This little book made me realize that my early morning walks had become an in-head planning session for the day's to-do list. That is ironic because as a practitioner and teacher of yoga for thirty years, I am well versed in the concept of being present in the moment. The importance of systematic reflection on day-to-day experiences and actions is also part of my creed. But life makes both these practices downright difficult.

Nature's Magical Moments is a beautiful, portable prompting to pay attention to the expressions of nature that are before our eyes. Each succinct installment takes us right into the author's space where we see, hear, and feel what she experiences. Then she leads us in the further step of reflecting on what comes to mind, questioning our own patterns of thought and behavior. Finally, she helps us affirm the best of our realizations.

Readers who want to change, simplify, and look deeper into the complexities of their lives will find a supportive and compassionate guide in Ellen Hitchcock. She admits to her own struggles, and she shows us how summer rains, flying ants, marauding skunks, clumps of moss, roadside weeds, wild honeybees, and many other gems of nature have brought her back to a place of sanity and strength. Her message is particularly timely as we relearn not to take for granted our endangered natural world.

In this book, the author eloquently conveys what we feel in the presence of the natural world. She lifts the veil that obscures our connection with this world and challenges us to observe with fresh eyes the lessons that nature has to offer us. Though taken from Ellen's personal journals, we can apply her teachings to our own lives by the reflections and affirmations at the end of each meditation.