With June finally here, it’s time to begin soaking in summer. Not just through sitting under the sun with your eyes closed, though that is a lovely feeling, but also to taste it. In Oneida, the word for June is also the word for wild strawberry, the first fruit to ripen and a reminder to give thanks to the Creator for all of his abundant gifts. For those of you who have bitten into a tiny, perfect wild strawberry, you know how special they are. 

Magic and wonder can be simple to find. Step outside and listen to a bird call. Follow your feet to the nearest tree and feel its bark under your fingers. Set aside one hour to wander in a new place with no destination in mind–just explore. When was the last time you snuck outside at night to get a sip of moon joy while looking up at the night sky? 

Winter seems to be keeping its cold claws in us, doesn’t it? It can sometimes be hard to imagine spring when our lives keep getting whipped by a cold wind that seems to grow only more vicious the longer it blows. But spring does come, as Ada Limón writes in “Instructions on Not Giving Up” like a fist to an open palm. It takes slow, patient care but we can build spring in this winter. And you all are doing that. 

You all built something beautiful and we’re so grateful to be a part of it.