This week’s quote contains a word we don’t hear much anymore: partake. But it’s a rich little word, a mashup of two that we use all the time: part and take. Like a puzzle, they’ve been rearranged. They mean take part. If you “take part,” you’re a “part taker.” You partake. Or as we say more often, using a related word, you participate. In the following quote, Milton is stretching out his hand and inviting us to come along. “Partake.” It’s an invitation.

“In those vernal seasons of the year,

when the air is calm and pleasant,

it were an injury and sullenness against Nature

not to go out and see her riches,

and partake

in her rejoicing with heaven and earth.”

– John Milton, Of Education –

Nurture peace, cultivate loving-kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week ­– a creek I passed on a hike in Norway:

Shadow of the Week:

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Text and photos © 2017 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.