“A big moon, waxing, looms overhead. In a few days, it will be a Hunter’s Moon, the first full moon after the Harvest Moon, a reminder of the season. So too is the feel of the crisp air upon the face and the forest preparing for winter. I inhale the familiar smell of the birches mixing with the fire we are building. I hear the rush of

the river outside, competing with the bubblings of familiar voices inside. A big hawk circled in the twilight and I know that bears, wild turkeys, and so many other marvelous creatures are passing around us in the darkness.

This is a moment I want to savor, am determined to savor, while knowing that life is fragile and fleeting. These are troubling times, but if we lose our moments of common humanity, our connection with nature, a sense that there is still so much beauty, we risk losing everything.”

-Dan Rather