thank you God for the gift of nature

Although it is finally summer here in Fort Collins, just a short drive away into the foothills and mountains, it is still spring. Sometimes when I hike in the mountains, the scenery seems too perfect to be real. Today was one of those days. Sigh.

The hillsides are vibrant in their varying shades of green - grasses and bushes, evergreens and aspens, and countless other trees and plants. Wildflowers add sprinklings and splashes of yellow, pink, purple and white. Today, penny-sized moths with fluorescent indigo wings fluttered along the path. At times, a simple footstep would arouse a burst of bluish-purple shooting stars. The vibratory flight of hummingbirds and the roar of the river active from the snow melt entertained my ears.

My mind struggled to comprehend that this paradise was not a “Magical Kingdom” fabricated by Disney, but instead real and natural in its own creation. The beauty was so intense and profound that I simply desired to melt into it. 

Thank you God for the gift of nature.