Summer is upon us...finally! Here in Skagit County, in the far northwestern corner of the US, we are luxuriating in bright sun, warm earth, squabbling birds, creeks swelling and waterfalls cascading with snow melt...all this reminds us to be thankful to God. If sweltering friends from the rest of the country are reading this, please forgive our exuberance. It's nearly August, and we have just experienced a full week of summer weather. We're a little over the top!
Nothing like an enormous Douglas fir or cedar tree towering above to bring perspective to our lives. Now and then we're especially lucky and see an eagle or two. Maybe, for some, fragments of this lovely hymn come to mind:
"The care the eagle gives her young, safe in her lofty nest,
Is like the tender love of God for us made manifest."
Suddenly, we love to be outside -- perhaps even lying on the grass (wild idea in our damp, cool climate)! The warmth and beauty of our long-awaited summer sparks in us contemplative reflection. Leave doctrines and rules alone for a moment. Stay awake for the experience of God. This is where we are born again and again.
The writer William Martin tells us that without awe and reverence people turn to doctrine and rules. But the Presence of God cannot be learned or taught. Reverence and awe are born in our hearts.
Blessings on all this summer.
