From the Outside with Sarah C

Nature is magic! It jump-starts our joy, cultivates our curiosity, and awakens our awe. It is the foundation to our sense of belonging and purpose. Join me as we discover and deepen our individual and collective connections with nature purposefully and intentionally.

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From the Outside with Sarah C

November-December

January 05, 2026 • Sarah • Season 3 • Episode 34

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My podcast programming this year is simple – love letters to nature. I invite you to join me in this collaborative project to reweave ourselves to the natural world and each other. Share your love letters with me at fromtheoutsidellc@gmail.com and I will read your loving words to nature on my podcast. How does nature make you feel, how does she sustain you, support you, inspire you, excite you? Read your letters to nature and listen for a response. What wisdom does she offer you? As we profess our deep love and gratitude to our source of life, let us deepen our sense of place, purpose, and sense of belonging.

In these past two months, I welcomed the finality of the first freeze, the magic of the northern lights visible from my back porch, and the feeling of belonging to something bigger as I look up at the clear, dark, star-laden, winter sky. Listen as I read my combined November and December love letter to nature. What moments of joy, love, and gratitude did nature offer you in the final two months of 2025?

Hi everyone! Welcome to Season 3 and Episode 34 of the From the Outside with Sarah C podcast! I am Sarah Croscutt, the host and creator of this podcast and the owner and facilitator of From the Outside, a series of plant and nature-based lessons that help us to cultivate a deeper relationship to the natural world, ourselves, and each other. In addition, I am a published environmental writer. My work has been included in several anthologies published by Plants and Poetry Journal, including Plant People, An Anthology of Environmental Artists, Vol. 5 which was released yesterday. You can read my essay, Strawberry Love, and the discover the work of other talented creatives on their website, (www.plantsandpoetry.org) In addition, I have had essays published in Wild Roof Journal (www.wildroofjournal.com) an online journal of environmental writers, poets, and visual artists. You can learn more and find links on my website, www.fromtheoutsidellc.com.

In the past year or so, I have begun to deepen my connection to my Irish and Welsh ancestral roots. Each of us can claim indigeneity to this beautiful planet. Our earliest ancestors lived in kinship with the natural world. Their relationship with nature, their highly regarded source of life, was rooted in respect, reverence and reciprocity.

We are living in unbelievably uncertain times. Many of us are feeling a deep sense of grief and loss – for humanity and our beloved planet. As I tend my own grief and hold the collective grief of others, I lean into nature, her comfort and wisdom. If we lean into our grief, we feel its entanglement with love. They are intertwined. Love is the wellspring from which we experience joy, gratitude, and grief. It grows from our profound presence and awareness. Love is the most authentic and creative state of being. In love, we recognize or “see” each other in a state of deep acknowledgement. In turn, we kindle our circle of belonging and kinship – to nature, to ourselves, and to each other. What we love we honor and protect, deepening the authentic relationships with others that soothe and support us in times of sorrow.

This podcast episode is late to post. November and December filled up quickly with Gramma duties and working with my wonderful book editor to put the finishing touches on my book. Some of this episode was scripted out in November so now that I have time in early January to sit back and reflect, here is what I noticed in the last two months of 2025.

So November plants us firmly in fall. For those of us living in a temperate climate, at least here in Virginia, it marks the official end of the growing season as we usher in the first freeze and first few nights in the 20s. My sunflowers hung on until Thanksgiving! Nature has slowed down. She is in the period of rest. The days are darker and shorter. As humans, we are moving into a busy time of year - Thanksgiving ushers us into the winter holiday season where many of us wish to slow and sync ourselves to the quieter rhythm of nature, but just find it nearly impossible as we move through our days, making to-do lists and checking them twice. December brings the hurried holiday season, but the stillness and silence of nature in winter. I encourage you to take some time to rest. Perhaps set aside time and celebrate in nature this winter season. A warm cup of homemade cocoa by the fire pit, a nature walk to gather items to create decorations or gifts, a quiet evening looking up at the vast, clear, star-laden winter sky. I think the stars are never so bright as a cold, clear, winter’s night. Whatever activity you choose and whomever you choose to share this season with – find some time to rest and recharge.

To my beloved Nature,

In November/December,

I thank you for:

1.The end of one season and the transition to another as we mark the end of the growing season with the first freeze. The first freeze truly marks the end of a season. The growing season is officially over. Here, in Virginia, the first freeze was the first week in November. Anticipating its arrival, I bundled up with my headlamp on my head and baskets in hand to head outdoors to clip every zinnia, strawflower, sunflower, and sweet pepper. I had loads of harvest that evening. I arranged all the flowers into bouquets and piled my peppers high in the colander hoping they would continue to ripen on their own over the week. They did! I even had some to slice and freeze! I even brought in a few of the pollinators that had tucked themselves in amongst the last few blooms of summer. Gratitude overwhelmed me – I am so thankful for the beauty and bounty of the summer season in the garden. Whatever the summer garden season gifts me, I am so grateful.

2. The northern lights visible from my own backyard. For the third time in two years or so I have been able to see and photograph the northern lights from my own backyard. They look different here at the lower latitude than they did deep within Arctic circle in Alaska, but they are magical, nonetheless. Never did I ever believe I would be able to see them from my backyard in Virginia. Truly a beautiful sight!

3. My color strawflowers grown in my summer garden. I decorated and filled reusable, glass jars (emptied of their honey and maple syrup) with my beautiful, dried strawflowers that were cut and dried over the summer. Each uniquely curated arrangement was a gift to someone I love. I have enjoyed the bright splash of summer color on my winter table.

4. The soft, sparkle of the snowfall. We were lucky enough to have two beautiful snow weather events in December. The stillness, the silence, the soul-soothing sight of snowflakes gently falling from the sky and the blue evening glow of the white landscape against the darkening night sky.

5. The cold, clear nights of winter. Take a deep breath, look up – Orion the Hunter and the Big Dipper hanging over me in the ink, black sky. The stars just seem to shine brighter in winter.

6. The plants of the season. Pine, rosemary, holly, birch, juniper, cedar, Christmas cactus, poinsettia, amaryllis, paper whites, and cyclamen. Their scents, textures, beautiful berries, vibrant blooms, and varied shades of gorgeous green color – it is their season!

7. The significance of the Winter Solstice as a celestial event. The time to pause, release to the darkness what no longer serves us, and celebrate the return of the warmth and light as we remember our place in a bigger system - our place on this planet now as it tilts and turns and moves us all forward in time. What will you bring into the light as it returns in the coming months?

Announcements and Upcoming Events

As I mentioned, November and December were quite busy with grandchildren and my preparing my first book for publication. I am thrilled to announce that The Fairy Circle Way: Cultivating Connection Through Nature is now available through Amazon in Kindle, paperback and hardcover formats. It is also available for global retail distribution through IngramSpark. If you have been listening to this podcast from the beginning of Season 1, you are familiar with my fairy circle model as a practical guide to cultivate a purposeful and intentional relationship with nature. My book is a collection of my own lyrical essays, visual art, narrative, and simple, daily practice to guide readers into a deeper relationship with nature and themselves, reconnecting them to their sense of belonging, their truest self, and the wisdom of the natural world. If you choose to purchase the book and feel led, please write a five-star review on Amazon so others may find it.

If you are in the Richmond, VA area:

SelfCare Sunday series will continue in 2026, the first Sunday of the month beginning in February. However, it is getting a new name and new description. We will still meet at 10 am at the Playground parking lot at Powhatan State Park, Powhatan, VA. I will announce updates here on the January 2026 podcast, or you can check my website, social media, or the Powhatan State Park website (https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/powhatan) for details. The program remains free, but a $5 state park parking fee applies. \

Thank you so much for listening! I encourage you to venture out – to your backyard, a local park, a green space near where you work and spend a few minutes purposefully and intentionally connecting with nature. Use your whole body – really integrate into your being what you see, smell, hear, and feel. Spend time with those you love or sit in silence, solitude, and stillness. They are important states of being in nurturing our nature connections. Acknowledge nature’s wisdom and role in your life. Nature shows us how beautiful and transformative growth can be! Remember, we are all connected to the source of life and each other! With that said, you can connect with me through my website www.fromtheoutsidellc.com, or on Instagram @sarahc_outside. Links to podcast, website, publications, webinars, and all the things can be found there! Visit my website for upcoming classes in the local community, latest publications, and details on workshops available for educational settings, professional development, recovery programs, conferences, or other groups. As always, please feel free to reach out!

Until next time, take care!