TO TOUCH NATURE

Thursday, July 9th, 2026

Russell, Ontario

The other day I woke up to the sound of an owl. Just outside my window I found the noble creature perched on the maple tree. It was the first time in the fifty years since we moved into this old Gothic-looking church that one of these welcoming feathered friends made an appearance. The timing was good. It was hooting at 4 am and that began my day.

I call it pleasant when you can touch nature. I asked our visiting monk from Orissa, Padmanayana, what he had to say about an owl’s making itself known. “What colour is this bird?” he asked.

“A grey owl, meaning white, brown, and silver grey,” I replied.

“That is auspicious!”

This morning, on that same tree, another visitor came. A red cardinal sounded something sweet. And I thought this is a perfect greeting. What a way to start a day!

Now in between these sweet songs I made a trip to the Ottawa region where I had a night’s rest and coached our drama team for an evening’s performance at a community centre, Carleton Heights. I was proud of them. The actors with lines hit the punch lines perfectly. The room was very plain but a size that created intimacy.

The trip back was eventful—a sojourn on one of the two youth buses. And on the way to Russell and the Ottawa region, friend Leo, drove Arjuna Sakha and I. At moments Leo opened his vehicle’s ceiling window where we took the opportunity to stick our hands in the air to touch nature.

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU

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