Walking out of the garage the other day I startled a beautiful brown rabbit with a fluffy white cotton tail who scooted out from under a bush and disappeared into the woods faster than I could blink three times. “She” startled me as much as I startled “her”. After my initial surprise I shared the joyous encounter with Mary. It was a really cool moment.
Next door, down in the woods one of my neighbors has an old shed. Once, long ago it was a horse barn but now it’s mostly a repository of boards, yard equipment and such. It’s not in the best shape as it’s years old. Every spring, just about this time a momma fox builds a new den and her kit (that’s the term for little baby foxes) are born and can be spotted in the forest as they grow bigger each day and eventually leave the den to lead their own lives. It’s really cool both watching for the glimpses of the foxes and listening to their calls back and forth to momma. Mostly it’s momma calling to the baby foxes telling them to come back home or warning them with sharp trill bark that there’s danger in the area. Several times I’ve sat on my back deck and listened to the different barks of the fox to one another. I’ve actually learned a bit of “fox language”. How cool is that?
As Spring gradually comes upon us the birds are back and in the early morning and late in the day are especially interested in singing their songs. I try and try to learn the different calls of the birds but it’s a challenge. I always think of my old friend Wendell Turner when I try to identify birds by their song as he and I used to love to do that while hiking.
There are of course lots of other signs of animals, plants, flowers coming to life all around us as Spring arrives. It’s just amazing to see and hear and respond to the world of nature, not just in Spring but throughout the year. With a few exceptions the snows of winter are gone, and the signs of Spring are unfolding all around us. One of the deepest and best ways I experience the Lord’s presence is through nature and the beautiful and miraculous world in which we live. As the old song says, “For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, For the love which from our birth, Over and around us lies: Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise”.
I see God in all of nature. From the soaring trees that sway in the wind like blades of grass to the gentle song of birds singing to one another across the forest I see the Lord’s presence. God is all around us. All we have to do is to learn to listen, to see, to feel, to touch. When we open ourselves up to all the signs of creation around us I don’t know how we can’t see the wonders of God’s beautiful world. May you see more than just a rabbit bounding out from under a bush. May you hear more than just the sound of a momma fox calling out to her babies. May you hear more than just sound of a Towhee Bird calling out “tea for two”. May the hum of the bumble bee be more than just a sound to you. God is everywhere. Blessings as you open yourself to the sounds of creation. “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all”.