Pines and Prayer

     This past week I had the opportunity of attending the "Wood Shavings Day" event at Hartwick Pines State Park, a beautiful 10,000 acre park in Northern MI. As the name implies the festival was primarily an exploration of the rustic logging era of the 1800s. Blacksmiths, woodcarvers, and people selling wooden knickknacks abounded, each dressed in semi-authentic historical dress. Dense smoke drifted upward from a period sawmill run by an old steam engine. The clang of metal striking metal and the drone of old country music filled the air in a beautiful cacophony. Giant white pines reached to the sky, shouting their defiance against the loggers below. Modern day surveyors waxed eloquent of ancient mapping techniques and tools. Life returned,but for a moment, to the rustic days of yore when life was hard, but the future was bright. After perusing the stalls for a while, trying my hand at blacksmith puzzles, and watching the wood-chips fly from the old sawmill, I wandered off into the old growth forest to marvel at God's handiwork. It was amusing actually, how small these old growth "giants" seemed compared to the massive doug firs I'd seen in WA and the Redwoods in CA. Beautiful, and almost elegant they appeared to me, like the buttresses of a cathedral reaching toward heaven. In addition to wandering through the old growth forest (A true treasure of Northern MI) I also crossed the road to visit the Au Sable River, one of the healthiest and most beautiful streams I had ever set foot in. Dozens of shining damselflies darted above the river's surface in a stunning dance of beauty and light. Small clusters of striped fish darted past us, their glistening scales a whirl of red, silver, and yellow. All nature it seemed was part of a glorious dance; a wondrous and diverse cadence fit only for a King.

     A short prayer set in the small chapel of Hartwick Pines expresses far better than me how I felt that day. 

"Nature's Prayer"
Our Heavenly Father Creator of all that is nature. We humbly come to you in the midst of nature's splendor to thank you that as Americans we are free to worship as we please, work as we please, and move about as we please to enjoy all that is nature....It's mountains, it's hills, it's valleys, it's lakes, it's streams, and the living things that dwell therein; We pray unto you that someday the world may be at peace and all men be free to enjoy nature's abundance. We ask you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that we be guided to protect this priceless heritage which we in America are privileged to enjoy. Amen
                                                                                -Anonymous

        

 The Au Sable River

The Chapel in the Pines

 Nature's Prayer

 The Cross Window