Wonder and Appreciation

Virginia Rail - Leslie Abram - Frink Centre

A couple of weeks ago I ventured out early to the boardwalk at the Frink Centre, north of Belleville. This is a popular spot for school groups, which tend to be...enthusiastic! I was there early enough that they hadn't arrived yet, nor were there any other humans. A portion of the boardwalk has been dismantled and will be rebuilt but it is still accessible with a little more effort.

It was quiet and peaceful and an unusual morning in terms of encounters with wildlife. I noticed the corpse of a duck in the water and when I looked closer I realized several turtles were feeding on the largely intact remains. When I leaned down the largest turtle grabbed the body and pulled it under the boardwalk to preempt my possible theft.

When I walked farther along I heard a noisy thrashing about it the cattails and was surprised to see the head of a White-Tailed deer, then another. They were well out in the water, perhaps to feed on new shoots.

Then I was surprised by the emergence of a small bird onto to the boardwalk. I thought it might be a Sora but it was probably a Virginia Rail, as seen in the photo by Leslie Abram (check out her website for some wonderful pictures.) http://leslieabram.com/ And I did see a water snake as well.


I find these times in the solitude, amidst other creatures going about their daily lives, to be contemplative and an invitation into a Presence which is healing, the "now" of existence which seems to evade us much of the time. There are no tasks in these moments, just a powerful sense of wonder and appreciation. I don't take this for granted and I thank the Creator of All.

Comments?



Water Snake -Garry Kirsch - Frink Centre