"Be wild, O my soul, for the Source of Wonder, let me not forget all your care." -Rev. Don Schlosser

   Rev. Schlosser's lyrics help remind us of the Love God offers to us. Because of this care, we are free to let our spirits run wild with the beauty of the universe.

   We feel most isolated when we have lost the ability to feel the beauty around us. Nina Jane, a dear friends (and a gifted caregiver) makes sure she is in touch with Love by starting each morning with a walk through one of Nashville's most gorgeous nature preserves. "My soul would suffer if I couldn't be in touch with nature," she says.

   As everyone knows, the moon does not create its own light. Instead, it reflects the sun's power across moonlit nights.

   We don't create our own light. Instead, when we are open to God, Love's light reflects off of us, illuminating the darkness that shadows the lives of those who live in fear.

   Self care matters most when we find ways to turn our hearts towards Love's light. The light we reflect glows back to us from those to whom we bring it.

   If we spend our silent time, or our time in prayer, nursing wounds and nurturing bitterness, Love cannot enter our hearts. This is why Love cannot reach the dark side of the moon.    

   The are many in the world who imagine we are the masters and nature is our servant. They think, in the way some early leaders viewed Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon, that it is the job of "man" to redeem nature from the wilderness. They fail to appreciate what Nina Jane knows - that it is we who are redeemed by nature.

   Our soul is informed by Love. The presence of the natural world reminds us of the gratitude we may express toward the endless energy of God's presence.

   The best artists have gotten in touch with the feminine beauty that is the source of all compassion in our lives. Male strength, when used wisely, helps protect and nurture this beauty in our world.

   Our souls need to "be wild" so that they may roam free from the harnesses we so often apply. When our souls run free, they gather the flowers of the world and array them before us.

   Whenever caregivers travel the paths of nature or the hallways of museums or open their ears to great music, they refresh their souls. In the wash of this restoration, they can enter the rooms of the suffering bearing the gifts of compassion and competence that Need always seeks.

   Nature and art redeem our souls. Nina Jane knows this and that is how her caregiving acts as the full and gorgeous moon – reflecting the sun's light into the hearts of all she knows. Because of her wild soul she, like you, is a true Lover.

-Rev. Erie Chapman

 *Photograph and words by Dane Dakota