Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness

            My regular dog-walking adventures are a bit different now with only one dog. While no longer needing to keep eyes peeled in two directions, when my boy pauses, I get to pause too... and to look around at what is happening around me.

            The world is a beautiful place, after all, and it is a gift to be able to see it - smell it - hear it - touch it.

            I noticed, one day, some dew-covered spider webs in the grass. It was easy to imagine them as otherworldly: fairy-blankets, perhaps; somehow their delicate and fleeting presence (gone once the sun dried the dew) made them mystical and special.

            I can check in on the status of the day-lilies and morning glories, as their charming vibrance is revealed in the sunlight yet hidden during the darkness; all the while wondering what treasurers are concealed beneath their leaves (in which the dog takes considerable interest!)

            I pause and appreciate the unique rustling of the leaves as the salty sea breeze moves through town, an invisible force leaving a distinct scent and taste while it beats a gentle percussion for my canine procession.

            I relish a fresh-fallen rain, the tingling of charged air and gentle mist on my skin, the sound of the droplets hitting the ground, the unique petrichor scent of new rain on dry soil. 

            The world is a beautiful place, after all, with no end of surprises. What delight that God has given us such abundant gifts to enjoy.  "O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." Ps 104.24