Where the Rivers Merge

cannot promise you a life of sunshine; I cannot promise riches, wealth, or gold; I cannot promise you an easy pathway That leads away from change or growing old. But I can promise all my heart’s devotion; A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow; A love that’s ever true and ever growing; A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow. —Mark Twain, “These I Can Promise

Her gaze lifted to the books that lined the shelves of the library. Her expression was filled with wonder. ‘I like being here. I feel like I’m in church, you know? It’s a holy place. All these words surrounding me, just waiting for me to read them- they’re like gifts from God.

Resilience is a remarkable thing. It requires strength, flexibility, and, what I’ve later learned, faith. It is defined by an individual’s ability to be knocked down by fate, be tossed by uncertainty, and have one’s fortunes taken away. Then pick oneself up from the dirt and try again.

What I wanted to do was not rule over the land or the fish in the water and birds in the sky, or the wild creatures. I wanted to defend and protect this pond, this land, and all the animals that lived on it. I felt within me the same ferocity of territorialism that any bird or animal in the wild did. This was my home.

I do not own the land. The land owns me. I am merely the caretaker for my generation.