It’s February 27, 2006 and I find myself observing nature, the four seasons of the year and our life. I feel that it is not difficult to discover the truth, because what happened to Mother Nature and its four seasons, also happened to our lives. Why should we spend time asking the question, WHY, when the world seems to be fast asleep, and why should we bother to search for ways to have more sound and healthier lives, when there is an apparent evidence of a good life in front of our very eyes? I ask myself, “Is there anything more important in this world than our life and the daily education which provides for a healthy life? I also wonder and ask myself, “WHO helped, and who enabled us to take such giant steps which led us away from God’s Creation, and most importantly, WHY?” We left our health and our freedom far behind. The world is full of promises on which, I believe, we cannot rely. These promises are similar to the promise that an empty sack will be able to stand erect. I find it difficult to speak about something that we do not possess.
 
Spring, the title of my essay, is taking me on a long journey. I do not find it simple or easy to talk about the truth, health, freedom, peace and love which we simply do not have. We do not have the clean air to breathe, the pure water to drink, or the pure healthy foods to eat. The question is, “Is there any other worse step than the one that we have taken?” There is, I believe, however, still room to take a step. I find myself feeling sad for the good doctors who daily sacrifice their own lives, in order that they may help others, and I also feel sad for those people who created good medicines. I feel sorry for all of these people whose rugs are daily pulled from underneath their feet. I wonder if there is anyone out there who might want to, or would like to, accept the responsibility, or the gratitude for this. This is a sad truth, but we, the good, naive people of this world should know that this earth belongs to us, too.

Questions about life are ripe, yet, I know that someone out there might say that we live longer. Yes, and the truth is, that we suffer longer. Please don’t misunderstand me. I do not dislike technology which controls our everyday lives and the life of Mother Nature, but I feel bad for some people of the 21st century, who might think highly of their powers, yet, they are unable to brag and say that they have cooked a healthy, pure meal. We are still here and we need help. We can all use, and we all need a friend, and friends. Every one of us possesses the power to help himself and others. I do believe that God loves us all and I do not believe that the words SMART and PERFECT actually possess the power with which we credit them. The year 2006 and the 21st century is the perfect time for these two words to meet the truth in our homes, on the streets and in our schools. Our life doesn’t require much. We simply need to learn how to live healthier lives and how to use the God’s given gifts, given to us by Mother Nature and God, directly and indirectly. I know that in the past we knew how to say the words, “God’s creation,” but, sadly, at present time, we most often hear, “Man made, processed creations.” We have taken several longer steps which helped us  to distance ourselves from Nature’s healthy, good powers, and at the same time, in a very short time, we have used unwisely, just for ourselves, Nature’s beauty and health. We walked away from NATURE without even saying “Good Bye,” forgetting that we left our truth behind us. It is this truth which we miss daily and for which we should be searching. It doesn’t matter what happens, but before we get THERE, and we will get THERE, the forest will suffer, and although it is difficult to predict the count of how many, many of the trees will dry up and no one will be able to help them. The earth’s soil is still very rich. Enough tears fell down, enough to feed all of us on this earth. We need a good friend and good friends who can help the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick, teachers, healers, leaders, politicians and religions, to please all truths and one God. For some of us it might be possible to understand, and for others it is, and it might be, a high disappointment, to lose “man’s power” over the power of Nature, which in reality, IS the power. I wish that the world would stop saying, “Who said it?” and “What did they say?”, for just a minute or two, and examine that thought. Nature cannot, and will not comprehend what we are saying. It may be difficult to believe, but it it the truth. Standing side by side with the word “Help” is the unhealthy power, always attempting to offer and extend its help. God is like a good classroom teacher who loves all of his children. We possess God’s given power to help ourselves first, and then, help others, but we need a good friend and good friends, the ones we haven’t found, but the ones we CAN have. These friends could help all of us. I ask myself, “Almighty why are we searching for the truth?”
Before I go on to introduce my best friends and your friends, to you, I wonder if there is anyone out there who can tell me if he/she knows any other friend who is better than my friend or yours. I absolutely love my friends. Their names are: Spring, Summer, Fall and the cold Winter. They are better known as the Four Seasons of the year. They are the four old friends, in its entirety they are the one good, honest friend who has innumerable other friends. These friends have identical thoughts and hearts. These are the friends we are unable to find, yet, they are the ones we CAN have. As a human being, I am very proud and grateful to be able to say how sweet God’s gift is. It is a gift a human mind possesses, a gift of speed and precision that has not yet been superceded. I am asking the word, “SMART,” “Can we learn to use our minds?” Brothers, sisters, friends, and all good people of the world, I believe we have the ability to help one another very quickly, by employing our minds and by using healthy words. We can teach each other how to use God’s gift of Nature. We have left that gift of Nature behind us, and it was left wounded. We are still here, however, and there’s still room to take a step. When Spring approaches this year, we should try to plant a new historical, healthy step.

It is now Feb. 27, 2006. Spring will soon be knocking on our door. I wonder if we will be able to greet him and say, “Good morning, Spring! Good morning Mother Nature!” Our earth’s rich soil is waiting, just like a healthy beautiful woman who awaits for love and to reciprocate her love. Our soil awaits for our love and to give us love. She waits for pure nourishment and for pure love. I believe this is possible since God has not created anything else which would supercede our quick minds. We have not yet said, “Good bye” to Nature, but, can we get back to it before it is too late for us to plant? That’s where the truth can be found. We should not postpone it any longer. We should start planting our honest good friends _ flowers, grass, herbs, vegetables, trees and all kinds of fruit trees. We need to plant the truth, our health, and our freedom and peace. As we plant, we will see that the more plants we plant, the more good honest friends we will inherit. They will be the type of friends we were unable to find, and the ones who live without any promises, but only with the one truth and that is, God’s truth. They will be the friends who will help and heal all of us, whether we are rich or poor, whether we are healthy or sick. They will in exchange for our love treat us the same. We must have friends in order that we may love, but we shouldn’t forget that we need love in order that we may have friends. By feeding animals and birds and by planting anything that grows, we will start this simple, yet, very essential process. Nature possesses the power to help and heal all our ailments and daily pains. We have busy lives which promote too many poor habits. Why don’t we try to plant some friends who have the ability to help us heal our depression, laziness, unhealthy appetites and insomnia. I believe Nature can and, will help us fight any existing disease, if only we give it a chance.

Although the word HELP is composed of only four letters, it is a mighty powerful sounding word which has the power to save our world. I wish that in some way I were better able to explain to you the sweetness and the secret that TRUTH possesses, but I cannot. I am only able to explain it to myself, but I do know that we need to help nature by feeding the animals and the birds and by planting. I believe that by doing this we are not only helping ourselves, but others as well. We need to stay as close as we possibly can to Nature and God’s name. I believe that in a relatively short period of time you will begin to feel the way I do. I am still, until this very day, able to tell you who my teachers were and who helped me lead a beautiful healthy life, ever since I was a young boy, and you, too, will begin a new life. I know that I have found a good friend in anything that breathes, crawls, walks, swims or flies. These friends became my teachers, my healers as well as my leaders. The sun and the earth’s soil have daily helped me to open my eyes and feed my mind. Nature’s leaves and their colors reflected to me as they softly whispered, “Tell your love that one thousand lies cannot please the one truth. The use of pure drops of water cannot wash away the health and the beauty of her face. Health and beauty will rush through her blood vessels like rivers and they will please your eyes, her long shiny hair, and the beautiful skin of her face.” I know that everything that I was able to see and find, I touched with the tip of my tongue and my fingertips. If I was unable, then, I touched it with my mind and it was the human mind I touched. Some of the minds I was able to touch were sweet, some were very sweet and others were very sour. The sweet taste was, is, and always will be the best taste of them all. I discovered, however, that the rest of Nature possesses only the sweetest taste possible. It is the kind of sweetness I would like to graft in every human mind and heart, young and old alike, if only I could.

Ever since I could remember, starting with my early childhood years, I always found a moment of time when it was necessary for me to distance myself from another human being, if only for a short while. I believe that this is one of the healthiest steps we can take. I spend every spare minute of my time staying close to Nature – the animals, birds, grass, flowers, vegetables, plants, trees and all kinds of fruit trees. I always seem to find myself either planting, transplanting, or grafting some part of Nature. Each day I work long hours in my shop, and when I am driving back home at night, most often I feel exhausted, but I always have a hope in my heart that when I get there, I will find a meal, prepared by my good wife, from all of the organically grown foods of our small garden. I also feel good knowing that my plants and fruit trees surrounding my home are all there waiting for me. As soon as I step out of my car, I look at all of my garden friends and my fatigue slowly begins to wither away. Can you possibly imagine, can you see and feel, how truth and love have an effect on our mind, body and heart? I believe this is the sole power of NATURE. Whenever I work in my garden and turn over the soil, I feel that I see the treasures lying underneath this rich, dark, taken-for-granted ground of ours. When I plant the dormant seeds, I also feel that I am planting my new hope which will carry me for another hour, another day, day after day. Then, I spend time waiting to see when life will sprout and grow. I believe that if you feel lonely, or if you are losing hope, planting some dormant seeds, whose life is similar to yours, may be very helpful. Your life can possibly change, just like the life of one of the dormant seeds. Once it has been planted, it sprouts and grows. We often call these seeds, dry seeds, but I believe that is not a proper name for them. They are not dry. Many of us also feel, at times, like dry seeds, but we are not dry. We could use some help, just like the dormant seeds. It is my strong belief that if you are able to plant, you, too, will see and find truth and love, the kind you have never seen or found before. Please remember, however, that a tiny hope is actually a big hope.

Whenever I plant, whether it is indoors or outdoors, or whether I am planting seeds or plants, I know that I am planting my love, my health and, therefore, my best and honest friends. I feel and believe that I am enabling a good life to live and grow. As I work planting my spring, summer, fall and winter foods, time is so sweet and it just seems to fly by. I walk from one plant to another and whenever I do this, it makes me feel the same way I felt when I was seventeen and when I stood next to my first love. Nature, all of its animals, plants and trees have always enabled me to have a good day’s work and a night of peaceful and restful sleep. It is a special feeling when you lye in your bed at night, knowing your heart is filled with a certain hope that will carry you through the night and help you welcome a new day and new challenges in life. I have developed a habit, where each morning before I leave for work, I spend a few minutes walking around, looking at my plants and fruit trees. It gives me such a vibrant and healthy feeling and afterwards I always feel like I had the best breakfast ever. It leaves me with a warmth of heart and mind. Nature has been my love from the very early years of my life, the kind of love which continues to preserve my happiness and my health. I cannot ever remember a time when I felt down, or when I had a bad headache or the flu. Man made medicines, thanks to God, have never played a major part in my life. I accredit this to Nature and God.

Most people do not like to admit their age, but I am grateful and proud to say that I have reached a stage of my life when I can actually say that I am growing old. In my mind and heart, however, I still feel the same way I did when I was twenty. During my earlier years when I lived in Europe, my parents raised me on organic foods which came from our gardens and fields. I have lived in America, the most beautiful land a human mind and eyes can envision, for over forty years now, and I have had the good fortune to be able to grow some fruit trees and vegetables in my modest, little garden. It is my belief, that my labor of love and the lack of artificial additives in my fruits and vegetables, has so far, helped to preserve my family’s health and mine. We, people, have created millions of words which can be used at the right time and at the right place. God, also, has created healthy foods which can be used in a similar way as our words. I eat anything my heart desires that I see or find without any fears. Our processed foods, however, I believe contain more than one truth. It is the truth which I hesitate to trust and one for which I have developed a strong dislike, as well as fear. We must try to help ourselves, as well as others, and I believe this can be done if we attempt to plant more and consume more organically grown foods. This is the sweet tasting secret which is the truth that is readily available and willing to always help each and everyone of us.

Whenever I write, I have the habit of sitting at my kitchen table which directly overlooks my little garden. Just the other day I sat down to do this writing and I took a look at my garden. I could see the daffodils were already beginning to sprout a few inches off the ground. The birds- sparrows, cardinals, blue jays and doves were sitting on top of some of my fruit trees, whose life stemmed from the tiny pits I planted with my own two hands some time ago. These birds, the daffodils and the people all over the world, are waiting for help and for better, sunnier days.

I can already feel the oncoming of Spring. It is stirring my mind and beginning to nourish my soul. The birds sitting in my trees are waiting for me, and if they are not waiting for me, then I am waiting for them. I feed them. They in turn feed me, my mind and my heart. I share with them all my fruits- the grapes, peaches, nectarines, figs, apricots and plums. I can see them flying around my house all year long and they find the comfort of sitting on my fruit trees. My wife often asks me, “Why are these birds always flying around our house, and why do they sit on our trees and not the trees of our two neighbors?” This is a sweet question that could be asked by an innocent child and it is a question which could reveal all truths. I simply smile and reply, “My dear, these birds have discovered America, in America.”

America, you have accomplished what a good mother could accomplish. However, in life, it is sometimes possible to tip over a perfect balance just by placing one extra strand of hair on one side of a scale; on the other hand, it is also possible that a tiny point made by a pencil can make a great difference in our lives and can take us very far. America, please help all Nature, because it is a treasure which belongs to you, me and the whole wide world. We still have a step left to take and it must be taken. America, to my knowledge, you have been loved and admired by the most wise people of the world, and I do believe that if you make that essential step, the truth will follow you. Four letters of the word HELP can save this world, but if it is left as is, I fear that it can and will, destroy all of us. America, it is your step to take, so please help us all and plant the truth, health, freedom and peace for everyone on this earth.