I returned from a recent trip up the coast with a bag of beach pebbles, which I emptied into a sweet little bowl made of Oregon myrtlewood before leaving on another trip. Returning home again, I found the pebbles, nestled in the wood-grain bowl like little planets, each with its own pattern of veins and coloration. There was one jade pebble shaped like a miniature heart — probably Big Sur jade, a unique addition to my collection of heart-shaped rocks.
Rocks shaped like hearts seem to reveal themselves to me. I think of them as the Earth expressing its love. I’m not what you might call a religious person, but I do believe that the Earth gives loving energy. When I discover a heart-shaped rock, my own heart fills with appreciation for everything the Earth provides: food, water, mountains, rivers and all the other species with whom we share the planet. That love serves to counterbalance the heartbreak that follows each new attack on public lands, every attempt to dismantle environmental laws and agencies, the utter disregard for the miracle that each individual species represents. It’s hard to be someone who cares about human and ecological communities while so much damage is being perpetuated.
During my recent travels, I had the opportunity to meet with High Country News contributors, readers and supporters, and I was reminded again how much this magazine means to people who rely on it not just for information, but to be inspired and feel connected. One supporter said, “My world would feel a lot smaller if we didn’t have High Country News.” This magazine represents a far-flung community of people who are working in their communities to honor the Earth and listen to what it needs — people who mourn the atrocities being committed in the name of capitalism and conquest, while remaining engaged with the essential light that blooms within us upon close observation of a sunset, a moonrise, a flower, an ocean, a mountain, a stream. We thrive through those connections and delight in being united with others who are also keeping this faith.
As I examine each pebble, turning it over in my palm, I make a wish: That all beings be honored for who they are and the gifts they possess. That all have shelter and food. That there will be enough people working together to save all the habitats and species and ecosystems. That we will, in Ed Abbey’s words, “outlive the bastards.”
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This article appeared in the May 2026 print edition of the magazine with the headline “The Earth loves in species.”
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