After a long, hard sleep last night,
I woke up this morning to the gentle plink plonk of rain on the bedroom windows,
the sound of a plum tree scraping twig tips against the living room window
and that sense
and that sense
that everything that has breath was praising the Lord.
Really, summer in the West is
hymn after hymn of praise for the Creator
and the genius of nature:
the whip of willows in the wind,
the fall of water over smooth stones,
the methodical washing of the rains,
the dry heat that grows the grasses tall,
the slow and lonely beat of my heart
(for I am nature too and when I was made, the Creator proclaimed me good).
Summer in the West is so stuffed and exploding with surprises,
the sort of surprises that can only make a soul gladder by all passing moments,
the sort of surprises that rip at the blinders we place over our hearts and minds.
My gaze is renewed.
I see the summer coming.
The summer arrives.
I take off my shoes.
I cry out:
Here I am, show me!
All my whispers turn to prayers
and these mountains I tread upon rise up as temples,
as the holiest of holies.
Out in the gardens,
the things I always trust to fail,
prove once again that my shallows are shallow.
There’s a rhythm here that is stronger than the muddling tempos of
human invention. I cannot trust in everything, but I can trust that the raspberries will always turn plump and red in the sun, my favorite rose will always smell as sweet, this unfolding space, in seventh dimension (in honest four part harmony) will always sing me back again…and again, I will return.
The promises of the seasons
(the steady and clean unfolding of nature)
reflect the greatest promises of all:
healing, redemption, growth, death, renewal,
love…
What is summer like, where you are?
Are you turning gold like the wheat in the fields?
Are you pressed, over and over, by the textures of the wildflowers (the indian paintbrush sweeping coral onto the canvas of your soul)?
I can feel my pace has slowed.
I’m under restoration.
In a space this quiet, this calm,
I’m allowing myself to be nurtured.
That said, I’m a tad stir crazy here.
I’m desperate to be up the mountain running like a tawny flanked quadruped.
Last week, I jumped in a river and bruised my heel, quite terribly, on a river stone. I’ve barely been able to walk, let alone gallop. My injury is breaking my heart. These summer days in the West are tidily numbered and dwindling fast so I’m taking to the gardens, most vigorously, building arbors with flexible portions of willow I’ve been gathering from the river, guiding vines up and over them so that there seems to be a constant, green banner of love drifting in every direction.
Summer in the West:
These high and dry times.
These burning and bright shining times.
These dust dampening morning raining times.
It’s all so good.
:::EDIT:::
THANK YOU
so much for the comments you left on this post as well as the emails and Etsy convos you’ve been sending me regarding this life snippet.
You’re the stars and the moon.
x
:::EDIT:::
THANK YOU
so much for the comments you left on this post as well as the emails and Etsy convos you’ve been sending me regarding this life snippet.
You’re the stars and the moon.
x
your writing is beautiful. i am not very religious, but i still connect with your words and wish i lived somewhere as alive.
xo
sami
You're wonderful.
Thank you.
x
Loved your post! As I read I could feel the tension seeping out of my muscles and bones! Must try to slow down abit and take it all in because we sure know it doesn't last that long.
thoroughly enjoyed this post. ;0)
beautiful, seeing raspberries brings me back to spending summer at my grandmothers house in Nebraska, picking & eating them for breakfast.
Sadly summer for me is not as moving as yours, you understand im sure….everything, people & plants go into hiding, blacking out windows, burying under ground, trying to find relief from the scorching heat. Eat some raspberries for me please 😉
This post, and the last, are resonating with me so much, where I am right now… Just thought you should know 🙂 It's been a very good day here…
Lovely post. Brings your world alive. How good are all the seasons. They all bring us unique times and activities. Thank you for sharing yours.
I believe today to be a day of cosmic twin-ness floating along the waves of summer tides and berry picking.
LOVE YOU!
Your heel is just helping you relax. To take in all that your senses can, and bask in that buzzing-ness that openness creates. Bask, darling. You will be running, zooming by little things, soon enough. It has rained for two days, off and on, and although I yearn for the summer heat, I know plants are grateful and therefore, so am I. Sending love!
Lovely. I love that sense of everything praising God. It's so peaceful, yet it hums or sings with such energy and hope and beauty.
Here today I feel the mighty influence of the ocean, fog cresting over California's Coastal Range, cooling the dry grasses, quieting the clicking insects. The oaks and sequoias drink it up. What a pleasure to need a sweater this morning!
Summer has been a stubborn beast here in Vancouver – mostly hiding away in it's cave. Coming out every once in a while to flash it's pretty teeth and give us a sun kissing.
But it is green – so green , so much life, so much to celebrate!
When people doubt if miracles actually exist i wonder if they must have their eyes closed for all of spring, and for all of every season when we walk out our doors and can marvel at it all ending and beginning again.
reflecting me, reflecting you,
reflecting us.
It's raining!!
A day for walking in puddles without my gumboots.