The world stands out on either side
No wider than the heart is wide;
Above the world is stretched the sky,
No higher than the soul is high.
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
But East and West will pinch the heart
That can not keep them pushed apart;
And he whose soul is flat—the sky
Will cave in on him by and by.
~ Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950), Renascence
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| Issa & Mahala at Crawford Lake - Ontario, Canada, June 2018 |
We know the elements of erosion - wind, water, and time - have shaped the spectacular physical landscape of our nation. These women bravely explore the many forms of erosion we face - democracy, science, compassion, and trust.
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| Turtle and Wolf Clan Longhouses, Iroquoian Village, Crawford Lake |
Edna St. Vincent Millay, flamboyant Jazz Age artist, was the first woman ever to win the Pulitzer Prize. Millay was dazzling in the performance of herself - her voice seductive, her impact on others legendary. She continues to inspire us today.
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| Village entrance signage with Wendat greeting |
All night my heart makes its way
however it can over the rough ground
of uncertainties, but only until night
meets and then is overwhelmed by
morning, the light deepening, the
wind easing and just waiting, as I
too wait (and when have I ever been
disappointed?) for redbird to sing.
however it can over the rough ground
of uncertainties, but only until night
meets and then is overwhelmed by
morning, the light deepening, the
wind easing and just waiting, as I
too wait (and when have I ever been
disappointed?) for redbird to sing.
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| The eponymous meromictic Crawford Lake |
The imagery that has come to define Mary Oliver's life work, transports us to the marshland and coastline of her beloved home. Whether studying the leaves of a tree or mourning the loss of her dog, she openly shares with us the teachings contained in the smallest of moments.
Her writing explores with startling clarity, humor, and kindness the mysteries of daily experience. Her words bathe our harried spirit in soothing waves of inspiration and hope deeply rooted in the blessed beauty of nature.
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| Strolling through the gardens of the Iroquoian Village |
Her writing explores with startling clarity, humor, and kindness the mysteries of daily experience. Her words bathe our harried spirit in soothing waves of inspiration and hope deeply rooted in the blessed beauty of nature.
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| Learn about Species at Risk as you follow along the Hide & Seek Trail |
What is beauty if not stillness?
What is stillness of not sight?
What is sight of not an awakening?
What is an awakening if not now?
~ Terry Tempest Williams (1955), Erosion: Essays of Undoing
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| Walking in the shade of Hide & Seek Trail |
In her new book “Erosion: Essays of Undoing” Terry Tempest Williams asks, "How do we find the strength to not look away from all that is breaking our hearts?"
Williams' fierce, spirited, and magnificent essays are a howl in the desert. She sizes up the continuing assaults on America's public lands and the erosion of our commitment to the open space of democracy.
As she says, what has been weathered, worn, and whittled away is as powerful as what remains. Our undoing is also our becoming.
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| Where we learned the importance of corn, squash, and beans to the First Nations |
Williams' fierce, spirited, and magnificent essays are a howl in the desert. She sizes up the continuing assaults on America's public lands and the erosion of our commitment to the open space of democracy.
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| Exiting through the village entrance |
As she says, what has been weathered, worn, and whittled away is as powerful as what remains. Our undoing is also our becoming.
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| On the road back to Toronto |
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