On Sunday I had a little farm therapy. It had been a very busy weekend – all good and fun activities but tiring just the same. On our way home we stopped at the farm where I grew up. My brother and my niece, her husband and daughters live there now. We always enjoy a visit to the farm and a chance to catch up. When the weather is good – as it was on Sunday – we always feel drawn to a walk in the pasture. There is a path that meanders beside the creek that flows the length of the farm. In the summer time the creek is a slow trickle of water over stones but at this time of year it flows quickly and the sound carries through the valley.
We particularly enjoy walking along the creek in the springtime as the Rainbow Trout are spawning. What an entrancing mystery of creation that those fish find their way from Lake Ontario up through miles of wandering waterways to spawn where they were hatched. This was the first time this spring our two nieces aged 3 and 6 saw the fish in their creek. It takes a while to spot the aquatic creatures; their green-brown backs blend perfectly with the shades and shadows of the creek-bed. You have to train your eyes to pick out the undulating bodies just below the surface.Once the fish feels the presence of a threat (like a large human standing on shore)they make a magnificent splash and dash up over the rocks and small water falls to find a new deep water-hole to hide in.
On one occasion, as the Trout flipped over the rock exposing the pink slash of colour on its side my six-year-old niece shouted, “Look, look there it goes … this is WAY COOL.”!! Way cool indeed.
During my sabbatical I am talking to people about spiritual nurture and asking how their soul is fed outside of ‘church settings’. Almost without exception people say in nature. Not surprising. Much of scripture, when speaking of the wonder and majesty of God points to the mystery and magnificence of nature, the creation. Psalm 23, perhaps the best known piece of scripture, talks about God leading “Beside still waters”. That is how it feels to me whenever I walk along the creek – where I have been walking for more decades than I care to admit. It feels like walking with God beside still waters, it feels holy. I so loved walking there on Sunday with those two little girls and hearing their delight in the wonders of that creation. It’s true, as Isabella said, and as the ones who wrote scripture thousands of years ago wrote, God’s creation is “Way cool.”
How about you? When and where does God speak to you in nature?
Your nieces also think YOU are one of God’s WAY COOL creations! xo
Well nance
I just got of the phone with Jenny and she told me to check out your blog. I have to say it was my first time reading it. Wow – very impressive, I could not stop reading all your entries. It is o easy to read but I am sure takes a lot of time and thought to write. Very well done.
As for where and when I find god. For me it is most definitely in the garden. This most the sun was shining and the birds were aroused. I sprang out of bed and jumped into the garden with my dirt covered orange crocs. To find the rebirth of the perennials in the garden excites me. Uncovering all the new buds gives a sense of nourishment and excitement. Yes this is gods work. It is almost like working with god to creat beauty and new life.
This afternoon when the girls came home from a weekend in toronto with their great aunt and uncle we spent some time in the willows along the still waters of the creek. Yes we saw some more amazing fish. We also spent time creating a pathway in the willows. The girls helped transplant 100s of new, fragile ferns that were popping out of the forest floor. We created new niche areas where the ferns would continue to grow and flourish. It was also a sacred moment watching the girls work side by side with nature. What an amazing day – we are truly blessed and thankful.
Thanks for your stories. Looking for to following more religiously!
In my moms words “good night and god bless!”