It’s the first day of the new year. Last year I greeted the morning with a walk on a labyrinth, repeating my new year’s mantra, “Peace. Patience. Kindness. Strength.” A phrase I repeated over and over throughout the year. But, this is a new year. We went to the Monarch Grove at Ardenwood, to see the place the butterflies winter. A miracle of nature.

This week I read Barbara Kingsolver’s new book Flight Behavior. I read it, reflecting all the while on human nature, insect nature, the power of love, forgiveness, family, determination, science, nurture, patience, and faith. It’s a unique and talented writer who can layer and weave so many stories into one compelling tale of past, present and future, rebirth and redemption. When I finished it, I had a new appreciation for the power of the written word to reveal the deepest truths about our own flawed and salvageable hearts. And I was in awe of the amazing, migratory creatures who follow a predetermined path for survival. What do their lives reveal about us?