I keep getting to the end of my days without doing everything I wanted to do. That makes it easy to not respond to people whose needs are “not urgent.” So when I read, “Practice being generous with your time or full attention even though you may be feeling you don’t have time to spare,” I sent two text messages. I feel better about the use of my time already and look forward to the phone calls these texts invite. I just needed a little help getting my mind outside of myself.

I have been walking the same path every day for the past 12 months. Every day gives me something new to see that I never noticed before. My path is the Big Creek Greenway in Alpharetta, Georgia which often gives me the company of deer, birds, and squirrels in addition to trees, bushes, flowers, vines, and other growing things, but I now think there is much to see anywhere we open our eyes to see what is there. This collection of seven lessons learned from leaves is beautiful and will make my coming year of walking the same path richer. Thank you!

“Life tends toward life.” I don’t recall ever hearing that before, but recognize it as true. I see it in the fields. There was a beautiful copse of purple morning glories on my morning walk. I took pictures of them one day. When I came by later in the afternoon, a landscaping crew had cut the grass in the area and the morning glory vines were gone. I mourned their loss. The next morning I found one trimmed purple flower displaying its beauty. Now, three weeks later, I am finding a half dozen expressions of purple glory on my morning walk. Life tends toward life! My friend Susan suffered with cancer 10 years ago and recovered. The cancer has come back. She is afraid and remembers the pain, but she remembers the love and support of her friends too. She remembers how much joy she has had over the past 10 years. She is ready for round 2 and a great host of us are with her. There is more joy to be had. Many terrible things happen in the world, but life tends toward life. We can trust that the trend is life!

Thank you for this encouragement. I walk the same path every day and love the routine. I know where to look for yellow flowers and where to look for purple flowers and where to look for the bright green leaf that reminds me of a butterfly. The bright green leaf has held in place for a long time and as I walked by yesterday I thought of the days that it yellows and browns and falls to the ground. Then I realized that I will remember after it is gone the spot where the bright green leaf that reminds me of a butterfly greeted me for weeks. I have friends, brothers and sisters, all along the path I walk every day. My walk is making me a more loving person because I bask in love the whole way.

I knew I was going to like your story when I read this: “You know, If I knew I was going to die on June 13, 2020 at 3:06 p.m, I would have prepared a delicious last supper the night before. It sounds crazy to tell you this, but that was how I felt.” When I cook my supper tonight, I will be grateful to be under your influence again!

I too have a history with breathing that inspires gratitude. I discovered in 1991 that I had a tumor growing on the front edge of my spine next to my heart. The doctor told me I had to undergo surgery within two weeks to remove it. Thoracic surgery is painful. I was in hospital for 8 days, I needed help getting out of bed for another week, and I was in pain for three months. I remember the time with joy because my heart was open during the pain. I saw the good in everyone. I told people I loved them. I felt honored and loved. I lived in gratitude. When the pain faded, my heart began to go back to its old, closed, cautious ways. I have been on a long walk back to the gratitude I felt in the early days of my pain. I am much closer now. Thank you for your help.

I moved into an apartment building after living in a house for 24 years less than 2 weeks ago. I had forgotten how much sound comes with living in a building with other people. Early one morning, a car horn beeped, lively music played, and someone’s dog barked as I woke before my alarm. Having just signed a 12-month lease, I concluded that I should consider all these things reassurance that I live in a community and am surrounded by people. This is what I wanted. Not exactly as I imagined, but good.

I felt connected to Dr. Young when she said, “I don’t believe we are put on earth to experience happiness, but I do believe we are put on earth to experience joy.” The current version of my daily prayer includes, “Help us to sort out among ourselves sharing so that all may live in health and safety and joy.” My prayer “develops” from time to time. An earlier version focused only on health and safety but life is more than health and safety. There may be traditions of prayer than call out for joy as the birthright of every person, but that is not how I got there. My prayer felt experimental. Dr. Young’s statement gave me a sense of community in this particular yearning. Thank you.