Saturday, October 17, 2009

Sunshine on My Shoulder


Everybody needs beauty as well as bread. 
Places to play in and pray in.
    ----John Muir

PBS recently aired a wonderful 12 hour special on the national parks produced and directed by Ken Burns.  I watched all 12 episodes and reveled in the majesty and beauty of our magnificent national parks.  Burns started the series with the discovery of the first park, Yosemite, back in the mid-1800's.  He quoted John Muir, one of the early pioneers and ended the whole documentary with these precious words.  I agree. 

Life is like a river.  It starts out slowly, meandering hither and yon.  Past canyons and ravines, mountains & streams. Until mid-life.  Then it picks up.  Sometimes flowing over rocks and crevices.  Gathering momentum under bridges and around rocks.  Until we meet old age.  Then it becomes a raging rapids.  Glowing, flowing fast, splashing, running over waterfalls and spilling over into memories of quieter passageways.

But it keeps on going.  In our national parks and across our lives.  The rivers wait for no one.  Enjoy what you can each and every day you have the good fortune to be a part of the flow of life. 
The river carries us forward never back.  Keeps moving with the force of life, in storms and sunshine, rapids and rainbows.  All is precious.
How will the river of life carry you?


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