Still Growing

The town of Thermopolis is known for its hot springs.
In fact, it claims to have the World’s Largest Mineral Hot Spring, which it proclaims boldly on a hillside.
The town even has a gumdrop-shaped rock
that was formed via a vent pipe installed back in 1909.
Due to the “fountain” still exuding water, the rock is continually growing.
I don’t think of rocks as growing; I think of them as eroding —
becoming less —
not more.
As I age, I feel like I am becoming less,
not more.
But what if the Water of Life
is working in me so abundantly that I am overflowing?
Not dried up and useless at all —

instead a reflection of The Source: the ever-flowing circle of past, present and future rolled into one.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book,

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 Ultimate Artist

My husband and I are both artists, so we couldn’t miss Artist Point in Yellowstone National Park.
The palette of colors was impressive.
A massive waterfall plunged down with such force it created a little atmosphere of fog in one part of the canyon.
To say that creation is majestic is only part of what makes it astounding.
Creation is serenity inducing,
precarious, 
tenacious
and life-giving — much like God.

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.

Checking In with Nature

Bee: When you’re hanging on by a thread, stop and rest awhile.
Reflection: Be careful not to judge others — things may not be the way they appear to you.
Chrysanthemum: Mum’s the word when someone shares something with you in confidence.
Magnolia bud: Not everything can be seen as either/or; juxtapositions exist side by side.
Pod: Vulnerability is letting your heart be exposed.
Rhododendron bud: When you hold someone too close they are not free to flower: love by letting go.
Waterfall: If you stop struggling you’ll eventually pop up and float with the flow.
Nasturtium leaves: Reach for the light through the darkness.
Magnolia buds: When you are anxious, imagine being embraced by softness.
Tree dahlia pod: You already contain everything you need to grow.
Borage: A prickly person may be softer than you imagine, once you get close enough to know them.
White magnolia: May you bloom and grow forever.

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.

Reverential Feelings

I often feel tiny when confronted with the majesty of creation. And when my husband, Rob, and I visited Hedge Creek Falls in Dunsmuir, California, the feeling came on strong.
Perhaps it was due to standing beneath huge basalt columns.
Or from watching Rob cross a giant log over a chasm
as I held my breath.
I also feel a sense of awe when I discover something new to me in nature — like black acorns! How could I not have known of their existence until now?
Lots of feelings spring up when I am surrounded by the natural world.
When I stood behind the waterfall, within a shallow cave, I was overcome with reverence. The small stream of water falling from an unseen source above gave me the feeling of being baptized by The Creator.
Nearby handprints, although technically graffiti, added to the sense of healing by the mysterious “laying on of hands” that a number of churches embrace.
In fact, the entire place brought to mind a natural cathedral with basalt organ pipes.
After my reverie and a little more exploring, we climbed back up the trail.
At the top was an empty bulletin board that I hadn’t noticed when we began the trail. It was as if the hike was an abstract idea to which the hiker would assign meaning. And I had.

Photos © Sondra Sula; Rob Sula in three photos with permission.

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.

Signs and Wonders

I knew my husband and I were in store for a magical treat when we saw a unicorn tucked into the rock wall of a descending path leading to Burney Falls in Shasta County, California.
And we were. A divided river plunged down a precipice in front of a myriad of secondary falls seeping from an underlayer of rock.
It was wild.
The water fell into a beautifully colored pool — navy, turquoise, teal, emerald — that changed in the dappled light.
I felt happy.
The loop trail continued down
along the river
with a vertical rocky bank to one side.
It beckoned us to “come away” and we complied, eventually crossing the river on an arched bridge.
Above us, a leafy cover of pink and green looked as if the plucky unicorn had laced the forest canopy with cotton candy.
Soon we were ascending the trail and were able to see the falls from a different point of view. How often do I take the time to explore varying points of view when I’m faced with an obstacle?
As I considered this, my intuition was tugging at me to explore a side path. I asked my husband, Rob, if he wouldn’t mind waiting for me on a nearby bench.
I climbed up the steep grade until I came to a sign: Pacific Crest Trail. I’ve always wanted to walk on this famous trail, and here was my chance! I walked for a few minutes towards Mexico, then did an about face and headed for Canada. I felt strangely satisfied.
When I made my way back down to the bench, Rob wasn’t there, but I then saw him waving to me from a bridge farther on. We were both amazed how calm the river looked even though the falls were just out of sight. If a kayaker wasn’t paying attention, they could fall right over the edge. I reflected on the idea that we never really know what lies ahead. All we can do is pay attention to the signs.

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.

Meeting Grace on McCloud Waterfalls Trail

Good things come in threes, and the triple waterfalls of the McCloud River in Siskiyou County were no exception.
The lower falls were small, but pretty. In their defense, my husband and I visited in autumn when the river is at its lowest.
Had we been there in spring, when glaciers and snow melt from the top of Mount Shasta, we were sure the flow would have been much more dramatic.
In fact, we could see pools
and holes made from years of rushing water.
We hiked uphill to the next stop, passing enormous ponderosa pines
and bunches of umbrella plants growing in and around the water.
The middle falls were beautiful and stretched across the entire width of the river.
I scrambled down into the riverbed to explore
and discovered a sacredness there, like being cradled in a holy womb.
I found it difficult to leave that place, bathed in its comforting glory, but continued ever upward, which gave me the unexpected joy of viewing Middle Falls from above.
Naturally, we had high hopes for the upper falls, imagining the waterfalls to be increasingly spectacular. There is an idea instilled in us that the most difficult things reap the greatest rewards.
But that idea doesn’t take grace into account. The middle falls ended up being the loveliest — perhaps because that was where I was simply resting within God, doing nothing to accrue favor.

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.

Refreshed by Waterfall Artistry

I enter from above the waterfall at Russian Gulch State Park, passing a small deep basin of water, deceptively still, before it rushes down a rock face.
Rough steps wind down a serpentine trail to a simple wooden bridge.
Alone on the structure I gaze at beads of water suspended in air as they drop down to a shallow pool.
Magnificent redwoods and firs have fallen to create thick tightropes on which to walk if you have that type of daring blood coursing through your veins. My blood is only partially daring; or is it foolhardy?
Some logs are definitely off limits.
But I am adventurous enough to explore underneath them where someone has dropped a line of Andy Goldsworthy-style orange peels. The out-of-place color plays off dark leaf shadows and a checkerboard current.
My artist’s eye notices lime green reflections dancing above splinters of wood resting on the sandy silt.
The bridge’s shadows have the feeling of a monochromatic abstract painting. Art is everywhere.
On rare hot days I’m willing to unlace my hiking boots, wade into the coolness and be sprayed by the falling water.
But today is brisk and I’ve finished wandering. Time to head back, refreshed and ready to continue the day.

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.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

When the rains finally arrive on the drought-ridden coast, it’s time to hike to The Waterfall. And everyone here knows that means the one in Russian Gulch State Park along the Falls Loop Trail.
Water trickles down in many spots, but there are few dramatic falls in our area. Even The Waterfall can look pretty meager during the summer months.
The rains also bring mushrooms, from large
to small.
The added moisture freshens up lungmoss, named for its resemblance to lung tissue.
Teas made from it are thought to help respiratory issues. I left it to dwell in its natural habitat not only because I don’t like ants in my tea, but because it is unlawful to remove any plants from California state parks.
I discovered some traditional moss growing through a toadstool and found myself once again marveling at the exquisiteness of creation.
So much of what I was seeing was fleeting: here today, gone tomorrow. My takeaway is to appreciate what I can here and now. It costs nothing but time.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my most recent 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.

Forest Music

The forest plays its own music.
The buzz of a bee considering landing on a trillium, then deciding to move on.
The plash of water tumbling down rock.
The silence — the space between sounds — of crushed forget-me-nots contemplating how to rise again.
And the whisper of horsetails swishing against one another when the wind blows.
When I still myself to listen, I hear the music of creation.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my most recent 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.