Life will have its way...

I am so tempted to begin the day by complaining about the heat. But I'll refrain, and limit my whining to "I typically don't even comment on the temperature until at least late-July-August." There, I'm done.

Meanwhile with the excellent rain we had yesterday evening, I can almost hear the vegetation growing around the house. I'm not sure if the grass is making any progress, but I swear the weeds have shot up a couple in inches in less than twenty-four hours. I'm always amazed at the phenomenon of growth. How can something as small as a seed turn into a plant, or a tree?

The other day our neighbors commented on our magnificent Cyprus. When I told them it was a twig, no bigger than a thin pencil, when we planted it they couldn't believe me. Hold on a moment and I'll go outside for a couple of photographs.......

... There, and that wasn't easy because the humidity is so thick my lens kept fogging up. But the tree is tall, strong, thick-trunked, and still reaching into the sky.

The imperative of insistent life is all around us. Even in the face of environmental catastrophes like the BP oil spill, life will have its way. And I find a lot of hope in that. In fact, even the stuff I don't like (like the 98 degree reading on my thermometer yesterday afternoon along with 99% humidity) contributes to growth and strength and long-term health.

Sometimes I think we distance ourselves too far from the earth. I'm not saying we should all be gardeners, but I am suggesting more of a deliberate connection. Personally, I find that God often speaks to me with more clarity (or I hear with more clarity) when I take the time to appreciate creation and to immerse myself in the work of God's imagination.

I am also the work of God's imagination. How I respond to that fact determines if I will be a co-creator with God in all the possibilities... or a half-hearted functionary in a plot that's already played out.

Today the cedar tree is the touchstone of my spiritual path. I'll be keeping my eyes and my heart open to see how God speaks to me tomorrow....

This is what I saw as I was stretched out on my bed. I saw a big towering tree at the center of the world. As I watched, the tree grew huge and strong. Its top reached the sky and it could be seen from the four corners of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant—enough food for everyone! Wild animals found shelter under it, birds nested in its branches, everything living was fed and sheltered by it - Daniel 4