Super Natural Awe and Wonder

Wesley Allsbrook

We are very happy that we can "bubble up" with our grandchildren who we didn't see "in the flesh" for months because of COVID-19. On Saturday our two Trenton grandsons came for a sleepover and during the day we drove north and east to the Depot Lakes Conservation Area. We were supposed to camp there as a family in August but that has been cancelled, sadly. We paddled to the island where we would have camped, roasted hot dogs, swam, and generally enjoyed the natural world -- Creation.

At one point I looked over to another tiny island, eight to ten metres away and realized that there was a loon siting on her nest immediately by the shore. I was aware that loons nest very close to water and that the wake of boats and personal water craft often washes eggs out. Just the same, I've never seen a nest even though we've spent countless hours on the water through the years.  All four of us watched her in the stillness, then she entered the water and dove. We could see her swimming before she resurfaced and spread her wings, majestically. It was holy to experience this together. 



During the past three months the boys' parents have got them outside often, exploring trails, cycling in the neighbourhood, swimming more recently. They love it all, as did their parents when they were young. 

There is an article in the New York Times about the detrimental psychological impact on children who are in settings where the coronavirus has meant confinement for long periods of time.The piece by Meg St-Esprit McKivigan is called  ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ Is Really a Thing: Children’s behavior may suffer from lack of access to outdoor space, a problem heightened by the pandemic. Both her name and the title are mouthfuls and the article is worthwhile. 

 Parents are aware of behaviour changes with irritability and anxiety. It seems that Nature Deficit Disorder, a phrase coined by Richard Louv, a journalist and the author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder does exist. 

I'm convinced that the Creator meant for us to connect with the world around us, that we are "natural" as well as appreciating nature, that we are embodied by design.I imagine that the God who chose to be with is in this world in the person of Jesus, played by the lake called Kinneret and climbed hillsides and trees as a boy.

One of the greatest gifts we who are people of faith -- Groundlings -- can give our children and grandchildren is our example of delighting in the world around us and sharing this exploration with them.