Let All Creation Sing: Living in the Moment

Waterfall on Natchez Parkway

We often anticipate as I mentioned in my previous post the weekends; we cannot wait for Saturdays.  Then often we spend Saturdays waiting – waiting for our soccer game to start; waiting for Mom or Dad to finish their chores to take us to the swimming pool; waiting for the party or the concert to happen or waiting on the bus, train or plane to take us where we are going.  These things are worth waiting for and make us glad that we trained, prepared or learned what we needed in order to enjoy our special event or game.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to do some hiking with my husband; it was a two hour drive to where we were going and then we had to hike a little bit to get there.  Yet once we reached the bottom; we come to a beautiful waterfall, which made it all worth it. Allan always does a better than me of moving slowly; I have learned so much from him about stopping along the path so I do not miss a rare flower or a millipede crawling along or a tree growing in a unique direction. 

Psalm 37:7a - Orthodox Jewish Bible

"Rest in Hashem[God], and wait patiently for Him;" 

Being in nature often reminds me of God’s handiwork; the waterfall is one way creation sings.  It makes me stop, look and listen, which we do not often do in the midst of all of our fun Saturday activities.  This was the gift this year of spending Holy Saturday; the day before Easter, with the Benedictine Sisters in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  We were told to think of Holy Saturday as a time of waiting; a day of anticipating the joy of Resurrection.  I had never thought about it in that way because much of my life I have spent the Saturday before Easter doing food preparation, dying Easter eggs, doing last minute shopping or traveling.  I maybe was even at a sporting event or concert.  Therefore, to have this day of silence as my own was a real gift.  The silence of Holy Saturday and the breaking of it around the dinner table and around the fire of Easter Vigil reminded me that sometimes the best blessings occur when we slow down and simply be.  As I held my candle and renewed my baptismal covenant on Saturday evening, I felt the presence of those who have gone before me spending their lives living out their Baptism.  I thought about the faithfulness of the Sisters; who do not know how their service and dedication will be carried into the future. 

Waiting is never easy and often the outcome is not what we want.  The mysteries of suffering are inescapable, however, I believe that when I slow down, pause and let creation sing that God renews my strength.  I challenge you no matter what you believe; to let the Divine permeate your soul with the song of creation. 

 "The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.” ― Gautama Buddha

In the Garden at  St. Scholastica Abbey 

"So do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself; each day has enough trouble of its own.  " - Matthew 6:34(Jerusalem Bible)