Lance Secretan

An excerpt from A LOVE STORY

“Can you see a puppy chasing a ball in the clouds above us?” Tricia asks as we lie on our backs in a meadow, miles from humanity. Thus begins a game that we repeat a million times. As we both get better at this, our skill at solving increasingly complex cloud-puzzles increases: “Do you see the Capricorn zodiac sign above the unicorn’s head?”

The wilderness calls to us both as if we were avatars temporarily visiting a modern, urban world. We love the smells, the sounds—and the silence, the vistas, the night skies, the lakes and rivers, and, of course, all our breathing, sentient friends.

There is a sacred connection between us, at all times, but especially when we are in the wilderness. We are totally dependent upon each other, looking out for each other, alerting each other to the sights and wonders we are experiencing, sharing sacred moments, and merging our joyful hearts in the solitude. We both have a sacred connection with the earth and everything around us. There is no need for either of us to explain to the other how we feel, as we are both in the same place. God’s hand is on our shoulder—we are one with the mystery that is called the Universe.

We collect rocks and sticks and feathers and turn them into works of art or ornaments. Some remain markers in the forest. Others we bring home. One day, we find a rock that is perfectly shaped like a heart, about the width of an outstretched hand. We place it against the base of a cedar tree that drapes over a river. We call this secret place “Heart Stone Rock,” and we visit there in the wilderness almost every day, pausing to meditate and share prayers of gratitude for all the gifts that have been bestowed on us both—the greatest of which is each other.

One of the sweetest joys of our wilderness experience is being completely alone together. Each year, we embark on a two-week odyssey in Algonquin Park, a 7,000-square-kilometer wilderness preserve—larger than Belgium. There are no roads, electricity, Internet, or cell phone service. Access to the interior is only possible by kayak or canoe. The waters can be calm and beautiful—a shared joy; or they can be wild and stormy—an exhilarating adventure that we often survive together, and which always draws us closer.

Our love for Mother Earth and nature is only topped by our love for each other. Our love is a game we both play and we both always win—like when we play tennis together—because we never bother to keep score.

Sylvan Solace

Adder’s-tongue beside coltsfoot,
The sultry perfume of dusk air,
Hedgerows proud with blackberry fruit,
Nature’s gifts everywhere.

Open skies of red’ning hues
A “V” of geese – instinctive flight
Feed my senses and my soul
With inner calm and light.

Foal protected by her mare,
Last poppies of the summer sway.
Close by, a hidden vixen’s lair
And castles made of hay.