One of the pleasures of my childhood was walking in the woods in springtime. My mom knew all the names of everything and we made a ritual out of spotting each thing and remembering it’s name. The spring beauties, the solomon’s seal, both true and false, jack-in-the-pulpit, red trillium and the great white trillium, my favorite.

Today I took a walk in the woods while my sister watched the babies. I didn’t see any white trillium today. They cluster in the dry areas at the bases of trees and rarely venture too far from each other. I know they’re in bloom, I spotted some from the road, but they’ve always seemed secretive to me. I did see 11 jack-in-the-puplits, countless spring beauties and several herds of may apples gathered in the low spots on the forest floor. And garlic mustard, trout lilies and bedstraw. And others.

When Andy and I got married, we hardly knew each other. We didn’t know it but we were practically strangers, joined together just by desire and hope. We’ve built our life together so far and I know we’re getting closer to each other. In 50 years I hope we will know each so well that what we have now will seem shallow.

But my knowledge of the woods is going in a different direction. As a child I knew it so intimately, knew the animals and the places you could expect to find different things. Today when I visited it was so beautiful, but most of it I didn’t recognise or know. Kind of like listening to music and feeling it’s beauty and it’s message without knowing what instruments you’re hearing or the chords they’re playing. But it was lovely because of the memories even though some of the knowledge has passed from me.

Not sure what all of this has to do with Ramona, this is her blog after all. Maybe that there is love, like mine for Andy, that is grown from knowledge and intimacy. And there is love, like my love of the woods, that is sustained by sweet memories and the distance of time. And that today as I walked, I prayed that my love for Ramona could be both. That we will know her more and more. That we will reflect in years to come on this time with wonder and affection. That the hard days would seem far away and the good ones still near.

Thanks for listening, Jane.