Message from the Mountain

We are fortunate to receive many acts of kindness every day. Often it is someone’s kind supportive word, and the other day a young lady connected to the Center brought her leaf blower and proceeded to spend the day clearing our lawn. Another one has patched the Center’s roof. You can change someone’s life for the better with an act of kindness. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.htm...

Thanksgiving is a very special day in this country to celebrate the things we are thankful for, including family and friends. I am thankful for the turkeys that find nourishment on the grounds at the Center. They help prepare the soil for new growth in the spring. We can grow positive thoughts and actions every day by setting our intentions to do so. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mounta...

There are some things I just can’t help, like taking pictures of sunsets. It is not what I do with them, as much as seeing them again. It is a positive habit that provides gratitude for my heart. Of course, we all have negative habits too, such as overeating or negative thoughts that keep replaying in our minds. Sunsets can smooth those over for me. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountai...

Now that the leaves are gone, we discovered an old battered and torn hornets’ nest clinging onto a limb several feet above the ground. It hangs there like a ghost from the past. Many people have ghosts from past negative events in their lives that hang on year after year. Moving on may take love, forgiveness and the realization that it is time to let them go. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-t...

As we start the last week of November, we still do not have snow on the ground. We wait and watch one day at a time with the expectation that the holidays will have a coating of white. We also look at life one day at a time, but unlike many who have negative expectations, our goal is for positive days that bring joy into others’ lives. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support...

When I was grading with the tractor recently, I plowed up 2-inch sheets of loam that had begun to freeze. They looked like blobs of earth. I was reminded that surface appearances in life may be a little different underneath. At least we can set positive goals for finding the best in what we discover. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

The old apple trees in the orchard are slowly dying off. Many of them have a disease called fire blight that is spread by pruning without sterilizing the blade after each cut, so we have left them alone. In life we often surround ourselves with things and thoughts that are time to “prune”. Thinking of what might be positive with the change can help you make decisions. www.michaelhathaway.com/messa...

There are a lot of stonewalls on the Center’s land, created a couple of hundred years ago when the land was cleared for farming. Since then, after the settlers gave up, the forest has returned, but the walls remain. In late fall and winter, they are easier to follow than in the summer. Sometimes our soul’s path is hard to follow; one step at a time can help you progress. www.michaelhathaway.com/me...

There is not a lot of color in this drab part of fall before the snow arrives. I appreciate the periwinkle vines that have spread at the base of a stone wall with their green variegated colors. When life seems drab, your simple positive acts of kindness can add color. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

So far, we have not received any snow more than a couple of traces that have melted. That said, we are constantly vigilant to the weather, knowing it is only a matter of time before the first major snow arrives. We can prepare or not. We can fear it or not. What we think and do can affect our whole being. There is a lot to be vigilant about in life. I prefer to trust in positive outcomes. www.mich...

The old tree at the side of the Orchard has been buffeted by the north winds over the years and has grown a coating of fungus on the side, perhaps to protect itself from the weather. People are often affected by the weather of life, and grow their bodies, minds, and outlooks to protect themselves from the environment they live in. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the...

I looked out over the parking lot at the Center when the volunteers were working on the ski trails and my heart was filled with joy and gratitude. Actually, even just one car in the lot gives me the same feeling as I know someone is finding joy in Nature as I do. Come check it out!!!!!!!! www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

I can remember years ago looking forward to driving along a certain birch lined road. I get the same feeling when I am among the white birches on the mountain. I think we all have a positive memory that we recall from time to time. It may be among something in nature or among like-minded people. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

Recently the Granite Back Country Alliance, the organization that created and maintains the ski trails on the Center’s land, partnered with volunteers from the local Timberland Store to do some much needed maintenance work. This teamwork will be appreciated all winter. Actually, we are all a team of light workers spreading love and positivity all over the world. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-fro...

I don’t think Winter has made up its mind yet whether it wants to take over from Fall. It has been hinting for the last couple of weeks, sprinkling snow every other day that does not build up a base. My thoughts turn to people who sprinkle acts of kindness wherever they go. It might be a smile, a kind word, or a helping hand. Sprinkling comes in many different forms. www.michaelhathaway.com/messag...

Now that the leaves are gone, I am discovering things in nature that were hidden in plain sight, like a bird’s nest only a couple of feet from the old road I pass by almost daily. This is also true when we are not focused on what is happening around us in the moment. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

There is always something that needs our attention, like the leaves that the wind blows into the driveway. We haul them away, and the next day the wind fills it up again. In life there is always something - mentally, physically, or spiritually - that vies for our attention every day. Being aware is a part of living. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

On this Veterans Day I am grateful for all those that have helped and continue to help protect the freedom in this country that allows me to gaze out the window at falling snow or walk the trails on the mountain. My goal is to share what I have so that others are free to enjoy Nature. Thank you!!!!! www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

We knew it was coming. We had been watching it creep down from the mountains, and then it left a thin coating on our roof. Some people dread its arrival while others look forward to it. Then there are others who just coast through life focused on other things rather than life itself. I choose to discover something unique in each day, with gratitude. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountai...

The Fairy Pathway and surrounding area is now ready for a long winter’s sleep. All the figurines have been gathered up and placed undercover. At the same time, the planning for next summer has begun. It is good in life to never finish so that the next chapter in our lives is already beginning. Sweet dreams!! www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

A few years ago a cereal commercial used the phrase “discover it again for the first time” to connect adults with their past. That is the way I felt and continue to feel, now that the leaves are mostly gone and the time has changed, when I am greeted with an alpine glow in the morning. I am a kid again. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

In the middle of the night, I peered out the window and thought it was daybreak. It was really the light of the brightest full moon we have had this year. It mesmerized me as I stared at it through leafless tree branches. I could feel the energy of the moonlight and its power to influence our lives. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

It seems as if every day there is something new to make note of, such as the first frost, the snow on the mountains, and the first alpine glow after the time change and foliage off the trees. Then again, when one becomes aware of the moment, there is always something to discover for the first time every day of the year. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html   Support the show

The wind is now free to blow through barren tree limbs with very little resistance. It stings our faces as we walk the trails. At the same time, we can now see further into the woods for the first time since May. There is a positive and negative side to all seasons; it just depends on how we choose to experience them. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show

The temperatures are slowly dropping as the nights get longer. We are definitely making the transition from fall to winter. Actually, every day has transitions in it if we pay attention. I think the secret is to approach every day with love and to know we are not alone in a world of change. www.michaelhathaway.com/message-from-the-mountain.html Support the show