Where is Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada? Well, it is about 75 kilometres east of Toronto, not far from Oshawa, straddling highway 401. How am I doing?
I don't know about you, but I would rather be identified by my proximity to a lake than a highway. We are not only residents of a community called Bowmanville, but part of the Bowmanville Watershed which is the intricate web of waterways which empty into Lake Ontario.
Last week Canada and the United States updated its cooperative agreement on the Great Lakes and that is a great development. We need to work together to protect these bodies of water in areas such as invasive species and pollution. After all, millions rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water.
This past Sunday we explored the theme of fire as part of Creation Time. This week it will be water, which in scripture is both practical and spiritual. There are so many river and well stories in the bible, as portals into new relationships and a promised land. And Lake Kinneret, or the Sea of Galilee, is where Jesus called his disciples into a new life. We should regard water as both holy and a sacred trust.
What is your history with water? Are you a paddler, or a swimmer? Does being around water have an effect on your spirit?
When we moved from Ontario to Calgary, I have to say that I fell in love with the Rockies. When I would see them on my drives in the morning, my heart would swell. I insisted on getting into the mountains at least every few weeks and it became my way of recharging the batteries, to give me the energy I needed to get through an otherwise stressful life. Being in touch with nature that showed itself in such a spectacular way, was really my way of getting reconnected with God. I gave thanks every time I was there. But if the Rockies were my 'church', the lakes are my home. I missed the lakes and the water so much. All of my family feel the same way. The lakes are what ground me, I always know where I am if Lake Ontario is nearby. When I'm having a tough day, I sneak away to Bowmanville Creek or to the shores of Lake Ontario, just to hear the sound of the water and it always soothes me. God's beauty is at its best out west (in my opinion) but He speaks to me through water. We are so fortunate to have so much of it around us and at our disposal. It shames me that we take it for granted when so many millions of people are in such desperate need of it for their survival.
ReplyDeleteHi David, as you know we are head over heels about our little rescue dog and you also know that she had not spent time outdoors prior to her coming to live with us. It may not be immediately obvious to others how this hinders a dog’s ability to be a dog. In the beginning Avery was terrified of the outdoors. At times this was heart wrenching, but then as she slowly began to uncoil from her fear we were given the gift of seeing the world through her eyes and it was quite startling to visualize the natural world from the perspective of a creature who had no previous knowledge of nature’s existence. Slowly but surely Avery began to act like a dog. She stopped flattening herself out when birds flew over, she started sniffing things, then after a much longer time she began leaving her scent, and now she loves to chase squirrels. We no longer have to force her to go outside; she brings us her harness and joyfully asks to go out. We have since taken her to forests and lakes and even canoeing. She takes each new experience with some shyness, but she has become much braver. She used to be afraid of large rocks. She wouldn’t go near them and even growled at them. We had to pick her up and comfort her; it was that discombobulating for her. They looked like wild animals to her. All of these sights that we had stopped seeing through our familiarity with them, she has brought back to us. Everything is mysterious and miraculous again, even the leaves that she can now accept as falling and the puddles she can now step in. She is particularly drawn to a specific spot at the creek and she drags Us there now. It is a spot where there is a small path leading right down to some rapids. She peers right into the water and doesn’t want to leave. She is drawn to the sound. I would swear this is a spiritual experience for her. She had to learn to be her natural self at the same time she learned to cope with things like wind, rain, and snow. It has made me realize that we give up vital parts of ourselves when we stop paying attention to the natural world. We were meant to co-exist with nature, to in a sense feed our senses with it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for both of these very thoughtful responses. Reflecting on both sense of place and sense of "dogness" takes me a step further into my own thoughts about all of this and I appreciate your taking the time to write.
ReplyDeleteMy new blog is a bit humbling. With Lion Lamb there are usually 200 to 250 page views with one day topping 300. Groundling? One day there were almost 30! It's good to know you're reading and responding.