🌲 The EVERgreen Chronicles™

🌿 Active Wellness: A Goal of Flourishing Nursing™

Flourishing Nursing™ aims to help people actively cultivate wellness in everyday life. Within The EVERgreen Chronicles™, this goal connects the story to practical acts of nourishment, movement, rest, mindfulness, connection, purpose, community, global care, and faith and compassion—the Nine Gardens of Flourishing™.

Active wellness means participating in your own well-being in ways that fit your abilities, values, resources, and circumstances. It can include preparing a nourishing meal, enjoying accessible movement, protecting time for sleep, asking for support, or taking a quiet moment to reflect. Nurses and caregivers deserve this same care.

Begin with one small action: choose a Garden, set a personally meaningful goal, decide what support you need, and reflect on what helps you flourish. Rest, recovery, and adapted activities all count. Every person’s dignity and belonging remain unconditional.

The Nine EVERgreen Lagunas™

A story addition for The EVERgreen Chronicles™, inspired by Nathanael’s photographs of Laguna Uplands Preserve. The nine Lagunas below belong to the imagined EVERgreen world; the preserve is their real-world inspiration.

The land that learned to flourish again

The grasses were gold that afternoon, and beneath the trees the shadows lay cool and deep. Nathanael stopped before a weathered sign: Welcome to the Laguna Uplands Preserve.

On its face were birds, an owl, a badger, and the branching lines of a watershed. Nathanael traced the waterways with his eyes. Small streams joined larger ones; places that looked far apart belonged to the same living pattern.

He opened his notebook. Across a clean page he wrote: The Nine EVERgreen Lagunas.

Then the wind lifted the edge of the paper, and the world of the Chronicles stirred.

The nine waters

The Laguna of Nourishment

At the first Laguna, a long table stood beneath the trees. There were beans, bright vegetables, warm grain, and fruit to share. A small traveler lingered at its edge until Nathanael drew out a chair.

“Come,” he said. “There is a place for you.”

Only after everyone had eaten did the guardians begin their meeting.

The Laguna of Movement

A path curved beside the second water. Some travelers ran; others walked slowly, paused often, or rolled along together. At a narrow turn, the guardians widened the way.

Nathanael waited beside a tired companion. When they were ready, they continued at a pace that let them talk.

The Laguna of Rest

At the third Laguna, the reeds whispered against one another. A guardian who had carried supplies all morning finally set down her bundle.

“Who will watch while I sleep?” she asked.

“I will,” said another, settling beside the path.

She rested beneath the branches, and the work waited until morning.

The Laguna of Stillness

At the fourth water, Nathanael sat without opening his notebook. He noticed the warmth on his hands, a leaf turning in the breeze, and the sound of something small moving through the grass.

For a while, he had no words to offer. He stayed and listened.

The Laguna of Loving Relationships

Two companions arrived at the fifth Laguna carrying an old disagreement. Each had rehearsed what to say. Neither had practiced listening.

They sat on opposite ends of a fallen branch. Slowly, with long silences between their words, they began to tell the truth. Before leaving, they agreed on one small promise they could both keep.

The Laguna of Purpose

Beside the sixth water, a young guardian studied the others. One could build, another could teach, and another seemed always to know the road.

“I do not know my gift,” the young one told Nathanael.

Just then, a traveler dropped a basket. The young guardian knelt to help gather what had spilled.

Nathanael joined them. They finished the task together.

The Laguna of Community

The seventh Laguna had many paths leading to its shore. New arrivals brought different languages, customs, questions, and skills.

When the gathering grew, the guardians added seats. When someone could not hear, they moved closer. When someone could not reach the water, they changed the path.

By evening, several strangers were making plans to meet again.

The Laguna of Global Compassion

At the eighth Laguna, a narrow stream disappeared beyond the hills. News arrived from distant waters: a damaged bank, an empty storehouse, families searching for safety.

The guardians spread a map across the ground. They asked what was needed, counted what they could share, and prepared for the journey. Nathanael placed a blue-and-yellow ribbon beside the lamp before they left.

The Laguna of Faith and Compassion

At the ninth water, Nathanael knelt in the grass and prayed to Jesus for wisdom, courage, and a merciful heart.

When he rose, someone was waiting nearby, unsure whether they would be welcome.

Nathanael made room beside him. He listened to their story as the light softened over the water.

The waters we keep

At dusk, Nathanael looked back across the nine Lagunas. A channel carried water from one to another, passing roots, reeds, resting places, and the paths the guardians had repaired.

Hawkeye settled on a branch above him. The Great White Sea Wolf stood quietly at the shore.

“Where shall we begin tomorrow?” Nathanael asked.

Below the path, a little bank had worn away. Water was escaping through the gap.

The companions gathered stones. Before the stars appeared, they had begun.

✝️ Nathanael’s Faith: Jesus, Our Anchor, and Our Hope

A personal faith invitation from Nathanael: Riverside Fellowship in Hammond, Oregon, is my anchor church. Its teaching points to repentance, faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, confession of Him as Lord, and salvation as God’s gift of grace. Receiving Jesus into our hearts means personally trusting and following Him.

Riverside’s salvation teaching · Its Jesus Class

My mom, Nina Delores Smith—Momma Eagle—is a devout Jesus follower. During my visit home for our special Jesus-loving reunion, I returned to Riverside for two Sundays. I treasure that homecoming and the faith and love woven through our family’s story.

Read the full explanation: accepting Jesus, resurrection, the Rapture, Tribulation, Christ’s reign, and everlasting life → The guide distinguishes Pensacola Christian College’s published position from wider Christian interpretations and Riverside’s own salvation teaching. Read Momma Eagle’s faith and reunion feature →

Our faith reflections are shared as an invitation. People of every faith and none are welcome and deserve compassionate care.

With Momma Eagle—Nina Delores Smith—may we renew our strength in the Lord and “mount up with wings as eagles” (Isaiah 40:31, King James Version): a poetic image of hope, not a promise of literal wings.