If you know Paula, you know that her presence is a sanctuary. To be loved by her is to be held in a space where you are allowed to grow at your own pace—no judgment, no hurry.
No is complete without planting a living thing. Paula taught that the single greatest honor you can pay to your own birth is to give birth to new greenery. In community celebrations, a sapling—often a fruit-bearing tree like apple, pear, or a native species—is planted in a designated “Birthday Grove.” The honoree places a handful of compost into the hole while speaking a memory from the past year. If celebrating alone, one might plant a potted herb (rosemary for remembrance, basil for protection) on a windowsill. Holy Nature Paula Birthday
Holy Nature: Celebrating the Sacred Return of Paula’s Birthday If you know Paula, you know that her presence is a sanctuary
“Do not count the candles. Count the roots. A tree that is a hundred years old is not ‘old.’ It is deep. And deep is exactly what the world needs from you now.” Paula taught that the single greatest honor you
: Start with a short, consistent habit like a morning prayer to focus on kindness and happiness for the day. Spiritual Guidance
That is the kind of quiet I feel every year as Paula’s birthday approaches.
: Planting a tree, starting a vegetable garden, or creating a flower bed can be a symbolic way to give back to nature. These acts represent growth, renewal, and the cyclical nature of life.