What do we really possess?  What possesses us?  What is “me” all about? 

For years I called this place “my prairie”.  I do not own the land; I think it belongs to the village park district.  I cannot even claim to own land in the neighborhood any more, as I moved out of state almost 2 years ago.  But I associate some of my deepest “me” moments with this place.  I walked into this prairie, with a feeling of reverence and retreat as if I were entering my personal sanctuary, on a regular basis while I was living nearby.  I was in the midst of raising 4 children, nursing a dying husband, and striving to grow mature in those 20 years.  My sense of identity, my sense of spirit and of sanctity and of God were all shaped by the time I spent here.  I felt the place “talk” to me, as changes in weather, flora and fauna taught me to observe and ponder the significance of transience and transcendence.   I cannot say that anything here is “mine”, really, but much of me will always belong with this place.