Found on my Mom's blog: Back when I was 5 my father took me snowplowing in the very early hours of the morning. We were in an area of little development so there was very little groundlight to interfere with the vision. My eyes needed very little adjustment to the darkness as 1957, even living 20 miles from NYC, darkness prevailed. There in the sky painted a deep translucent blue...the universe was lit with stars...and the painted dancing rainbow of the aurora borealis. I never have lost the vision from my minds eye. At the same time Sleeping Beauty was a favorite story...and when the princess was sent with Flora, Fauna and Merryweather to the woods for safety, she lived in nature among the trees and wildlife. Aurora began her birth journey in the rosey light of dawn, and she lived her first 8 years in the woods of Sparta,NJ in nature...her playground. Like a fairy she played in my gardens, she found bugs, and displaced baby birds, bunnies and racoons, geese, ducks and swans, and the other lake wildlife to be her life path.

My response here on my blog: I have never expressed to my Mom the gratitude I have for the encouragement and engagement she provided to appreciate nature. I have many fond and meaningful memories that have shaped my dedication and passion for stewardship and outdoor recreation. Before I was nine I remember having "pet" raccoons, praying mantis, and lightning bugs. I remember bringing home numerous concrete buckets filled with sunnies and bluegill that I caught with corn, bread, and a Snoopy fishing pole. If I remember correctly Mom even let me dump the bucket in the bathtub once. When we moved to Lincoln Park, she taught me to appreciate urban nature experiences like gardening and rescuing turtles crossing parkways. I know she is very proud of me and all that I have accomplished academically and professionally, but her guidance through the formative years and the things she helped me discover that are not in textbooks are the reason I am the steward and professional I am. I love my Mommio! If you've read this far, please keep my Mom in your prayers and do your Mom a favor, tell her how important she is to you.