Our
Spiritual Health
by Sally Nelson
When I was young I would escape to the
woods. It is where I met my inner self, and made my
connection to the earth, and felt the spirit touch me.
The place of my escape was called "Howdy Do Mountain."
It was an old fallen tree. Big ... especially to a
child of ten.
Lying on its side, stretching lengthwise
some 20 feet -- at the end its exposed roots reach
upward, almost as high as its length. New growth,
smaller trees, were taking root amongst the old decaying
log, reaching upward, making shelter along the fallen
giant.
As a child, it was my afternoon getaway
... my home ... my kitchen ... my bedroom ... my
spaceship ... whatever my imagination wanted on that
day. It was my sanctuary, my place, my "at peace"
experience. And I went there nearly every day.
As an adult, I still find my sanctuary
and spiritual connection in nature ... a nice walk in
the woods, observing wildlife, enjoying flowers, sitting
and gazing at the water's edge ... connecting with that
which has greater significance that I can comprehend. I
value these my solitary times.
As
a person who is perceived as gregarious and social, I am
in contrast quite solitary. It is in the quiet and
solitude that my faith is strengthened and my spirit
restored. It is in the solitude, as I observe
the beauty of God's gifts, that I find my spiritual
connection to our Creator. It is in these treasured
times that I know peace, that I know strength. and that
I know God lives. It is a discipline to meet my God in
these spaces ... to take time to walk with God. But
these are the best moments!
God's spirit can come to us in many
ways. My prayer is that we may be open to his gifts,
that we may find our path, that we will take time to
feed our soul, and connect with our Creator, that we may
continue to be strengthened by God's Grace and live in
... and out ... our Creator's Love.
Amen
