Little Blessings

I have seen the beautiful sunrise, the glory of God shown to me as an unexpected gift. Sometimes I called a friend who would be driving to work at that moment, facing East at the same time as I. A quick hi, then a mere mention of the Glorious display before us was enough to get us on the same page, and then for a few moments we’d silently drive on, two friends, together as if holding hands, yet separated by many miles. Together in the quiet moments, bathed in God’s gift to us. I will always remember those mornings.

I have seen magnificent displays of grandeur. I have stood on the rim of the Grand Canyon at sunset, watched the purple and red colors drift over its walls, and seen the gentle twinkles, as if gold, shine in the changing reflections on the rocks, reflections of God. I have felt His presence there.

I have stood alone amidst creations whose beauty I could not comprehend, despite my scientific mind. I’ve walked miles through a wood and suddenly found myself on the shore of a small lake. Looking up, to the front and either side, I saw only towering snow-covered peaks. Summertime in the Canadian Rockies, snow, gentle blue waters, warm green trees, all around me. Air so fresh, yet rich and tasty – you want to breathe in until your lungs burst, and smell its cleanliness to taste its flavor. Beauty, quiet, me, alone – and God. I’ll never forget the way He spoke to me then.

And in my youth, I have fished calm waters. Well, to be completely honest, I remember rowing the boat in calm waters. That was my role as a 9- or 10-year old, as dad and Uncle Walter stood in either end of the boat, casting into the morning air for bass. Row gently – two strokes only, no more – quietly swish the oars in the water, then lift them up and let the boat gently drift along. The only sound was the gentle whirring of the line feeding out, and the soft plop of the lure hitting the water. Fishing in small backwaters off of the main river, little fingers of water reaching back into the woods, those mornings will ever be in my memory. Strangely, it is not the occasional fish caught (and netted by me!) that I recall most from those days, but rather the occasional animal which came to the shore to drink. The beautiful deer slipping silently out of the wood, only twenty yards away, and bending down to drink. We could hear her sipping as we slowly drifted by – no oars in the water, no lines being cast. We all watched each other slowly drift apart, all feeling somehow blessed at each other’s presence. And I remember that one time when the huge moose appeared. He stood staring at us for a while, and then walked into the water and began swimming towards the boat --- shades of Jimmy Carter!!! Even that occasion was a memory never to be forgotten, and especially when he turned away, and seemed to have a smile on his face.

I remember those days. Little blessings I will never forget. God has smiled often down on me. I wonder how many never stopped to see or hear those blessings in their lives, and who now miss the consolation of those memories. I pray for them, and for their peace.

As I see a beautiful sunrise or sunset, or feel the quiet of the wood or stream, or smell the cleanness of air, or read the manifold descriptions of our mutual love in His Words, I will recall those little blessings.

Like the deer that yearns
for running streams,
so my soul is yearning
for you, my God.

These things will I remember
- Ps 142