A walk in the woods

Today I went for a wonderful hike in a nearby forest, not just for myself, but for my mother, whose declining health makes it impossible to do some of the things she loves. The woods were alive with sprouts of trout lilies and wild leeks, and there were blooming hepatica, bloodroot, and coltsfoot and even a solitary trillium in bud. I took pictures of all of these, plus the hart’s tongue fern, the holly fern and the walking fern. With each sunlit step, I thought about the ease with which I moved along, and even when the going was tough, I was thankful for the hard-won breath and aching muscles. It’s the simple things we lose when we’re not ready. I shared my pictures with my mother and we pledged to go out together, at least as far as she can, while the weather is good.