I live in a townhouse community and just beyond my back deck is a pond that leads to the trees, flowers, fruits and wildlife that exists in my backyard. The first year, I found beautiful yellow wildflowers growing and they made my heart sing with pleasure when I brought them into my house and they carried the beauty of fall into my home. Those flowers gave me an awareness of the abundance all around me and a feeling of deep gratitude and connection to what existed there.

I continued my walks outside to look for what was growing in every season and come spring, I found the raspberries. They were growing everywhere in every spot I looked. They were just turning a pale red when I first discovered them and so they gave me the gift of patience as I experienced the joy of watching them gradually grow full and juicy and black as they became ready to pick. I picked my first basket and brought them inside to make jam. It is hard to describe the ecstasy, the fullness and joy I felt when I made and shared that first jam. I experienced a deep connection between me and the bounty and goodness of the natural world around me.

That year, I also found the wild bunnies peeking out playfully and hopping across my path during my morning runs. No matter what my current mood or troubles, seeing them unexpectedly on my path had me laughing and talking to them as if they were there just for me, to help me see what existed beyond the inner workings of the separation and fear I was often feeling then.

This year, I knew the beauty of what was around me and I anticipated the arrival of the raspberries with joy. I found new recipes to make and the favorite this year was a raspberry ripple sauce that I made and most often used to make homemade raspberry ripple ice cream. I delighted my family by layering the ice cream with the raspberry ripple sauce and chunks of dark chocolate topped with homemade whipped cream in big old fashioned parfait glasses. This was a dessert that celebrated the decadence of the gift I’d been given.

This year, I’ve also found the honeysuckle flowers that grow here and how the intoxicating scent can be infused into tea and honey. I’ve found the elderflowers too and just now waiting for their berries to ripen so I can make wine.

In my last walk, I found wild burdock growing which can be harvested for their roots in the fall. These connect my family to our 11 years living in China. Asian cultures have been enjoying burdock or gobo for thousands of years. Here again, I am reminded of the connection of all of us to each other and our place beyond in the greater bounty of the universe.

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