Yesterday Ruth and I paddled on the Moira River, early in the afternoon. We paddled through the gauntlet of shoreline fishers, with their cigarette smoke and blaring country tunes. Soon they and the racket of the O'Brien bridge were fading behind us and we entered into the quiet of the tranquil river. This may have been the calmest we've ever seen it, at a time of the day when the breeze tends to come to life. It allowed us to experience clouds and birds in flight on the surface of the water.
When we arrived at the rapids below Plainfield we found an eddy to dwell in, to absorb the sight and sound of the rushing water. There were no other watercraft of any kind, again a rarity, although it's never particularly busy. I noticed a feather on the surface close to where we were sitting in the canoe and I edged closer so that Ruth could take a photo.
The experience was lovely even though we were only on the water for an hour or so. We saw herons and kingfishers fly across the river and disciplined ourselves to watch their reflection. It was a unique paddle, as each one is through the seasons with which we are blessed in this country.
Today marks the beginning of Creation Time for 2018. This is the mini-season of the Christian Liturgical Year which will stretch over five weeks until the Feast of St. Francis on October 4th. Many Canadian churches will begin this time on Sunday, September 9th, because of Labour Day Weekend and extend it until our Thanksgiving Sunday which will be October 7th this year. There are many themes for these weeks, and the Rise for Climate Day of Action will fall on September 8th.
Whatever your congregation does (or doesn't) undertake I hope that all of us as people of faith will make time to contemplate the beauty around us during this season devoted to Creation. I suppose none of us makes time, do we? We order our days according to what is most important to us. As we bid farewell to Summer and embrace Fall I encourage you to celebrate the fullness and fecundity of Creation.
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