Christian Contemplation

The weather today in Maryland is gorgeous. It's still warm because it's August, but the light is changing--fall is getting close. I think the natural world and its beauty are an opportunity for us to practice gratitude. God has made all of this, like a master artist, and we have been given the gift of enjoying it, as appreciative spectators. And even more than that, we've been invited to participate in the art.

It's easy for me to get off into my own thoughts and be wrapped up in this or that worry or concern. But hearing the wind in the trees--really hearing it--reminds me of God's presence in the silence, and my place as a creature created to enjoy and to be as much as to strive and to do. Thanks be to God.