The Forest’s Gifts

“Everything was destroyed by the suffering, only love remained.” –a Russian priest (after release from prison)

The Pumpkin Patch

“Poor human reason, when it trusts in itself, substitutes the strangest absurdities for the highest divine concepts” –Saint John Chrysostom

Holga the Cow

“If you want to be happy, be.” — Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

The Moose Sighting

“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it.” –Henry David Thoreau

The Raines Family

“Risk-taking, trust, and serendipity are key ingredients of joy. Without risk, nothing new ever happens. Without trust, fear creeps in. Without serendipity, there are no surprises.”
–Rita Golden Gelman

Being Bear

“Man’s heart away from nature becomes hard.” –Standing Bear

Ashlyn at Six Months

“Joy is not in things; it is in us” –Richard Wagner

Haidyn at Two

“Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself”
–Mahatma Gandhi

Rachel Jeannine Jonas

“I’m a fountain of blood. In the shape of a girl” –Bjork

Jordan Peter Jonas

“Do not pursue what is illusory – property and position: all that is gained at the expense of your nerves decade after decade and can be confiscated in one fell night. Live with a steady superiority over life – don’t be afraid of misfortune, and do not yearn after happiness; it is after all, all the same: the bitter doesn’t last forever, and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing.” –Alexander Solzhenitsyn