Lilies

It's been a while since I wrote a blog post. There's a reason. Last August, I made a big difficult decision. I pushed pause on our forest preschool. There were simply not enough children enrolled.

There is a saying about lilies needing mud to grow. Here are my lilies:

Though it was, at times, a murky muddy process, the closing of forest preschool gave me space and time to say yes to a group of homeschool families who were looking for an enrichment teacher. It also offered my husband and I the opportunity to work on In Place, a new local nonprofit whose focus is place-centered nature education.

Fall and winter have been stressy and stormy, often muddy and messy. I won't lie. But there has also been much joy, beauty and humor. There is a lot to be grateful for. Out of the mud came possibilities.

Last week, in honor of Valentine's Day, the homeschool children and I played with the letter L. L as in like, local, low tide, life cycle and love. Love for ourselves, our families, our friends and for our local critters and plants--loons, larks, lichen, lizards, sea lions, mountain lions, larkspur, ladybugs, live oaks, lupine and lily.

I am grateful to share life with and to serve these neighbors.

Navigating the storms, I am rooted in place. Enjoying the rainbows, sunshine and opportunities, I am rooted in place. Like the yellow Indian Pond Lily pictured below, I know mud is good. We are breathing, growing, in tune with the seasons and rooted in place.

Spring is around the corner.