Snow Lotus

A Native American proverb states that "yesterday is ashes, tomorrow is wood, only today does the fire burn brightly". This series of essays, set in the north woods of Minnesota, is woven around the theme of the importance of being alive and aware in the present. Deeply rooted in the natural world, The Snow Lotus shares the philosophical and emotional insights author Peter M. Leschak has acquired from a life lived close to nature. Each chapter in The Snow Lotus revolves around a single moment, illuminating those instants that approach epiphany. Exploring the myriad interrelationships between the natural world he inhabits and his constant struggle for transcendence and self-awareness, the tales Leschak relates encompass both the humor, and the pathos day-to-day life can acquire when lived consciously. Leschak peoples his essays with a colorful gallery of characters - his wife, Pam, his fire-fighting companions, his trusted dog, The Reverend. He recounts finding a still-warm deer bed early one autumn morning, taking a sauna with friends, seeing flying squirrels at his bird feeder. He tells of adventures while cross-county skiing or hiking in the mountains of Mexico, yet evokes a strong sense of place, of the rhythm of small-town life, of long winters and brilliant night skies.