Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Earth Day 2010 - Celebrating my appreciation of God's Creation

As I meander through my days, I often stop and take pictures of things that I find beautiful... of things that are sometimes simple, and other times, incricate. I'd like to share them with you here, throughout this blog.

God has given us amazing beauty. It surrounds us. But we overlook it as we go through our days and busy schedules. It's amazing what we can notice... what we can see, hear and smell when we take time to just "be". I once took 20 minutes to just sit and "be".... and during that 20 minutes I heard dogs barking, children laughing, the splashing of a nearby fountain and birdsong.

“Consider the birds: they do not plant seeds or harvest them, they
have neither cellar nor barn to store their wealth, yet God feeds them.” (Luke
12:24)


During these same 20 minutes, I observed a bumble bee floarting around lazily and gracefully; a moth danicing its way across the yard and a myriad of birds including chickadees, robins, cardinals, wrens, woodpeckers to name a few. All of these seemed like "alot" to notice. It was 20 minutes very well spent! The Glory of God's creation surrounds us. Even in the midst of ugliness one can often find beauty. It's simply a matter of looking for it.



This is a clematis. It grew on a trellis on our garage. There were weeds surrounding it, and the trellis was in need of painting. But focusing on the blossom... taking a close look, erases all of the ugliness, and shows the beauty of the blossom. It makes me think that that is the same with human beings. Perhaps if we spent more time taking a closer look, we'd find treasure!



Frozen Frost on a tree... walking to church, freezing...but being awed by the beauty.... reminding us again that God is so good!



After the rain, I found this leaf on top of our thrash cans. The earth had been nourished, the remaining raindrops reminded me of diamonds!This prayer can be said in conjunction with the novena to St. Isidore:

O God, in Whom we live and move, and have our being, grant us rain, in due
abundance, that, being sufficiently helped with temporal, we may the more
confidently seek after eternal gifts. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.


So during this week of Earth Day Celebrations, I encourage you to take some time to just "be". Take a walk, sit quietly on a bench. Look at flowers, listen to birdsong. Pray for those who can't see, hear of feel the beauty of God's creation. Reflect on the glory of God's creatoin and give praise and thanks to God. Plant a garden and feed the birds. In closing:

Prayer on Contemplating Nature

You, O God, Majestic Creator, are the origin of all life.
Nothing can exclude itself from your creative influence.
You are wonderful in your words and in your sovereignty.
Amazed, I contemplate the perfection of the world
You created for human beings.
You are unmatched in your power and in your goodness.
O Lord, you direct like a conductor the orchestration of a storm,
and you shape like a sculptor the petals of a flower.
You are prodigious in your majesty and in your wisdom.
Lord, you have fashioned human beings to accept
the challenges of nature and to be your voice in creation.
O Lord and King, Majestic Creator,

You have made your mystery transparent,
in the world you have created.
I worship you in your creation and in your providence.

Amen.

~~~~~~~

Here I Am Lord

I, the Lord of sea and sky
I have heard my people cry
All who dwell in dark and sin
My hand will save.


I who made the stars and night
I will make the darkness bright
Who will bear my light to them
Whom shall I send?


Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go Lord
If you lead me
I will hold your people in my heart.


I the Lord of snow and rain
I have borne my people's pain
I have wept for love of them
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone
Fill their hearts with love alone
I will speak my word to them
Whom shall I send?


Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go Lord
If you lead me
I will hold your people in my heart.
I will hold your people in my heart...

(a video of this lovely hymn can be seeing in the next post: click here to see)

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