Frog and Toad . . . and Grace

June 18, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Arnold Lobel, the author of the classic Frog and Toad books said this, and I love it . . . To be making books for children is to be in a sort of state of grace. He explained that writing children’s books allowed him the freedom and pleasure of being an adult but also the […]

Nature is marking this long trail of days

May 15, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

I just barely remember my first walk in the woods. My grandmother took me. Maybe it was in the patch of forest across the street from her square little house with the wringer washer and the beagle who ate locusts.

Holding the wild story in small hands

August 17, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

My father had watched the rabbit’s nest for days and didn’t see the mother return. Still heartbroken over the event and not realizing then that the mother was probably caring for the remaining babies early in the morning, he decided we needed to rescue them…

Take a deep breath and let go of your consonants

January 12, 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

“Breath is the percussion of language…” The tall, willowy yoga instructor said this to the class in a lilt that hinted at her formal actor’s training and enviable diaphragmatic control. At my age, with quadriceps straining to sustain my squatted “goddess” pose, I was just happy to control my bladder. The morning class was the […]

Wander on Purpose docu-series is live! Watch it now.

July 20, 2017.Reading time 1 minute.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep I’m not sure why I jumped at the chance. Maybe it just sounded fun. I’m not one to come out from behind written words and the pretty copyright-free stock photo, so taking video footage during my local hikes was a new outlet. When my friend, filmmaker Erin Dooley, invited hikers to […]

Growing Deep–and Broad–Roots in the Dirt and Light

July 12, 2017.Reading time 3 minutes.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep I was behind the wheel for the first time at the age of 9. OK, so it was just a lawn tractor, and I didn’t see the tree coming. I was looking over my shoulder at the cart I was pulling with my little brother and two older cousins riding in […]

A simple prayer from the woods

July 3, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep The narrow path teaches obedience and strength and trust, But be sure to make room for others. Be sure-footed, But remember to look up. Stay deeply rooted, But know there is forgiveness after a fall. Grow where you’re planted…even in dark places, But let the light in, too. Don’t follow […]

Day 7: Walking the Path Alone

May 6, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

He hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. All 2,179.1 miles of it in 6 months. Alone. I chatted with him at a recent event at Lake Katherine Nature Center. His essential gear–water pouches, bedroll, and a “cookstove” made from the bottom of a soda can–were spread across the display table.

Day 6: “Wander” what your purpose is?

May 3, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.

I’ve been oddly obsessed with the concept of “purpose” since I was a kid. I had what I would call an “encounter” with God at about the age of nine, and I was convinced that when God “called” you, that meant you had to be a missionary to cannibals. Cannibals eat people. So I just lay in my bed and balled my eyes out.

Day 5: Dropping Blessings like Breadcrumbs

May 3, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

Her sturdy frame was hunched as if the bag in one hand and the purse in the other held bricks not books. She reminded me of pictures you see of women from other countries, bent low beneath the weight of baskets or swaddled children…