April Ambles: Reflections of a Philosophical Forager — Day 30 My parents celebrated 63 years of marriage today. Sixty-three years, and more, of waking up together, sharing morning coffee, planting a garden, raising children, grandchildren, adventuring, working hard, bringing in firewood, banking the hearth before bed. They didn’t choose the…

April Ambles: Reflections of a Philosophical Forager — Day 29 The prophet Paul speaks of faith, hope and love, in that order. We have spoken of hope in a previous article. Today we amble into faith, a vast area with varied interpretations. The Oxford dictionary defines faith as “complete trust…

April Ambles: Reflections of a Philosophical Forager — Day 28 Aging is perhaps one of the most feared facts of our existence, and yet it is precisely what yields experience, richness, depth, character, not only in human beings but in a host of things we revere. Take morels, for instance…

April Ambles: Reflections of a Philosophical Forager — Day 27 For musicians, timing is everything. The steady rhythm of a piece of music is essential for collaboration, which is where most musical magic begins. Even for a solo performer, timing is of essence in order for a piece to flow…

April Ambles: Reflections of a Philosophical Forager — Day 26 How many kinds of friends do you have in your life? Do you think of your friends as being only human, and only in your immediate sphere? Do you think they must be living? People that you know first-hand? I…

April Ambles: Reflections of a Philosophical Forager — Day 25 Ever stare into a body of water for an extended time before seeing something obvious that you have been missing? It could be the way your mouth droops, which keeps you from feeling bright; it could be the light of…

April Ambles: Reflections of a Philosophical Forager — Day 24 We who are lucky enough to live in the Southern Appalachian mountains are blessed with layered views every time we look up from whatever else momentarily captures our attention. …

April Ambles: Reflections of a Philosophical Forager — Day 23 What is perfect? In this world of imperfection it is hard to conceive of how we might ever meet that mark. The idea of perfection has been drilled into us since childhood. We strive for perfect grades, for perfect attendance…

April Ambles: Reflections of a Philosophical Forager — Day 22 How do we define success in our own lives? It is easy enough to reflect on success in others’ lives. But our own? Are we able to step back enough to see how far we have come and measure our…