“A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.” – From “Charlotte’s Web”

Living on a bog is full of mystery and incredible beauty. Along with this beauty is also death. Since we moved here in the country a year ago, I see a lot more animals that have been hit by cars and are lying on the side of the road. It seems in nature, there is an exquisite paradox of vibrant life among suffering and death. Ram Dass talks about how we are here to learn from suffering. He states that our lives are designed to be a curriculum to helps us awaken.

Since we are all a part of this web of suffering, it is possible to learn from challenging and sometimes unbearable situations. These fierce lessons can be an instrument of unconditional love and compassion. As I spend more time out on our land, I can see this unfolding in nature. The lone Sandhill Crane continues to sing it’s morning song, even after losing its lifelong mate. New trees grow in place of old fallen trees from oak wilt and old scars on the land become fields of wild flowers. Finding the beauty amongst the suffering, will be a wonderful and life long lesson.

Copyright Photos by Karen Godfrey

Nature Ram Dass Rebirth