Stones
Wherever snow falls, or water flows, or birds fly; wherever day and night meet in twilight, wherever the blue heaven is hung by clouds, or sown with stars, wherever are forms with transparent boundaries, wherever are outlets into celestial space, wherever is danger, and awe, and love, there is Beauty, plenteous as rain, shed for you, and although you should walk the world over, you shall not be able to find a condition inopportune or ignoble. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
One of my favorite activities is collecting stones out of the stream that runs by our cabin. The stones experience the entirety of nature; even while they are covered by the snow and ice for months at a time or exposed to the wind and rain as the stream rises and falls. I collect the stones because it helps to remind me of my own relation to nature. When I glance at them sitting on my shelf, I see the Beauty that Emerson talks about. Even in the harshest of times, nature endures. Stones sitting quietly on my shelf help to calm my soul in case I’ve watched too much news on CNN. In these days ahead may we turn to the places, reminders and practices that sustain our spirit and the ways that lead to peace.
In Ministry,
Dave