Life, Living and Learning....!

When I looked out standing at the steps of our cottage, I viewed this vast expanse in to the horizon with tall trees looking fresh and elegant in the morning sunshine. That made me ponder on what might be happening in this wooded space, where the ground and the trees become a home for birds and plants. 

It was not practical to walk about a kilometre on a rainy day, to look around what one can find in the ground and on the trees. 

I decided to walk around our garden, and look up into the trees and down to the ground. I walked from one end to the other, using the foot path existing in the garden. 

I took several photos. some of which, I present here to depict the variety of birds, squirrel, butterflies, plants and flowers. 

 

When I down loaded the photos a little over hundred of them, I felt overwhelmed by the life around us, that I do not normally behold, to feel a sense of wonder and surprise at what goes on in our garden! I was unaware that there is so much in the garden that go on during day and night, till I visualised them during the walk. 

A look into the wide expanse of the wooded space did not reveal each of the above scenes. It was by becoming present to them, I got a closer view of life that our garden sustains. I watched insects, beetles, caterpillars, wild flowers in the overgrowth on the ground, trees with their different branching patterns and plants with flowers and fruits. 

An intense  search is going on of ten days now, in Ankola for a driver who was missing after a landslide, in which his truck was washed away in the flooded river beside. The best of the experts in rescue operation available in India are present in the site to find the missing person. The land slide occurred because soil was removed in an unscientific way, from a hill for building a road high way!

One life matters. Each tree, plant, bird, butterfly, flower and fruit mattes!

It is in this abundantly rich environment, which sustains life, that we live and belong to, during our earthly voyage. 

I returned after the walk feeling, how much more, we ought to be regardful, to keep our environment healthy and green for life to go on!

From being exploiters of the environment, the message is to become stewards of our environment. 

Our life is a gift given to us; we can bring the gift of a safe environment to generations beyond us! I had not grasped enough of what is often referred to as eco-friendliness. The walk in the garden brought a new awareness about being responsible to keep our garden favourable to preserve  normal life!

Now I feel even more drawn towards the spirit of the hymn, composed by Carl Boberg and translated by S.K. Hine:

O Lord my God, when I  awesome wonder wonder,

Consider all the works Thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy Pow'r throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul....

When through the woods and forest glades I wander

An hear t birds sing sweetly in the trees,

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,

And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze,...

Then sings my soul...

My response to this experience is: walk through life, seeing, hearing, feeling,  treasuring and sharing! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) and