Summer Storms...

Now and then, a summer storm explodes through the woods and the roof of my cabin dances within its chaos. I love the joy it brings as I sit and listen and laugh. Thunder and lightning play peek-a-boo with each other and the wind whips the leaves of my trees until they give up and turn upside down.

It is intense for a short while, and then it passes. In its wake a light vapor hangs over the moist forest floor. Peering out my window I am privy to sights that normally go unnoticed. The explosions of newly exposed tree roots appear white and shiny, as if rubbed by a fine polishing cloth.

Damp earth gives the air a new aroma of freshness, and at once I feel blended with nature again. Through the open windows of my cabin I hear nothing for a few minutes, but the woodland sounds quickly return. Turkey and deer come back to my feeding stations, while birds fill the air with their melodies.

As the song goes, “I am, as God created me…in the Light, in the Love, in the Glory….”

Walking to my cabin

A tall dead oak sits near my cabin. As I walk by each day, my eyes are drawn to its weathered skin, and leafless branches. I think of taking it down with my chainsaw, knowing I need the wood for the up-coming winter season. But I can't do it. Too many emotions surface as I look to its topmost branch.

You see, the last four years a pair of flickers have come to the small hole within to raise their family. First, with my binoculars, I see them carrying bits and pieces of wood shavings from my log-splitter, then they layer the nest with leaves, feathers, and moss. I wonder how they know to come back each year, but they always do. To me they exemplify integrity, and I am stunned by their diligence and focus as they work each moment to completion.

Nature is my teacher. By listening, I hear the flicker babies call out as their mom approaches with food. By watching, I see the integrity of their search in rain, wind, or heat. And by caring, my heart opens to the devotion of their work and the trees surrounding them. We are mid-spring, the underbrush is filling in and ferns cover the forest floor. Soon I'll be seeing fawns scampering through the dappled sunlight of my woods. Integrity. I am honored to be a part of its completeness as I recognize my prosperity.

This morning from my cabin window:

Nature quieted me as I walked to my cabin this morning. Birds sang, squirrels snarled, chipmunks squeaked, and a red fox ran for a short distance before he turned to stare. Neither he, nor I, was bothered by the other.

As we each claimed our space, the darkish early morning went its way.