Summer Memories

I must confess that I've been having a hard time with a summer that has no plans on the calendar.  No time with far away family.  No baseball games.  No visits to National Parks.  No camping, Mount Hermon, service trips, or hikes scheduled.  Summer is all about travel, being with the people we love, crossing cool things off our bucket lists, and enjoying experiences that cause simultaneous growth and recharge.  Coping with these losses, re-calibrating my expectations, and ultimately accepting another season of sitting home has admittedly been a challenge.  

It has been some comfort to relive some of the memories we've made in God's good creation over the years.  I amuse myself by typing "waterfall" or "wildlife" or "sunset" or "redwood" into the blog search bar and feel thankful for all the glimpses we've had in the past of God's general revelation through creation.  

One day, my daily devotion even assigned me the "homework" of worshiping God through experiencing nature-- suggesting I listen to ocean waves, chase a sunset, watch birds, hike through a forest and admire the leaves, etc.  Instead I spent a long time digging up old pictures and creating these collages of: 

bald eagles

moose

whales

monarch butterflies

sea turtles

otters

seal pups

pelicans

banana slugs

ladybug nests

Joshua trees

cholla cactus

waterfalls

rainbow eucalyptus groves

blow holes

black sand beaches

red rocks

sun flowers

poppies

Monterey's famous "purple carpet"

columbine

fields of wildflowers

glassy streams

rushing rapids

sunsets

turquoise mountain lakes

tufa towers

volcanoes

hot springs

coastal redwoods

trees impossibly growing from rocks

tide pools

snow-capped mountain ranges

sea glass

rainbows

and shimmering Great Lakes

This summer may be a dormant one, much to my disappointment, but I remind myself that God's glory in nature awaits our exploration in the future!