Nature’s Peace

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
John Muir

(Photo: waterfall somewhere in the wilds of western central Oregon / Julie Cook / 2013)

The other evening I happened upon the PBS Ken Burns series “The National Parks, America’s Best Idea”–
Other than our Declaration of Independence, I whole heartily agree that the National Parks are indeed one of our greatest gifts not only to ourselves, but to the entire global community.
With the vision of the naturalist Scotsman John Muir and the commitment of the charismatic president Theodore Roosevelt… America systematically began the ability to maintain pieces of her original being…that preceding even the conception of the very Nation itself. The essence of this land known as America is preserved within the national parks system which criss crosses this country east and west, north and south.

May I recommend the following links–one to the PBS site offering the story behind the Park System— as well as historic video clips and snippets from the series…..may they inspire you just as much as they inspired me…I hear the call beckoning me to go…go we must…

http://video.pbs.org/program/national-parks/
http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/about/