The Natural World Carries Us

Here comes an Autumn dawn, misty from the fierce storms that went through last night. The gold leaves on the tree tops still hang firmly enough; ruby dogwood, clear, pale yellow undergrowth that hides the tawny deer so very well, gold-pink air, oh, it's all so beautiful, my heart must expand some more to hold it all. Every year I notice new detail and depth. 

My friend who does photography, and the cards that I occasionally send, showed me some recent D. C. photos. One shows the clean, white, rounded and spired capital dome against a clear, deep October sky. Brilliant orange leaves overlap in the foreground on the right, a sturdy green pine stands in the foreground on the left. I couldn't help but see that for all our political machinations―and everything human and social is political―the natural world carries us, first, last and always. 

Change is the only constant, we are all in this together whether we wish to recognize that or not, and for all the abuse we've heaped on her, Mother Earth still provides air, water, food. We are all her dependents.  I find that very, very comforting.