April 24, 2022
Photo taken by Elisa at Pemaquid Point.
We have just returned from a wonderful week in Maine! We stayed with our close friends from Texas who moved to Camden a few years ago, and arranged visits with my aunt and cousins and a lifelong family friend from Granby, CT. All these connections were woven into our plans, providing a rich renewal of roots and relationships.
We spent the first weekend sightseeing from Camden to Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, Cadillac Mountain, and Pemaquid Point. It was spectacular. The beauty and wonder of nature is on full display here. Trees, water, rocks, and sky, everywhere you look. The rocky coast provides an amazing landscape for walking, climbing, and exploring. It’s early spring in Maine, and the air is chilly. Daffodils and crocuses are beginning to bloom, trees are budding, grass is greening. Blueberry fields are a shade of reddish-purple as they lie in wait of their summer bounty.
Pemaquid Point is known for the lighthouse and an inviting coastline of striped and layered rocks stretching out into the Atlantic. I remember visiting there as a child and felt a bit of awe as I experienced it again with my husband and friends. I have roots in this corner of the world, as my grandparents and my mother grew up in New Hampshire, and I was born in Connecticut. Our family traveled back to New England throughout my childhood and enjoyed camping, canoeing, hiking, picking wild blueberries, and eating ice cream. Family and friends here are lifelong treasures, along with the places that etched sense memories into my cells.
Roots are what give trees strength and stability. They keep the tree grounded when storms shake its branches. The deeper the roots, the stronger the tree. When we look at our own roots, we can draw wisdom and understanding from them. As we grow, we choose where and how to send down more roots. We can plant seeds in new places and foster new relationships. At the same time, it is important that we come to know the roots of our family, our country, and our planet. What can we learn from our past that will make us more conscious and compassionate? What needs to be uprooted so that we can be free and whole?
Our roots give us a sense of who we are and where we’ve been. They keep us connected to people, places, and experiences that have shaped us. They can ground us in times of anxiety and uncertainty. What are the special places on earth where you have roots? Consider the ways you are connected to the natural world and how it supports you. What renews your body, mind, and spirit?
As another spring comes into bloom, reflect on your roots and relationships. How have they shaped you? Each new day brings an invitation to breathe, connect, and savor. Perhaps as you let nature nurture your soul, you will feel rooted, grounded, and whole.
Grace & Gratitude,
ej
Elisa J. Juarez