Wednesday Nature Walk: Eyes Wide Open

It's Wednesday.

In western South Dakota, on this prairie, it is 2 degrees F.

My #naturewalk photos are from yesterday 

when it was a balmy 10 degrees.

You may take a peek at these pages for

glimpses into nature.

Studio JRU

Cindy Fort @ 12 Tribes

Paulette Insall

You can check out #naturewalk on facebook to find more images.

Here's a bit more of what I have to share with you today:

It feels more like February than mid-November.

The sandhill cranes are shocked into flying south.

Thousands flew over us yesterday feeling fooled by last week's

nature walk in the 50's and 60's.

They flew low enough to see their colors.

Stragglers coming later.

Calling

"Wait! Wait! We're coming!"

But the cold is altogether

different

in the minds

of

youth.

Before school,

usually

she drags feet.

But not at the sight of snow.

Snow is fire

lit beneath her

to

play.

She's the one who told me once,

"I'm going to go outside and live my life!"

And that is exactly what she does.

Pulling her sister and me out the door

to

live life

too.

Last week,

a dear friend

was laid to rest.

I was driving on the Interstate alone

the day I learned of her passing.

There was a nagging thought of guilt

creeping in and shaming me

for not getting there in time to see her again.

As the thought was about to settle over me

in a dark cloud of condemnation

I glanced at a semi-truck

on the opposite side of I-90.

Against a black trailer,

the letters rolled before me:

G

R

A

C

E

.

My breath caught.

I looked again.

GRACE Transport, Inc.

on the side of the truck.

And then it was gone.

But I got the message.

Grace.

With grace, the truck swept the condemnation cloud

down the highway

until it

dissolved.

GRACE.

Receive it.

So you can

Live it.

Live life like you mean it.

Sometimes . . . usually,

The Message 

pops up

where I least 

expect 

it.

Live life.

Wholly,

Fully.

With abundant love.

In all

the

seasons.

In the early morning

and

just

before

dark.

This morning I read from Mary Oliver's poem In The Storm.

Here is a verse to share with you:

Belief isn't always easy.

But this much I have learned ------

if not enough else -----

to live with my eyes open.

Eyes wide open.

In memory of Gaylene Morell.