This is another photo from hiking out near Las Vegas in March. When I took it, what had gotten my attention was the plane flying out of the clouds. It was only after I had taken the photo that I realized the clouds were in the shape of an animal’s head.

Life is often like that. Our attention is drawn to something immediate but sometimes fleeting. Daily (or any periodic) reflection is a good way to go beyond the “distracting” events in our lives.

Lizards are an interesting group of species. Most walk on four legs, but some walk on two legs and some have no legs at all! I think one of the most interesting lizards is one we saw in Costa Rica, the common basilisk. This lizard runs on only its hind legs in an erect position, and is able to run as far as 60 feet across the surface of water. Hence the nickname of “Jesus lizard”.

We may not be able to run on top of water, but we can “think like Jesus, talk like Jesus, and act like Jesus” which is part of the mission statement for our church. In doing so, we are Disciples of Jesus.

This photo is of the Narada Falls near Mt Rainier. For some reason, whenever I see a rainbow, I think about the myth of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And leprechauns. And the Irish. Which brings me to the reason I selected this photo for my reflection today.

We laid my father in law to rest this week. He was proud of his Irish heritage. His funeral and the reception that followed were a wonderful celebration of his life.

This Irish blessing was on his memorial card:

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Our lives will not be the same.

RIP Jay Broderick, 1927-2018

This was a view of Mt Rainier, looking across Reflection Lake. Earlier in the day, we had hiked to Panorama Point. Two amazing views with completely different perspectives.

Just as distance provides a different perspective, so does time. It is said that time provides healing; could it really be that the passage of time really just provides us with a different perspective?

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth. Psalms 48:1-2

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

This photo was taken a couple of months ago in Florida. It amazes me to see the pelicans dive from as much as 60 feet above the water straight down to catch a fish. Very dramatic!

I was surprised to read that pelicans have a religious connection. In medieval Europe, the pelican was thought to be particularly attentive to her young, to the point of providing her own blood by wounding her own breast when no other food was available. As a result, the pelican came to symbolise the Passion of Jesus (Wikipedia).

This photo is from exactly 2 years ago today, and was from our last day of hiking on the Camino. Arriving in Santiago was somewhat of a bittersweet moment. A feeling of accomplishment and yet a sense of sadness that comes with the end of a journey.

Of course, as I’ve written before, this journey didn’t really end. Mostly, the journey is about seeing things in a different way. But it is also about meeting up with fellow pilgrims in Indiana to hike and reflect.

I find it amazing that tomatoes growing so close together can be ripening at such a different rate. But then again, I don’t know much about farming or gardening. Fortunately, we have the Master Gardener maintaining our branches.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. John 15:1,4