Was that another world?

I think I may have been in another world and not California this past weekend. The stereotype is that there is traffic, smog and freeways in California and that is much of what I see on a daily basis. I am blessed with a beautiful backyard of trees and hills, and visiting deer and coyotes, but what I saw these past 4 days truly felt like a dream.

When I landed at Elkus Ranch in Half Moon Bay, CA this past weekend, I was in shock! I truly thought that I had found another planet. I had been up to this area to drive through, but had never spent days just BEING there. I saw sunrises and sunsets that lit up the sky. I saw stretches of land with absolutely no stores or cars. I sat on the beaches under the stars and breathed in the cool, clean air. The ocean and the bluffs, the vistas, went on forever.

Then, I did go into Half Moon Bay and met up with people cramming the streets to go to the local pumpkin patches and veggie stands- what a great reason to hit a one country road traffic jam. What an incredible lifestyle to farm and share your delicious creations with so many of us searching for this peace of heaven outside of the city.

I was floored by Elkus Ranch and all of the education and information they offer to children and people with special needs. Please read more about this excellent program here.

I took a class in Horticultural Therapy and met two incredible teachers who are passionate to bring horticulturists, gardeners and therapists into this life-changing profession. Read more about the Horticultural Therapy Institute here.

There were so many signs offered to me that I was in the right place for the right reasons. I met amazing students in my class who are gardeners, farmers, therapists - all givers of life. Each helped to inspire me to continue on this green journey toward inspiring children and families to help the earth. Another sign was simply the peace I felt in being in an area of such beauty and remembering how powerfully healing nature can be.

As I digest all that I learned about horticultural therapy I look forward to finishing an article about this topic for a journal soon to be published at Ocean Seminary College. And, as I sit with all that I have learned the past few days I look forward to sharing some new ideas about how to help families and the earth grow stronger together everyday.

One of the themes at this class was New Beginnings. Planting a seed is a new beginning. What new beginnings might you be experiencing right now in your own life?