Lately, I’ve been hearing the call of nature. Fortunately, I decided to listen.

I’ve missed my dear friend. During the winter, when nature is in hibernation, I find it harder to make the connection. I still feed the birds, take walks and look at the sleeping trees, but it is harder to sense the aliveness that lies dormant, ready to return in the miracle of spring.

I continue to find both big and little joys in nature. My love for nature started as a child, playing in the yard, finding birds, butterflies, insects and other critters in attendance. I let this connection go fallow for much of my teens and twenties.

And then reconnected during my grand adventures traveling around the country in my VW Westfalia van. During this time, my passion for nature truly blossomed. I was so inspired and in awe of the beauty that I found in our…