For the beauty of the earth

Although it was a sometime rainy trip up to DeWitt, NY it was, in part, sunny.

I took the 'scenic route', traveling west and north on Route 17 in New York up and through the Catskill mountains.

Being from the tri-state area, when I hear the word "Catskills" my association is immediately to names such as Buddy Hackett, Henny Youngman, Norm Crosby. There was a heyday - 'immortalized' (if you will) - in the movie Dirty Dancing of family resorts which provided a getaway from the city.

Driving this route last Saturday what took my breath away was the greenery, the rolling (and sometimes steep) hills, the rock formations, the creeks. Yes, there were billboards bearing the names of those famous resorts, but they did not intrude into the beauty that Gods hand had instilled there. In a month or so, the trees on this same low mountain range will be ablaze in colors that will range from yellow to scarlet with the ever present evergreens providing contrast.

If nothing else, my new found retirement is giving me opportunities to be less focused on the destination and more attentive to the journey. My heart feels the wonder I have not felt for such a long time and my spirit is aware of the fragility of the balance of nature that we tax more often (as a nation) than we should.

Never being a gardener (I'm great dealing with weeds, but have a naturally gangreen thumb) I am beginning to see the attraction... the cycle, the passing beauty, the seasons, a true sense of the present.

If you have not taken the time to take in a slice of the outdoors lately, please do. God's living creativity is revitalizing to the depth of the soul!