Once again, I am sitting next to the Salmon River in my favorite campground. It has been two years since we’ve been here. Last year the campground was full; today it is nearly empty. I have seen more people floating by on the river than I have seen on the shore.
While sitting here in prayer, a favorite song popped into my
head. It begins “Peace I ask of thee oh
river, peace, peace, peace. . .” Yes, that
is what I am seeking—peace. It seems
like everything is in turmoil. I don’t feel
like elaborating except to say that I lost my dad at the end of January, and we
celebrated his life just a couple weeks ago.
Perhaps I will write about that later.
Most of my sadness is from what is going on around me, in my
country and in the world. It’s a
collective sadness, I think. What
affects one, affects us all. We are all
one.
Instead of dwelling on sadness, I am looking for hope, for
something positive. How do I/we move
forward?
Here in the natural world, there is none of that grief. The river washes over rocks that have been
here for many years. I hear melodious
bird songs. An osprey flew by
earlier. I see bright yellow wildflowers
blooming on the other side of the river.
Dragonflies dance by. The pine
trees provide shade from the intense sunlight.
I find the sound of the river calming.
Where is God in all this?
I know that God is present in all creation. I can feel this presence with me in the
silence. What lessons can I find here in
this river that flows unceasingly? I
know that there are no easy answers, but I can find joy in the peace of this place.
Written on 7/6/22
