All for Schlegelmilch (Squiggles)

Forest Fire

Once there was life, green, energy, growth.

Like a fire that burns the woods

Flames are hot and flickering

Moves quickly through the brown and green

leaving black and red in it’s quake.

Coals cooling in due time, not our time.

Rain comes, cools the burns and washes away the sin.

Ashes and water soak the soil in nutrients.

The fire allowed new seeds to come out of a dormant state,

germination begins, roots grow and spread into the soil.

Soon green appears amongst the burnt wood.

Birds return with their cheerful song and help spread new seed.

Once again there is life, green, energy, growth.

Last week I lost a friend. We separated ways with tears in our eyes and ache in our hearts. We were the closest of friends for a year and a half sharing so much and building so much… how am I suppose to let that go? We both know that now is not the time for us to be together, does that mean we will again someday? Only God knows. I can only hope and pray that he is doing well and can laugh and smile during this time.

Tonight I will toast to having been so blessed to have that year and a half with a beautiful man.

Life isn’t always easy, we all know this. Loved ones get sick, relationships have their high points as well as low, grandparents start losing their memory, a close family or friend confused and hurt in a relationship; all sorts of things can make blindside you or make the seem hard. Unfortunately in some upsetting cases there is nothing that you can due but wait. Hope for the best prepare for the worst and try your hardest to keep you chin up along the way. 

Working with wildlife has been my therapy during any hard days this summer. Ever since I was little I sought refuge in all sorts of living creatures. Now that I am older and it takes a little more than my bothers telling me I’m smelly to make me cry, animals still can make my spirit light even in the heaviest of days. 

Today, on my Dad’s Birthday, his mother is in a hospital in MN. Margret Hernick, at age 92 with her memory quickly leaving fell and broke her hip. Although this is not unusual to occur to an older person, I am afraid that my dear Grandma will not recover from this injury. Thankfully my Dad has the majority of his siblings in Minnesota to support each other, the family and decide the next steps for Grandma.

With this sobering news, I have spent my day here at work with the animals. Watching the raccoons play with acorns and pine cones tackling and running after each other like pen full of puppies. Their instinctive need to touch everything in reach and wash their food in water always brings a smile to my face. Eight of them are being released today and can’t help but laugh just thinking about them running into the wild jumping, running and touching everything. Most people think raccoons are pests wanting to get into everything and ruining pedicured lawns and lawn furniture. Raccoons to me are some of the most playful and light hearted creatures that roam around us, how lucky are we that they can show us how to let loose and just play… who cares if it mean our fur is covered with food and peanut butter?! 

So as I wait for further news about my Grandma I’ll take a lesson from the raccoons and not worry about what’s going to come.