Submitted by Nathan Bolls

The cold stillness and silvered moonlight created a magic moment during this starry fog-breath night.

Light played across the smooth surface of Bayer Pond. The trees shimmered their frosty haloes. Or were the limbs giving each other good tidings?

Coyotes were singing. Or were angels hovering with their message of hope?

The grass crunched as I walked. Or was the Earth simply yielding a bit in deference to someone wanting to share enchantment?

Through my boots I felt the ground buoyed up by all of the living animals, plant “hearts” and seeds that lay quietly beneath while waiting for spring.

Perhaps each of many organisms dead from cold, predator or the rare natural death has added its essence to the powerful presence of this place.

As with nearly all areas of the Earth’s surface, our Natural Area is a place of giving: countless lives have been sacrificed so that others may live life more abundantly.

All such places are sacred. All deserve to be cherished. All deserve their own version of the Gettysburg Address.