In the coming days and weeks, perhaps months, the country we know and love will be in some level of turmoil because of the 2020 election in America. Most of us will have done our duty and voted. As always, since the debacle of Jimmy Carter’s presidency, my vote represents a conservative-based view, derived from love of country and desire for liberty, prosperity, and peace.
At this point, it is difficult to feel confident in the election’s outcome. It certainly seems like we are in for a Trump landslide, unless voter fraud spoils the election process. But no matter what that outcome might be, a lot of folks are going to be unhappy. And we will read about that in the news, see it on television and online, and perhaps experience it, in our neighborhoods or in our lives.
Some of us will worry and fret as these troubling days unfold. Some folks will find themselves in the middle of it, by profession, by a desire to do something meaningful, or purely by accident. I pray we all stay safe. I pray we all keep our level heads about us. And I pray we all find the time, and take it, to seek sanctuary from daily strife, in moments of quiet peace.
Depending upon your circumstances, it may be difficult or nearly impossible to get away from it all. Quiet time to relax, perhaps to meditate, can provide what a tired soul needs.
I have found much comfort from seeing the effects of a rising sun in a natural setting. If that is not available to you, and you long for it, then let me take you there in your mind. In as quiet a setting as possible, look at today’s photograph for a few moments. Think about what it would be like to be standing right there looking out across those beaver ponds.
I clearly remember that morning. The forest was especially quiet. Water babbled over small twigs and rocks nearby. The sweet song of small birds out in the forest occasionally and pleasantly interrupted the silence. Once, a pair of mallards flew high overhead, their quacking barely audible. In the distance, I could hear a goose honking. But it was so far away I could hardly recognize the sound.
I was alone in the forest. The solitude was palatable.
Just moments earlier I had been standing on the West Bay lookout platform, surrounded by a thick and rising mist. The morning sun was barely touching the tops of trees in the distance. On past days there had been dozens of noisy Canada geese and mallards swimming around in the beaver ponds near that platform. But on this fine morning, no geese or ducks swam there. I clicked a few shots of the ponds with my camera and decided to move on, heading toward the new pedestrian bridge.
The bridge was in sight just ahead. I stopped for a moment and looked out over the beaver ponds I had just been standing above on the platform. The rising sun crested the trees whose shade I stood under, lighting up the top half of those distant trees on the other side of the ponds, the light slowly moving toward ground as I watched. The mist that had contributed so much to the ambience of the morning was growing thin but still rising above the water, giving everything in the distance a diffused glow.
I stood there. I am not sure how long I was mesmerized by what I saw. The sharp and clear trees, right in front of me in the shade of the forest, contrasted so perfectly with the softness of the rest of the scene, as the morning sun did its magical movement down the trunks of the trees in the distance. The natural sounds of the morning, so pleasant to the ear, were a perfect complement.
There was a world out there that needed some of my attention. But it could wait. I needed this. And I took it. I breathed in that forest air and felt it on my skin. I listened to those pleasant sounds. I looked at the natural beauty of that wonderful scene and thanked God I was there, if only for a little while. It is moments like those that can center your mind, save your sanity, bring you joy, and give you strength. If you cannot find those moments for yourself, please help yourself to my American morning. What better reason would I have to share it here?
It was mine to experience firsthand, and now mine to remember. But it is also yours for whatever value it might hold for your life. Look at today’s photo or others I have posted, many of which have corresponding stories here on my blog for you to read, if you want. Draw from them whatever personal benefit you can. A few of my photos are at this blog in the Portfolio section; many more are on my Gab profile page at https://gab.com/MyAmericanMorning in the Media section. Every blog article inspired by a photo will include a link to that photo in dark blue bold italicized letters.
I wish you well. Let us all find some peace in this troubled world, so that we may have the strength to do our part to make it better.