Love

Love

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Glistening Moments

Snow melting, water running, puddles forming, and the sun doing what I love best about it- shining on it all, touching the ripples of the rushing water.

It glistens, making me shield my eyes for a moment. I forgot to wear sunglasses on this walk, but I'm glad I did. The effect might have been lost on me had it been darkened by them.

The rest of my walk I keep thinking about Moses.Yes, Moses. And the one line in the familiar story of the burning bush about how he stepped aside to see this unusual sight.

The sight of a glistening bush.Was it burning? Or was it just glistening, catching his eye, enough that he decided to veer off his usual path and take a look?

And there, God spoke to him.

I find God speaks in unusual ways in my own life as well, when I am willing to stop, look, and listen.

A couple days ago I made a trip to West Chester, PA to return my son Chad to college after he had been home for spring break. It is hard for me to believe my fourth child will soon be a college graduate.

What a reminder of how quickly time flies- and how necessary it is to stop, look, and listen.

I stopped in to Trader Joe's on my way back, along route 202, to pick up a few necessities- which the cashier remarked about- dark chocolate almond bars and soy creamy ice cream. He assumed I was preparing for a tasty snack later- and he was so right.

But first I decided to veer off 202, only about a mile, to visit one of my favorite places- Valley Forge Park. It had been too long- since being there, since taking a random hike in the woods, since having a little adventure beyond my normal day to day work routine. It was getting late, about 6pm by this time, but with daylight savings time officially in effect, I knew I had enough daylight left to explore.

I consider this to be a thin place ...a place where I feel there is less space between heaven and the earth. So once I entered the boundaries of the park, I felt joy just to be there.

My hike was short, probably about a half hour long. But it was full of glistening moments.

Did I hear God speak out of a bush? No.

But I came upon five deer unexpectedly, who stood silently observing me with their beautiful brown eyes as I passed. I found a split open tree branch and allowed my fingers to feel its wounds, raw and exposed, a testimony to its life. I stood at the edge of a pool of water, watching the light play upon its surface as I remembered my other visits and hikes at this beloved park.

Lent continues. The wilderness brightens, and glistens.

I stop. I look. I listen. And I wait, with firm hope.


1 comment:

zeerome said...

Lovely. I do experience these Godly moments that our frien Betty from 'prayers of the heart' group that I belong to at the Franciscan Friary & Retreat House, when I stop, listen, touch & hear God in a flash of a second. When I'm struck with that awe feeling that inspires me to get a camera shot of a scene or an insect, a tree maybe that inspired me. Lovely. Thanks.