Nature, life and eternity

To stand at the edge of the sea,

to sense the ebb and flow of the tides,

to feel the breath of a mist

moving over a great salt marsh.

To watch the flight of shore birds

that have swept up and down the surf lines

of the continents for untold thousands of year.

To see the running of the old eels

and the young shad to the sea,

is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal

as any earthly life can be.

Rachel Carson