My father gave me a gift so precious it has lasted me my entire life.
It has shaped me, challenged me, held and nourished me.
It has broken me and rebuilt me anew.
It is ever changing with many faces.
Never the same but always familiar.
It is powerful and destructive.
Gentle and serenely beauty-full.
It is mystical and certain.
He gave it to me not in a neatly wrapped package.
It didn’t come with a card or a bow.
It wasn’t gift on an occasion or placed under a tree.
It was given through his words. Through his choices and his unwavering unapologetic love.
My father gifted me with a deep loving respect for nature and this Earth.
He taught me how to pay attention, to take the time and stand firmly when needed.
He taught me to notice, to marvel and to listen.
He taught me to savour and celebrate everything from the tiniest of creatures to the magnificent
sunsets.
I navigate ever step of my life on this gift.
Every challenge.
Every birth.
Every mountain.
Every corner.
There are times when my worlds collide and I feel uncertain and confused.
When the pieces don’t fit and I waiver.
But at these cross roads, I pause.
Pay attention.
Take the time and stand firmly.
I notice and listen.
And with the same deep love and respect I embrace, re-members and hand this same gift forward.
