Have you ever had your entire being infused with awe by the sudden appearance of a sunset while cresting a hill or rounding a corner? Do you recall a time when the ancient cries of a flock of cranes thrummed the threads of kinship and belonging deep in your marrow–just hearing their trumpeting thirty thousand feet skyward beckoned your deepest longings to be sung out loud? I refer to these breathtaking experiences as thresholds of wonder, when Mother Earth reminds us through taking us out of our twisted trances and carrying us home to this remarkable, tumbling moment called life!
The earth around us (and within us) is constantly calling, always beckoning for the gifts of our attention. When we hear her songs and choose to accept even the smallest invitation, something shifts. The gateways to our senses open us up to be touched by the light, the songs, the play of light on the leaves, and the flit of feathers. This to, is life, which is the force of love.
Many of us feel disconnected from that force. Disconnected from the outer landscape, from one another, and perhaps lost in the landscape of our own hearts. (Especially, perhaps, for those who have dedicated their life work to nurturing and defending wildlife).
Photographic artist and author Susan J. Preston begins her presentation on wonder, presence, and belonging with a simple question: How’s your heart? Whether your heart feels like a hummingbird slurping up the grace of an abundant summer or it’s roaming endlessly through the desert chasing a checked box, a cigarette, or a PFAS-free bottle of water, you just might find some glimmers of authentic hope speaking through the gifts of the sandhill cranes, geese, and the enchanting landscapes found in Susan’s fine art first edition book, BOSQUE, Winter Wings. Please join Susan in asking wholehearted questions about what practicing being present with nature is, while considering the healing gifts we give to the world when we simply and reverently pay attention. (Limit of 60)
Rufous Hummingbird by Mick Thompson