Foraging Moments of Truth

“and Nature sang silently to me, songs of love.” Reverend Bonnie

This week I’ve taken to not my one walk a day, but several walks. Outside, amongst nature. It started at the beach where I woke up excited to put on lots of gear and head toward the ocean. Two out of seven days were sunny. The remaining five had versions of overcast, rain, or downright soaking wind pelt. And it didn’t matter. I had no where to go. Nothing that had to get done. No one to meet. I showed up for my walks knowing I would be an active participate in the weather. I found myself present with the side effect of aliveness.

Then I headed to Seattle. Two days of beautiful sunshine and springtime blooms. As I walked the streets dodging litter and homeless brothers and sisters my eyes rested upon a magnolia tree so full of radiant beauty I stopped and stared. The little girl in me imagined God gluing tulip bulbs on the tree. In this imaging I could hear a silent song of love while I was transported into a momentary state of Heaven. The magnolia tree in all of her glory sang me a song through osmosis that my Soul recognized. I imagine the smile moving across my face I couldn’t see but felt, and knew the Glory of the Eternal in the midst of this temporary backdrop.

I find myself, these days, looking for Heaven in a tree, or a smile, or a joke, or a snail, or wet glasses from a rainy walk. In the midst of what can feel like massive cultural horror which I feel compelled to witness; I refresh my Soul or cleanse my palette with the little things. The small reminders of the Good, The Truth, and the Beauty that always exists. I find myself as a forager. I look for those moments I can savor and I take in the energy as a life-giving food.