The Day the Desert Rejoices

It was Mother who suggested photographing her standing next to the saguaros while hiking the trails in the Rincon Mountains. Who would believe they can grow so tall?! Be so majestic? 

For the twenty-plus years Mother lived in Arizona, she introduced her many visitors to the unique wonders of the desert and nearby mountains. She did not know spending time outdoors could improve short-term memory loss, reduce inflammation, recharge immune systems, diminish a sense of isolation, and lower the overall risk of early death. She knew only that the song of the birds, the warmth of the sun, the unique prickly texture and colors of the vegetation, the chance sightings of wildlife, and the breathtaking sunsets over the mountains were essential to her every day. 

The Day the Desert Rejoices*

​ When one pauses to notice the Mockingbird spinning cartwheels above his throne atop the palo verde; hears the deep-throated gurgle of a Cactus Wren, the high-pitched call of the Gila Woodpecker, the mournful song of a lonely Roadrunner, or the rapturous serenade of a Curve-billed Thrasher, the desert rejoices.

The moment one sniffs the honey-like fragrance of the Brownfoot; spots the tangerine color of the rare Desert Mariposa, the fire-orange tips of the Ocotillo, the golden sunlight of a Desert Marigold, or the wispy pink petals of a Fairy Duster, the desert races to shower the prickly thorns of winter with its boldest splashes of spring. 

And when mother and daughter don walking shoes, brimmed hats, sunglasses, and hiking sticks to wander paved paths or sandy trails arm-in-arm, never have the birds chattered with such enthusiasm, the bees hummed with more vigor, or the flowers beamed with such exuberance as on that day.

 *A collage of photographs to accompany the Arizona chapter of the book, Miracle Within Small Things: A Mother and Daughter’s Journey Through Loss and Aging. “The Day the Desert Rejoices” is an excerpt from that book. Photos Left to Right: saguaros, ocotillo, male pryrrhuloxia, sunset over Tucson Mountains, buckhorn cholla, fairy duster, desert mariposa, American goldfinch, Parry’s beardtongue, curved-bill thrasher, strawberry hedgehog, desert marigold