Green Medicine: A Gift from My Father

By Lori Harrington

Growing up in the Midwest, Lori Harrington's father taught her to enjoy the great outdoors. Walks along the Illinois River and drives in the countryside as well as vacations all across this country, she learned to appreciate the beauty of nature from her dad. At one point in her early adult years, her father told her she needed to go for a hike and get some of God's Green Medicine to clear her mind and refresh her perspective. This term became a running theme in their relationship and they often referenced getting a 'daily dose of God’s Green Medicine.'

After the passing of Lori’s father, she pulled out boxes of letters from him to revisit memories and realized how the relationship she had with her father affected her life. Having tossed the idea around of making their reference of God’s Green Medicine into something more tangible, she decided it was time to share it with others.

The basis of Green Medicine is God created the earth and nature. We are surrounded by God in His Creation. Through good and bad times, struggles in life and relationships, God is all around us. But this book is also about the impact a parent can have in their child’s life. Lori weaves together excerpts from her father’s letters with incidents of family and friends and her photography. You are invited to journey through Lori’s experiences with life, relationships, and nature and, if you like, journal your own Green Medicine encounters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664287464

Lori Harrington

Lori Harrington grew up in Illinois and then lived in Tennessee for 20 years. She moved to Alaska in 2000 calling home to unique towns in the great state. She has worked in the tourism industry for most of her life while her photography skills have been utilized for various marketing and promotional materials and publications. She resides in Anchorage with her husband. Her writings and photography have been enjoyed by family and friends for years....especially her dad.

Book preview

CONTENTS

Green Medicine

Green Medicine

Tiger Lily Festival

Friendly Connections

In The Beginning

Driving To Alaska

Salt Of The Earth

Still Waters

Quiet Confidence

Experience Of Light

Do Not Worry

Greater From Sorrow

God’s Pocket

Focused For The Journey

He Touches The Mountains

Silhouettes Of Love

God And The Speed Of Light

Hess’s Farm

Reflection Pond

Stand In A Different Place

Careful Guidance

A Day At Mendenhall

Sunsets With Joraz

The Clear View

Close To God

Making Good Out Of Bad

What Lasts Forever

3:00 A.m. Calm

Forks In The Road

Thunderstorms

Eagle Festival

Illinois River With Dad

Well, What About Me? The Choice Is Mine

Things We Say

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You

Love Of Flowers

Fresh Beginnings

A Thousand Springs

Rainbows

Music And Joy

The Sun Knows Its Setting

Significant In Vastness

The Choices We Make

Carrying God’s Water

Being Thankful

Strength

Compassion

God’s Purpose

Light To See The Darkness

A Perfect Day

Stretch Out The Heavens

Rivers Flow Between Mountains

Denali

The Last Letter

Tiger Lily

The Sinner’s Prayer

Graphic clips from Art Stepansky’s letters to his daughter, Lori Harrington, appear with most written entries throughout the book.

All photography by Lori Harrington

GREEN MEDICINE

Romans 1:19–20

Because what may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. (NKJV)

Yes, this book is about the beauty of God’s creation and the effect it can have on your daily life, but it is also about the relationship between a father and a daughter and the impact of a parent on a child’s life. This is dedicated to the memory of my father.

God is all around us … let Him in.

Footbridge on Porter’s Creek Trail—Greenbrier area of the Smoky Mountain National Park

GREEN MEDICINE

Psalm 92:1–2, 4

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night … For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. (NKJV)

A week after my eighteenth birthday, I moved out on my own and into the years of adulthood. The stresses of everyday life entered the picture for me, as they do for everyone. During my time living in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, I worked hard at my various jobs, but my time off was spent hiking and exploring the Great Smoky Mountains. Getting out in nature and seeing the amazing beauty of the area was a good release of stress. It gave me time to think, refocus, and get grounded in what really matters.

My dad and I stayed in touch, and whether by letter or telephone, I would share my adventures of life. On one of those telephone occasions, I was dealing with an unpleasant situation at work and shared it with my father. His response was to encourage me to go for a hike—to get out and enjoy nature where I was living and all that God created. Let it clear my mind. He said nature was God’s Green Medicine for the soul, the cure for everything.

The term stuck. And from then on, there was always an undertone to our conversations regarding any aspect of life being tied to the perspective that God is all around us every day in His creation. Communication from my father almost always included the statement of making sure I was taking my Green Medicine.

As my photography skills developed and I broadened my travel adventures to other parts of the world, I was able to share my Green Medicine experiences all the better with my dad and others.

I now live in Alaska, but you don’t need exposure to the grandeur of such a state to get your Green Medicine. Daily doses can be taken by enjoying flowers in your home or yard, noticing a beautiful sunset wherever you are, listening to a thunderstorm, or witnessing the many other ways in which nature presents itself. Whether driving, hiking, walking around the neighborhood, or just sitting on your deck, no matter where you are, you can get your Green Medicine everywhere and every day. The nature around you is a reminder that God is here in His creation that surrounds us, and He is in control.

I don’t pretend to believe that all your troubles will melt away when you look at a pretty flower or a colorful sunset. Someone enduring the pain of the evil and cruelty in this world from some kind of abuse to the tragic loss of a loved one is not going to feel better by simply taking a walk in the woods. But the nature God created is a reminder that no matter what is going on, He is there with you. There is much to be thankful for in our lives regardless of the circumstances.

So take time to get into nature and the outdoors. Let God restore your soul, reset your perspective, and rejuvenate your thinking by reflecting on life as you spend time with Him in the world He created.

Daylily/tiger lily—Waiheke Island, New Zealand

TIGER LILY FESTIVAL

Matthew 6:28

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not … (ASV)

I think of this orange lily as a tiger lily, but I believe that in New Zealand, where this photo was taken, it is actually called a daylily or Hemerocallis. I was fortunate enough to go to New Zealand and Australia on a business trip, and I added on a few extra days of personal time. I was able to spend a night on Waiheke Island at a B&B.

A walkway down to the beach was lined with beautiful flowers and vegetation. I broke all the photography rules for this low-light situation and did not use a tripod. It still turned out wonderfully and is one of my all-time favorites. Orange lilies bring back some of the best of memories of my Dad.

As a child, when the lazy days of summer were just beginning and school was out, I had a daily agenda of going to the pool, riding my bike, and playing with friends. My neighborhood in Chillicothe, Illinois, was my world. I was always traveling to the boundary edges, wondering what was beyond. What would it feel like to be past the permissible limits that had been set for me? I wanted to go farther down the road or follow a trail to see where it went. As I pondered what the view would be like from where my curiosity could not be fulfilled at the time, I would make my way home, where my adventurous mind refocused on the rest of my day.

Often on summer evenings or weekends, my dad would take the family for a drive in the countryside in and around Chillicothe. We traveled the scenic routes to and from Peoria. In early summer, we were all instructed to keep an eye out for the orange tiger lilies. My dad loved these flowers, which grew wild in the roadside ditches each June. To him, seeing