Solace

Salmon-spawning area of the American River at Effie Yeaw. Taken: 10/18/22

This has been a place of solace for me over the past two years. Here it is, at "magic hour," though the magic hours at Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve are easier to find than at other places, and they are not confined to the traditional parts of the day. 

The magic begins for me as I first step onto the park's dusty paths. There is a stillness that pervades this place; it envelopes me. I am in a new dimension; the noise and chatter of my everyday life left behind. 

New sounds emerge from the trees and the blue sky. They greet me and bear a message of Life that my soul didn't know it needed. The chirping birds; the rustling breeze... 

Walking further on, I open myself to discern their meaning.

In this space, nature unfurls its beauty and manifests its complexity for those who are ready to study and see. I am a patron of the arts, meandering the latest exhibit of natural wonders on display around me. In observing the whirls of a retired tree stump or the algae-shrouded pond, it's easy to see how Life pulses through this place. It's in the soil, the foraging wildlife.

All my senses are soon alert to the reality proclaimed by this place - the message it bears: God is alive! Not only alive, but knowable, personal. He is manifest in the details of each element's design, and He Himself breathes life into everything I see. 

My path ends and the sky opens up on a view of the river. I am alone, gazing at the water's reflective surface. The birds' song and the rustling leaves once again encircle me, and my Creator speaks an even more intimate message to my heart:

"Consider the birds of the air. Consider the lilies - all that you see around you. See how I take care of them. Yet you are even dearer to me than they. Therefore, I will take care of you."

Held by His words, I journey home. Though I leave the stillness and "magic" of this place behind, the message it bears goes with me.