Nature offers an array of special places to which the frazzled soul can retreat and find tranquility and rest. There is something calming about water, whether it is lapping at a shoreline or spilling over the stones in a stream. Notice how the bubbling brook doesn’t stop to worry about the many obstacles in its path; it simply flows over them or around them and continues on its way. An observer would be hard-pressed to catch nature in an act of toil or worry. The Creator has provided for the needs of the plants and animals, and their beauty is evidence of that fact. Are we any less cared for? Nature reminds us that we are not, and her attitude is contagious if we slow down and take time to soak it in.

by Greg Olsen