The End of Winter

You can't really tell in this picture, that looks so barren, that life is bursting out everywhere. The bare branches are filled with birds, heralding the arrival of warmer weather. The lake is melting, turning bluer every moment, and scores of geese fly overhead, honking their way to the nearby lake that is already open. One morning, fog rose off the lake in a white, mystical layer, with the blue sky peeking through, and another layer of white, then blue ... captivating.

Green Lake, Spicer, MN; March 24, 2007

Underneath the frozen waves heaved up on the shore, you could hear water trickling, and once in a while a *pop* as ice cracked and gave way.

I spent last weekend with 70 women (every shape and size and color and age - 19 -80!) at our church's women's retreat. The wondrous Cathy Malotky was our speaker, and she led us in celebrating the fact that God had created us, with all of our lumps and bumps and so-called imperfections ... we prayed and laughed and worshiped and danced and drummed! It was soul-enriching, and exhausting and very very good.

Leading campfire with my buddy Kim

"For each child that's born, a morning star rises

and sings to the universe who we are"

Our elders blessed us