Michael Harris Photography

The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have an opportunity to start a new. Renew love, renew hope, renew courage and renew our soul. Happy Renew Year, Michael Harris 2009

Sustainability isn't about the quick fix or the cheap solution. Generally it means making a commitment and trying, as best we can, to honor it. In any worthwhile enterprise, from protecting the environment to preserving a relationship, we are going to encounter difficulties. The good life is not a problem-free life. In point of fact, the process of overcoming adversity often produces some of the most rewarding experiences we will ever have. Human beings need to be challenged to 'test their mettle,' as it were. Throwing in the towel at the first sign of trouble or small inkling of distress may be the easy thing to do, but it doesn't help our self-concept. Most of life's troubles can be overcome if we are willing to work through them with patience. Michael Schuler

People are always looking for miracles. But I think the real miracle is to be on and part off this earth. Every day we are part of countless miracles which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, incredible clouds, mountains and rivers millions of years old, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle.

The body exists in the past and your mind exists in the future. Find a way to bring them together to enjoy the present. A place conducive for this is Rio Grande overlook in Big Bend National Park at sunset.