Backyard of Wainwright House
Rye, New York
October 2010
"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day."
One summer when I was in high school, I traveled by Greyhound bus from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Marquette, Michigan, to visit my friend Leigh for a week.
I'd never made such a long trip before by myself, and the adventure by bus was exciting. I encountered people from all walks of life and talked to several nice folks along the way.
I saw Amish in their dark clothes (and women in their starched white bonnets) ride the bus as we passed through parts of Indiana and Wisconsin and uniformed soldiers as well.
I cringed as the boxes shipped by bus were man-handled at every stop we made in small towns throughout Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. I particularly remember the men throwing the box labeled "FRAGILE" onto a pile of boxes in the warehouse. Hope that worked out okay.
Finally, after about 24 hours, I safely arrived in Marquette.
Leigh's dad was a doctor, while her mom stayed active in the community. They lived in a beautiful home in the woods not too far from a river.
One day we canoed on the river, and I looked deep into the crystal, clear water wondering if I could reach straight down and pick up a smooth stone from the riverbed. However, Leigh told me the water was ten feet deep. The river was so clean and magnified the stones so well, they looked like we were only a foot above them as we paddled down river.
Once we spent a day at Lake Superior. I remember the water, sand and breeze. Waves broke on the lake. There weren't many others on the beach and the sea breeze blew wildly through my hair. We ran up and down the beach and in and out of the water.
Her front yard was filled with mint. I'd never seen a field of mint before. When she reached down and picked one to give me to try, I had no idea what to do with it. It was cool and fresh in my mouth.
Amazing.
She lived in an incredible part of God's world. Woods. A clear, cool river. A lake and beach. Edible plants in her front yard. I loved the time I spent with her. There were new adventures each day.
There are amazing places throughout the world. God created many delightful regions. That's why I love to travel. I want to witness new and different aspects of God's world.
However, I don't have to travel far to witness nature's beauty.
God's wonders can just as easily be found in my own backyard as they can at the end of a Greyhound bus ride.
They are all around me; I just need to open my eyes to them.
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Lord, thank you for your beautiful world.
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