Hello, God. It's me, Mara.

You know, Lord, some incidences happen at a most appropriate time! A friend recently shared a story about how she and her friend visited a favorite spot; after climbing a windswept hill, they crossed a field of wildflowers near a forest of towering pines, then descended into a valley where they paused for a moment. Clouds floated softly above them and a nearby stream trickled by. The only sounds they heard were birdsongs. They stood for about 15 minutes, she said, taking it all in.

As it turns out, their actions that day were deeply therapeutic. According to some research, they discovered that...