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And then this Fall began, as always, with bittersweet feelings of yet another sun-filled season gone by. In my reflections on the fading Summer, I was able to recall that, despite my busy working schedule, I spent some wonderful, relaxing, and uplifting times outdoors this year.
For starters, there was Palmyra. If you're not familiar with LDS Church history, this is a tiny town in upstate New York where a lot of noteworthy events occurred during the era of Joseph Smith. I was asked to organize a trip there for my Young Single Adult congregation this summer. It was a MAJOR task that took up virtually all of my free time up until the main event. So by the time the trip north arrived, I was in desperate need of a long weekend which, fortunately, I got.
The best part about our stay in Palmyra was that we stayed in a gigantic house on one of the largest finger lakes, Lake Seneca. It was incredibly picturesque. We had plenty of time to spend on the lake-- swimming, kayaking, skipping rocks... I kept thinking "What would I be doing right about now if I was at the office?" Every time I thought that, I smiled knowing that whatever I was presently doing was so far superior to my regular day-to-day workaholic life.
But in all seriousness, feeling the warm breeze as I lapped through the water in a kayak was so relaxing. I could feel my psyche decompressing. It was like I could take full breaths again.
And then there was the Sacred Grove. This is a quiet, nondescript grove of trees out on the site of an 1800s family farm. This is where God the Father and Christ appeared nearly 200 years ago to jump start this final era of time. As the name tells, it is a sacred place. The only noise is from little birds and bugs and softly crunching leaves under-foot. The light filters through the leaves in beautiful rays and speckles. There are wooden benches scattered about for people to sit and contemplate or pray. For me, being in nature has always proven to be a source of reinforcement that there is a Great Creator.
One of my favorite scriptures comes from the prophet Alma when he speaks to Korihor, an anti-Christ asking for a sign to prove the existence of deity--
"But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your
God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all
these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are
laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even
the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."
As Einstein is quoted to have said, "The more I study science, the more I believe in God."
This world is no accident. Sometimes when we are so wrapped up into our man-made lives, it is difficult to remember the gorgeous God-made creations that surround us. Being in nature helps me remember that I am just a small speck on a lovely planet, peacefully floating in the vast universe.
Doctrine and Covenants 88:45 describes this as follows:
The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun
giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and
the stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their
glory, in the midst of the power of God.
This long weekend in upstate New York was all topped off by having our Sunday church service outside. I did this in Australia when my study group and I were traveling, and at other various times in my life, and these outdoor Sacrament Meetings have always been special to me.
Mankind began in a beautiful Garden called Eden. I don't think that was a mistake. God reached out to our humble globe and planted humans for the first time on this earth in a place filled with trees, flowers, fruit, and animals.
Think about it, even after they left the Garden, I'm sure Adam and Eve worshipped outside in nature-- along with most of the other Old Testament notables, until the tabernacle was built by Moses and Company-- and even the tabernacle was just a fancy tent outside in the wilderness.
Where did Moses commune with Jehovah before the tabernacle? Up on Mt Sinai through a burning bush. Yep, even out in the middle of nowhere, Moses had to go for a hike before he could find the peace and quiet to converse with the Lord.
And where did the Atonement take place? It was also in a Garden-- Gethsemane. This is where Christ chose to suffer for the sins of the world, kneeling in the grass and dirt surrounded by olive trees. Jerusalem was a notable city of its day with a pristine, holy temple. But it wasn't in the temple where the Atonement was made, it was in nature, outside of the imposing walls of Jerusalem.
Holy writ recounts numerous times where special spiritual events occur up on mountains. Not just Sinai, but also the Mount of Transfiguration, the mountain where the brother of Jared saw the Lord, and so forth. The mountain of the Lord is a scriptural phrase that equates to the temple, or God's house--a place where His presence reigns. A place of inspiration and elevated thoughts. That is exactly how I feel about nature.
One of my favorite Hymns is How Great Thou Art-- it greatly parallels many verses in The Book of Moses.
Here is the hymn as I know it:
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze
And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim,
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze
Refrain
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Refrain
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim,
My God, how great thou art!
Here is a verse and refrain from another version of the same hymn:
When I behold the heavens in their vastness,
Where golden ships in azure issue forth,
Where sun and moon keep watch upon the fastness
Of changing seasons and of time on earth.
With rapture filled, my soul thy name would laud,
O mighty God! O mighty God! (repeat)
My summer finished with a trip to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. It had breathtaking beauty in its rolling green hills and amazing boulder sculptures. (See here for ALL the lovely photos)
For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all to thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all to thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.
With all of this gratitude and joy that I reap from the sunny summer months, it is no wonder that every year-- especially since I've moved from Southern California to the frigid East-- Labor Day is my own personal day of sorrow, for I must start bidding the sun's warmth farewell for far too long.
Appropriately enough, in 6th Grade we were assigned Greek gods & goddesses to study and embrace and I was given Persephone-- the daughter of Demeter (goddess of the harvest) who was stolen away by Hades and brought to reign in the Underworld as his queen. One day she's prancing around in the flowers, and the next she is gone and the world turns to icy winter. The compromise is that she is allowed to come back every year and, inevitably upon Persephone's return to the land of the living, Spring arrives. To me, winter certainly feels like the Underworld at times. All of the songs talk about "White Christmases" but they forget to mention the subsequent gray-brown sludge piled up in the roads after a good snow. Gross.
This year for Labor Day I grabbed onto the last rays of sunshine by going stand-up paddleboarding on a nearby lake with my greatest adventure companion, Ian.
And here I am worshipping the fading sun, I mean, doing upward-facing-dog.
As the seasons change year in and year out, plants decline only to re-bloom and re-grow. Spring is the perfect setting to commemorate Easter, the ultimate re-birth, when Christ returned to life in full vitality, having burst the inconceivable trap of death. He returned from the Underworld and gave hope of the ultimate Springtime-- resurrection.
Again, even the seasons are part of what Alma was talking about when he stated that "all things denote there is a God."
So, yes, in a sense I do revere and honor the sun. But not just the sun, I stand in awe of the Great Creator and all things that bear witness of His existence. Nature is a manifestation of His power and glory.
As yet another hymn says best-- Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. Because, in my humble opinion, that is exactly what life and families are all about-- love, beauty, creation.
