Alone in the woods, I sit with my back propped against a tall red oak tree, its dried leaves from last fall cushioning the ground beneath me.

Solitude is what brings me here to a favorite spot beside Tom’s Creek on our south twenty acres in central Wisconsin on a landlocked parcel, once owned by a paper mill. My husband and I were fortunate to purchase this acreage that adjoins our home property, over thirty some years ago, for a song.

I watch, listen and wait for a sign from the land, a message from an oak tree, and I always receive one. It may be a simple reminder to appreciate nature, or to have patience for the trials that living with chronic ovarian cancer have dealt me in the past three years.

Whenever I spend time resting on this oak knoll listening to songbirds, gray squirrels jumping from treetop to treetop, or whitetail deer rooting for acorns, I am filled with contentment in knowing that I am where I’m supposed to be.

What I’ve already experienced is good enough, and every day yet to come, is a bonus!