On the 5th day of Christmas.... a short walk in the woods

It's becoming a Christmas season theme.... afternoon walks. The weather today was in the low to mid 60s (Fahrenheit), but I didn't check for an exact temperature.

I took off from work a little earlier than normal in order to take advantage of today's weather and an area that is great for walking on the way from the office to I-75.

Being on family leave of absence and working for family allows for those flexible times and days to get out and enjoy creation.

I went to Haig Mill Lake today. I knew I didn't have time to do the entire loop today, so my plan was to go left and go to the dam and back. That is what I did, with a few side stops to a fishing pier, another one at a cool place where two trees make a great photo backdrop, and then by the water's edge to enjoy the lapping water on the edge and feel the breeze blow across the water.

It was a shorter hike/walk today-- a little over 2 miles. 

The nature I enjoyed were pine straw paths, an ivy "forest", the lake, the tree canopy.

There were runners, walkers, other hikers, and even a couple of bicyclists. There were families playing on the playground and families walking and fishing. I even ran into two treasure hunters looking for cool things from the earlier days. It is a great place to go and to be outside for families, individuals, and any grouping of people. :)

If you are so inclined, there are trash grabbers at the trail head for you to pick up trash along the way. Ironically, I saw a messed up trash grabber thrown into the woods along the way, but it was too far in for me to go get it. Plus, I didn't have a trash bag with me or a trash grabber. I did, however, pick up a few pieces of small trash-- a Starbucks green coffee stirrer, a Canela's gum wrapper, and a white plastic Kinder spatula thing.

Among the nature that I spotted was a fuzzy pod with seeds. I don't know what it is, but there were several on the bush. I noticed it on my way out.

As I sat on a log listening to the water lap onto the shore and feeling the breeze, I thought about how we don't see the wind move, yet we see, hear, and experience what the wind moves. Whether it is the wind moving the water or the wind moving through the branches and remaining leaves, what we see is not the wind, but the water, the branches, the leaves. I don't know what caused me to think more about this today, except that I've been thinking these past few days about some words that Sharon Bowers has written. Her writings this week have resonated deep within me. I think the wind of the Holy Spirit is up to something. I don't see the Source, but I am seeing things move. I am feeling things. I am experiencing things.

Here is one of Sharon's writings that resonated with me this week:

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The Prophetic Edge December 27, 2022 Defining Words in Difficult Times by Sharon L. Bowers 

 

You have gotten in a rut. You have been dealing with a root of rejection. Yes, the infamous “they” said no to what you believed was the next level of leadership in your life. They blocked the door and refused to open IT and let you in. They were looking at you through their lens of their personal privilege and power. This was in the natural. God deals in the supernatural.  You have spent enough time asking “why God why” and now it is time to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again. Often times you look at only what you can see with the natural eye. Things are not always as they appear. God has already determined your destiny. No matter how IT might look, no matter how IT might feel, your life is in God’s hands. You have to remember that “those people” don’t have the final say. Their refusal to acknowledge your gifts is temporary. They are looking at the outward appearance and through their own gaze. When others see you as inadequate, God sees you as more than enough! The Lord will make your enemies your footstool. God will bring you from the backside of the mountain to the palace. This is your season. You have a God-given appointment with destiny that no human can stop. God’s blessings on your life are irreversible. What God has blessed, no one can curse. Take some time in prayer asking God to fill you up until you overflow. Spend some time recalling just how much God loves you. God’s anointing is and has always been on your life. You are in the House of Jesse. You are in the place of blessing. Look through the lens of faith. You have been chosen to lead. Things are about to change. Don’t spend any more time thinking about who said no. Everything in God is yes and amen. Get ready to watch God perform that thing!

Samuel 16:1 Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

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I don't know what, if anything, you might glean from it, but I thought I would share it. As for what it speaks to me, I don't fully know. All I know is that it resonated with me deeply and that it came to mind today as I was walking around the lake.

Being out in nature, as I have said many times, is my connection time with Creator God. It clears my head, my heart... it allows me to hear the One Voice more clearly.

I am grateful for another day to spend some quality time in nature, in creation, observing the Creator's beauty, the beauty of the earth.

I am sharing my photos with you, so you can see the path, the lake, the adventure I was on.... I hope it allows you to experience some of the experience.

I am also posting about a 1 minute video of the water lapping against the shore. I invite you to listen to it, to put yourself there, to listen to the water, to take some deep breaths in and out.

Being in nature, in creation has a calming effect on us. Even when we cannot physically be there, we can picture it or look at a photo of it and it can truly "take us there". 

May you experience some calm as I did on this 5th day of Christmas.

Peace and enjoyment on life's adventures, 

Rev. Deb

Photos and video are mine: