The wind howled through the branches with a fury which shook limbs and sent small, fragile ones crashing to the ground. That didn’t stop the fearless explorers who bundled up against the cold, avoided the areas with loose overhanging limbs, and set out in search of adventure. As they trudged through the forest, leaves crunching under their feet, they listened to sounds of the mighty brook, bubbling its way past them. The youngest explorer wanted desperately to ford the rushing rapids and lay hold of the froth they produced, but the older ones held him back, redirecting his attention to a wonder he had not heretofore gazed upon – a fuzzy green apparition growing on the side of a fallen log. “What is this curious sight?” wondered the small one as he examined it closely with his now ungloved fingers. It was soft to the touch, but appeared somehow alive. He tore a chunk off and tossed it, discovering that it didn’t go far. With a small specimen in hand, the explorers headed on down the path where new wonders awaited them. They found tiny petals of white, blue, and purple, huge stones in the midst of the path, and puddles where water fallen from the sky had collected. When at last the wind chilled them, and they were forced to end their journey, they returned to the safe haven of their trusty vehicle where they warmed up.
Just as they were warm, the explorers spied another exciting spot – another path through the forest, but this one paved so that the youngest explorer could ride in his grand carriage sheltered from the wind by the carriage walls and additional layers of blankets. They stopped, but before they started down the path, the youngest explorer noticed what to him was an even greater wonder nearby – an area just for people his size with swings and a slide. With the older explorers’ blessing, he joyfully romped toward his favorite, that great sloped surface called a slide. As he got closer, he noticed that this slide had an extra bonus – it was surrounded by more of those fascinating pools of water fallen from the sky in which he so loved to splash. The older ones helped him traverse the slide without too much time in those pools, then they headed for the swings. After that, the wind again had picked up with a fury, so they decided to neglect the paved path, but head back to the car for hot chocolate.
Okay, so maybe I’ve been reading a bit too much descriptive writing lately, but I started to write about our wonderful hike into God’s creation on Monday, and it just sounded so, well, boring. In reality it was not boring at all, but a refreshing reminder off all God has created for us to enjoy if we just stop and take the time to appreciate it. He tells us to be still and know that He is God, yet in our society it is so hard to stop, to be still, to appreciate, to enjoy – at least it is for me. Monday morning left me again questioning why we so often get caught up in our to-do lists that it has become a rare treat to enjoy God’s artistic beauty like this. Even when Bug-a-Boo had a bit of a run-in with a big puddle on the way to the car (which was thankfully remedied by warm, dry clothes and a well-working car heater), it was still a wonderful family morning. While pursuing careers and trying to serve God with every moment of time, hubby and I vowed again to make time more often to enjoy God in his creation like this.
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