Speaker 1: Ernie is my Blue Crown conyer. For over thirty years,
he's overlooked this forest right here in South Charlotte, North Carolina.
I mean every day, Ernie sits in his beautiful home,
overlooking the trees, the nearby lake and stream, and every
bit the wildlife strolling through each amazing piece of this land.
Ernie and I share the same vision this forest. We
both look into the trees and study the earth below.
There is something very spiritual in this forest. The lyrics
to Ernie's Forest, we both receive an amazing amount of energy.
I put all of my trust and skills as a
student into what he is willing to share with me.
These aren't my words, these are the lyrics from Ernie's Forest,
chapter number four hundred and eight. January thirteenth, twenty twenty four. Wow,
the forest floor has been scarred by our most recent
winter storm. You see here in the south. It's not
always about the snow. Several hours of torrential downpour combined
with massive wind gusts. The area that once served as
my sacred circle, a place of peace, prayer and meditation,
it's gone. It's gone forever. The only thing remaining are
the years of written word that I have put inside
these journals. The forest will recover, the marked up hills
will be replenished with new growth, allowing its core to
feel the right amount of energy, so it gains in confidence.
I want to be sad, but I can't. This is
Mother Nature, This is her tiny little dot on the
map and all that enfolds in the story she holds.
I'm only a writer that was invited to observe, to study,
and to learn from a storm so damaging will long
be forgotten, but it's been documented for no reason other
than to identify with how and why the land and
the water they've got their way, and how they will
work together as one, learning how to study everything that
is beneath your feet, everything that grows high above your
tallest point. There is so much nature surrounding each and
every one of us. But being human, we like to
walk around and declare this is my space, when in fact,
you are not the owner of that place it owns you.
You are a visitor called to your moment. So that's
my challenge. What are you doing with your moments? Are
you just letting life pass by, or is there something
you should be grabbing and learning from? So that the
future generations can say thank you for taking the time
to look, listen, smell, touch, and feel the atmosphere of
all things around us. Nature is going to do what
nature does. And like I said, I want to be sad,
but I can't because this isn't mine. I'm Marrol, these
aren't my words. These are the lyrics from Ernie's Forest.