It’s a lovely morning, still a bit on the cool side, but the heat is coming. We’ll feel some warm mornings soon. It is a good morning to look around at the beauty around us, sometimes found in unexpected places, like the Columbine now blooming in a small crevice next to the sidewalk, easier to see than a rare plant found only in the Pine Barrens, discovered by a Temple University botanist.
Now, after a decade of research, this lovely plant is indeed a distinct species, growing to almost two feet tall, but if you’ve walked the trails in the Barrens, you know it’s easy to miss some of the incredible plants you see and can smell there. May pinks, blooming closer to the earth, combine with sweet fern to send a sweet fragrance.
Scripture tells us that the first thing God did after creating the earth was to plant a garden. Although we think of gardens as ordered and designed, the Barrens and other such wild places that we normally don’t think of as gardens, are simply natural gardens planted by God. Gardens, whether formal or wild, are places where you can meet God.
Prayer for the Day
Joining with all creation, we of the earth sing of your glory,
For you, O God, inspire such awe in us that we tremble;
But even as your glory resounds in our ears, we are caught in trivia,
And are vexed by the little things that seize our days.
Reveal your light through the beauty we often miss,
And infuse in us an understanding of the world around.
In the name of the One who opens our eyes,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
All of these issues now, you know, the discovery of a plant in New Jersey, in the Pine Barrens, is just one little piece of the larger story of the natural environment. We’re all part of a living community on Earth and really understanding that we are reliant on the functionality of this planet.
Sasha Eisenmann, Temple University
Development brings contamination of ground water, streams and ponds and pumping of the Pinelands Aquifer. Poorly planned wells and stormwater from developments degrades this 17 trillion gallon water resource that is vital to the Pinelands very existence. Evaluating developments for both these impacts and stopping projects that may have an irreversible impact is necessary to protect the Pinelands integrity.
Pinelands Alliance
Consider the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
Matthew 6: 28-29