Touching the Earth

The following are from a trip we took yesterday to visit Virginia’s brother and wife, with a side trip to Jay Cooke State Park. Fresh in my mind were some meditations by Thich Nhat Hanh, which we had read a few days earlier (excerpt follows the photos).

Fall Leaves

Rock and River

Birch Bark

St. Louis River

Rock and Root

The day has now ended.
Our lives are shorter.
Now we look carefully.
What have we done?

Noble Sangha, with all our heart,
let us be diligent,
engaging in the practice.
Let us live deeply,
free from afflictions,
aware of impermanence
so that life does not
drift away without meaning.

— Thich Nhat Hanh, “Gatha on Impermanence,” from Touching the Earth: Intimate Conversations with the Buddha.

View the rest of the photos from our excursion here.