Take time to see the goodness

From safari….

I am back after a month of being on safari. (A journey not to observe wild animals but rather to observe the life around me.) During rather to observe the life around me.) During my journeys, I took in the big ships in Duluth, fireflies at the Minnesota Landscape arboretum, traveled by train to Seattle and took in the Olympic National Park, and the rock garden in Albert Lea.

The scenery during my travels was breathtaking. Mountain vistas added charm to the landscape. I could feel the vibrations of waterfalls and the light mist that filled the air. In the Olympic National Park, my group of 10 stood among the trees and listened in silence. We heard water flowing over stones in a nearby stream, birds singing, insects buzzing. Yes, even the plains of western North Dakota and eastern Montana had a charm all their own. A roped off area of grass and what many would classify as weeds, in Olympic National Park, was a reminder that below the surface was an impressive ecosystem which can be destroyed by careless foot traffic. In fact below all that we see in nature is a complex world. A line from the movie, the River Runs Through It, is so true---beneath the stones is the Word of God and if you listen carefully you can still hear it.

My days away also gave me a chance to people watch. It was fun to see a family banter among themselves. Touching to see an elderly couple holding hands as they walked along a path. To hear the woos and awes at the discoveries and sights that were being encountered. Reassuring to see kindness being shared as people helped out each other.

And of course, there was the walking through the shops. I am amazed at the creativity of individuals from literature, to paints, to projects. The Rock Garden in Albert Lea is a creative project on a large scale. Over a span of ten years, beginning in 1925, John Christensen, built castles, bridges, fountains, and grottos.

The news can paint a dark picture of the world. In recent weeks there have been pictures of starving children, horrible scenes from war torn regions, accounts of devastation and death due to floods, stories of violence in homes and on the street, warnings of poor air quality due to forest fires. These events also are just the tip of the iceberg.

What I learned on my safari is that there is far more goodness in the world. Perhaps this insight from A Squirrels’ Guide to Happiness if fitting, “When we notice the little splashes of beauty that surround us and give them moments of our time, we alter the quality each day contains. Be enchanted by the small, beautiful things and the big problems of the day just melt away.

Fr. Ron