this month. With the rush of baby squirrels arriving at the Nook in April, I found myself sitting in my kitchen feeding over eighty of these tiny and fragile creatures. What has kept me going throughout the night and into the early morning hours is a combination of coffee, coke and a heartwarming show filmed in England called For the Love of Kitchens. Over the past month I have watched the same episodes over and over as I fought to stay awake and keep the nipple securely in the squirrel’s hungry mouths. When I watched this program I felt comforted and content. I marveled at the talents of these artists, and I was filled with appreciation for the beauty that they created in these kitchens. Overtime, I came to realize the healing comfort that beauty brought into my life.

In Nature, beauty is everywhere. Of course as the old saying goes, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In the springtime, my favorite flowers are the combination of the dandelions and the violets. These two flowers intermingle to create a beautiful tapestry, as well as provide much needed food for early pollinators and bunnies. Every morning as the sun rises I stand in quiet meditation at the spectacular beauty that fills the sky and my heart with gratitude. I am so fortunate that nature’s beauty surrounds me every day. The beauty of nature is an important part of the healing energy of nature. All too often, we overlook the subtle beauty that blends in naturally. Beauty can be found in the shimmering feathers of turkeys, the dramatic white stripe of a skunk, and even in the black sheen of a starling.

Perhaps it is our perspective that is the lens we use to view nature. Sometimes we need to use the wide angle lens to appreciate all of the elements of nature that combine to create the magnificent picture before us. At other times, we need to use our telephoto lens to look more closely at the subtle blending of colors in a single flower. Once again, Nature grounds me and brings me back to what is really important in life. By looking at the beauty in everyday I do not ignore the terrible acts that are being done to nature and countless people. What beauty and nature does is strengthen my belief in all that is good and beautiful in this world so that I can fight that much harder to preserve it.

With Blessings, Hope and Beauty ,

Cheryl

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