Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. Let them give glory to the Lord and proclaim his praise in the islands. — Isaiah 42:10-12
Sometimes I allow myself to think I’m getting old. For one thing, the arthritis in my fingers is making fiddle playing progressively more difficult. And I hate driving at night now. But coming through the mystery and beauty of the Advent season, my spirit is always nourished and enlivened by the true Spirit, and somehow I feel young and energized and hopeful once again.
And in that newborn state of mind, I seek joy and solace in the beauty of the natural world. It is there that I have always found my source of inspiration and spiritual enlivening, simply looking at the diversity of God’s creation and being attentive to its intricate and imaginative beauty.
For reasons I don’t thoroughly understand, this past year saw a change in the natural world in the places I frequent. Most concerning to me was the obvious absence of the spring peepers, tiny frogs that begin their clicking song right after Christmas and continue only through the month of January. For me these tiny unseen creatures herald the coming of the new year. In January 2022, they were totally absent. I searched the wet places they usually call home and found none. Their absence worried me for the whole surrounding environment, for the disappearance of amphibians is a sign of degradation of habitat, water and air quality. There also was a noticeable rarity of the larger woodpeckers – the red-bellied and the pileated- in spite of abundantly productive woodpecker habitat.
But this year, still in its infancy, has shown the promise of recovery. On New Year’s Day, the spring peepers began their song once more. I startled my dog and several nearby walkers when I heard their unmistakable sound and shouted ‘halleluiah.’ It made me feel like the world as we know it is coming back after the horrors and turmoil of the pandemic.
As I clear the cold-burned vines from my fence and trellises, I am once again reminded of the resiliency of life when I encounter a tiny baby tree frog that almost startles my senses with his electrifyingly green hue. And once again, I praise God for His greatness, His unending imaginative creativity and for all His beloved creatures, large and small.
Prayer: God of all creation, help us be attentive to all the beauty and blessings you have given us. Let us live in mindfulness and gratitude every day. We are humbled by your great love and mercy. Amen.Â
Betty Schroeder