Read this recently, and it reminded me of a nature walk at MacRitchie a few days ago.
The earth pours out its gifts increasingly, as the year returns its springtime wealth.
For in honour of Christ, rising triumphant after descending to the gloom of death,
every grove with its leaves expresses approval; the birds and the flowers proclaim his praise.
The thickets resound with the chatter of birdsong; every sparrow sings with exuberant love.
– Venantius Fortunatus (circa 530-609)
Although it was a weekday morning, there were joggers and hikers aplenty.
A woody vine turned into a bough swing.
Large monitor lizard that we gawked at for a while.
Some macaques crossed our path – the one in the foreground had a tiny baby clinging onto it.
The mirrored trees made the scene look like a painting.
I have always been fascinated by the beauty of the curled fiddlestick-like fern tips that slowly unwind and unfurl.
As we walked we came across another baby monitor lizard.
Check out the forked tongue.
Flowers fall like tiny white stars, hundreds upon hundreds on the forest floor.
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105”
At many turns we were amazed at the light shafts, warm and ethereal.
Here it looks like someone poured a rivulet of liquid gold across the path. But it was but the golden rays of the sun, streaming across a gap in the foilage.
We stopped to admire the clear water flowing through like a live stream, unsullied by the mud and leaf litter it swept across.
A few days later, we read about Forest Bathing, which was somewhat familiar yet slightly different. As we walk through nature, we always attune our hearts and senses to observe, admire and soak in the loveliness of God’s creation. There is so much to gain from a nature walk, whether it is at a brisk pace with some moments of pause to take a photo and admire a hovering dragonfly, or whether it is a leisurely unhurried one to clear one’s head of cluttered thoughts and restore one’s focus on the things that truly matter in life.
Enjoy the sights and crickety birdsong of our MacRitchie morning.
Facebook Comments