Message from Ruth Heil

I  grew up playing in the wooded acres behind my rural Pennsylvania home. There I developed a heightened sense of the value of nature...to life and to my well being. I also learned the art of quiet contemplation. I grew to understand that my life impacts (positively or negatively) the ecosystem in which I live, and I began to turn to Nature to help me understand the world.

Meanwhile, when weather or other circumstance forced me inside, I spent time learning how to express myself through the rhythmic tapping of the keys on my mother’s spinet piano, eventually taking lessons for 10 years, developing a cherished hobby I still practice today.

Dear Be2 Aware Club Children

In America, where I live, there are many places a person can go to see nature in its most beautiful form. Wide, open meadows; deep, dark forests; and rugged, steep mountains are just a few.

In the cities and other places crowded by humans, Nature's beauty is not so easy to see. Yet, it is still important that we notice it. This is because, no matter what our circumstance, we are all a part of the natural design. When the plant curls its leaves, it is reacting to its need for water in the same way your skin cracks when it is dry. When the bird sings at dawn, it is reacting to the sunlight in the same way you yawn and stretch in bed. Be kind to nature, and you will be kind to yourself. Bring harm to your environment, and you will bring harm to yourself.

Believing this, I become sad when others are not so careful. They burn, litter, and pollute, with or without the understanding of this unbreakable tie. I suppose this will always be the way. Nature, too, can be cruel. Storms and snakebites are as much a part of the scene as sunsets and flowers.

 Since the only thing we can control is our own action, it becomes up to each of us to make a choice: Do I want to act in a way that is a part of the beauty or a part of the pain?

We do not all agree on who or what created this amazing design. It matters, instead, that we all acknowledge it exists, because once we do, we are able to turn to nature in times of need and in times of joy. We begin to see beauty amidst the pain. We will find that not only is our world miraculous, every person in it is miraculous, too.

I chose to be a writer because I need to express these feelings I have about nature. Although I cannot force others to do so, I want to inspire people to make the right choice, on nature's behalf and on humankind's behalf. I have discovered that my talent is in my ability to express myself, and I want to put that gift to good use. You, too, have a natural talent. One day you will discover what that is. It will take care of you if you take care of it, because it is just one more part of nature.

With peace and kindness,

Ruth Heil

http://www.thewritebeat.com