Mysterious Grace

The black blur sped by ten inches from my nose
below the generous eave under which I sat
on a white plastic Adirondack chair.
It sounded like an old-fashioned dry mop
barely touching a spiderweb;
or like a paper napkin dropping onto a rug.
It was that quiet.
And it was small.
A hummingbird without the buzz;
a wren with soundless feathers.

Dusk fell hard,
ten thousand crickets sang in a rhythmic pulse,
a quarter moon shone whiter.

The thing flew past, again and again,
threading itself between the eave, my face
and the metal tulip rain chain hanging just to my right.

I didn’t startle.
I smiled each time it passed,
almost laughed outright.
Was it playing a game?
I sat completely still
even as a high-pitched mosquito
navigated my earlobe.

If I turned my head to the left to see it coming
minutes ticked by
and I would eventually straighten my neck
to keep it from cramping.
That’s the moment it would fly past.

Its flight was a grace.
I couldn’t force it to comply with my wishes
or make it reveal itself.
But when I acknowledged that fact
there it was, darting by me in the blackness:
a bat.

Its silent flight suddenly made sense:
soft fur, no feathers.
I smiled.
I am a naturalist at heart:
an observer.
I was gaining knowledge by experience
regarding bat flight.
And I accepted the grace.
I was not in control,
the bat was,
and if I wanted to observe it,
I had to accept its terms.

The bat flew by me forty times —
I counted —
never grazing my face,
never giving me warning,
always making me smile.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Accepting Mystery

Mystery is a concept we all understand, yet it is little understood.
In Genesis 1:2 the Bible reads: The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
I never contemplated that verse extensively until we visited the Grand Prismatic Spring and its accompanying pools in Yellowstone National Park.
The shrouded mist gave the landscape an otherworldly atmosphere
and I could imagine the Spirit of God there compressing colors,
etching designs upon the earth and
playfully interacting with the water.
We were an idea yet to be formed.
What movement do I allow on the “face of my waters?”
Am I dry?
Or do I allow Mystery in — to potentially disturb my “waters” in a way that encourages growth?
And what might I find there? The River of Life?

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

The Upside of a Sack Lunch

For one, you can eat your sack lunch anywhere, even along a refreshing snow-melt stream in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming.
Of course, you have to hike up there first. “Up there” is about 8,000 feet, which is no small feat when you are living day to day at 500 feet above sea level.
I’m not saying I wasn’t up for the challenge, even in my slightly older, slightly pudgy state. It helps to have a husband who carries the actual lunches, water and miscellaneous gewgaws on his back.
As a person who lives for shade, the open meadows were beautiful, but sweltering. When I checked the temperatures before I left, the prediction was 90 degrees every day wherever we were headed.
So I simply braced myself and wore a cooling scarf — a neat doodad with swelling beads that you can dip in a freezing cold stream — which helped keep my body temperature in check.
When we reached an enticingly shady spot, we sat on a rock and ate our sack lunches. I’m quite sure the glorious view enhanced the tuna salad and made it taste that much better.
My husband cajoled me onto a rickety bridge with promises of a better view. Naturally I succumbed, and he was correct.
Hiking back to the trailhead I felt God winking at us through snow-capped peaks,
dramatic clouds,
charming flora
and enchanting fauna.
As with all remote hiking and lunching, we tried not to leave our mark. But a mark was definitely left on us.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Inevitable Movement

“Escaping the Wind” by Sondra Sula

Everything is moving. Some things, such as dragonfly wings, are moving so fast we can barely see them, and other things, such as rocks, are moving so slowly, they appear to be stationary. Have you ever been standing outside and thought: the earth is moving me right now, rotating me from day to night to day? Well, it’s true!

“Teasel Layer Cake” by Sondra Sula

A mighty wind was present today as I walked with great confidence on the surface of our spinning planet, completely unaware as to whether I was walking with the movement or against it. The wind allowed me access to insects that would normally be too speedy to photograph up close because they were trying to shelter themselves. I was also able to see plants moving: petals fluttering, flowers sailing, and leaves bracing against bursts of air.

“Queen of Spades” by Sondra Sula

When I get stuck and feel like I’m going nowhere, it helps me to remember that the whole earth is moving me. The dark night will turn into day even if I’m standing still. And if I defiantly run counter to the rotation, I will eventually feel the sunlight on my back anyway because I can’t outwit a movement that’s been happening long before human existence.

“Petals Aflutter” by Sondra Sula