Such a fabulous morning with windows open to let the cool air in; the birds are again delighting me with their magical songs and all the world seems filled with Saturday’s magic! I used to find the same type of magic on this particular day of the week as a child just by turning on some silly, familiar cartoons; but now I look to nature first as my source of entertainment!

 

It’s easier I suppose to be distracted by the human world these days, to the point of being caught up in its chaos and busyness; it’s easier to be entertained to the point of neglecting our own peace of mind and our own comfort by all the new devices and instant access. I have even learned how to procrastinate to a whole new level because I so readily give my attention and time to things which cry out with buzzing, beeping, ringing, vibrating, or through notifications! We’re a distracted society now, busy and seemingly quite pressed for time; but nature soothes my soul and constantly reminds me of how life is so much more than tv, phones, all the stuff we have and even this silly box! I value those tools of human creation for what I am able to do and how I am able to connect to the world; but I value what God has created far more these days!

All those humans whom share my life each day, all the creatures outside my window on mornings such as this, as well as all the glory of everything under and around the sun, moon and stars has profoundly filled me with the most intense love and gratitude for God! I have learned that everything is a convenient trap, in that the more we have, the more we think we need. And often, what we think we need in a particular moment ends up being something which we readily forget about and set aside even a day later. Perhaps the trap is set by someone who wants us to forget how easily we can connect to God in other ways? Maybe if we put the stuff down, letting go our urge to amass things and focus on the persistent material things in nature (even though it usually doesn’t beep, buzz, or notify us as intently!), we will find more peace and contentment again.  I enjoy having all my stuff, being connected to the world through the man-made devices, all while being entertained; but I have realized if it all went away tomorrow, my value and that of the world is and always will be found in so much more! We came to life with nothing; and that should remind us that our value isn’t found in anything but us, what is around us in the form of other human beings, other creatures and what lives on in the world in nature!