Last night, I sat by the lake as the setting sun sparkled like diamonds on the surface of the water. In that moment, the peace I felt was profound.
I am very thankful to be here, able to drink clean water and hike near rushing streams and waterfalls, yet my heart aches for all those who don't have this simple gift of life: people in the Sudan and other dry land areas, who have been struggling to get clean water; those experiencing extreme heat waves and water use restrictions.
Today, I say a prayer for all those who struggle to find clean water, for those in inner cities who have no access to the restorative healing power of nature's most beautiful sources of water and I ask for God's help to do whatever I can to protect this precious resource.
When I am feeling down about the state of the world, climate change or the divisions that politics create, I am thankful that I can go to the water and find peace.
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
-Wendell Berry, "The Peace of Wild Things"
My favorite spot, as well!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean by peaceful and quiet. When I was young, my parents rented the same cottage on Keuka Lake for nearly twelve years. My sister and I slept in the same room. With our bedroom window open, we heard the waves crashing hard against the rocks on the shore. It lulled me into a peaceful sleep. I shall never forget this special time in my young life.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful memory Deb!
ReplyDelete