It’s warm out there; in fact, by the middle of the day one could call it hot. Sunny days make for good beach weather but not for plants that need water. I’m watering plants in the early morning and then again in the early evening. It is a Jersey summer, for sure. All the neighborhood pets are searching for cool places to sleep. Even the birds nestle under tree branches in the heat.
Of course, we are not in the same position as Texas or the states in the southwest, with triple digit temperatures. It is getting hotter every year and heat can be a killer. Even in parts of Europe have experienced a heatwave with temperatures rising into the 90s, and like New Jersey, without rain.
The northern Nordic countries have managed to escape much of the heat, the average temperature being between 60-70 F. And there’s rain. In the Nordic woods this time of year people are picking blueberries and mushrooms. All along the roads are bicycles pushed off to the side as people gather their treasures. They are quiet while engaging in their tasks so they can hear the birds sing God’s melody of creation.
Prayer for the Day
We come to you, O God, acknowledging you as Creator,
And we see the glory of your creation even in a grain of sand.
Even the wolf and the bear, the lynx and the cougar call to you
And the tortoise and the butterfly look to you in silence.
Come, O God, and remind us that we are not the owners
Of your earth and your creation, but caretakers.
In the name of him who walked among grass and lilies,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
If you are in a bad mood, go for a walk. If you are still in aa bad mood, go for another walk.
Hippocrates, ancient Greek physician (460-370 BCE)
To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.
Mary Lua Davis (Treat), American naturalist (1830-1923)
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar and all that fills it;
Let the field exult and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord;
For the Lord is coming, coming to judge the earth.
God will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with truth.
Psalm 96: 11-13