As I look around this quiet countryside my soul begins to awaken. Here among the wild I am coaxed deep into the wonder of nature. Butterflies circle around me, leaving me dizzy with fascination. The cardinal rocks the feeder carelessly as he lands, awaiting me to refill his seed. My flowers rise and fall with the heat of the sun. The lavender gives sweet nectar to my bees. In the stillness I can hear their soft buzzing as they busily gather for the season. The warm breeze moves the limbs of trees that have been here long before I existed. I have fallen in love with creatures I have found in the smallest of crevices. Beneath rocks, swimming in creek beds, floating in ponds, hiding among the tall grasses in the fields. From the Virginia opossum to the carpenter bees to the monk seals of the Pacific to the puffins of the Atlantic. Every creature, every ecosystem works in meticulous harmony on this place we call home. May we learn to protect and cherish what we have been given. May we learn to live among these creatures and their ecosystems with the respect and love they deserve. May we go out and change the world and show kindness for every creature. 

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With hope and love, 

Rachael Bee

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