Cultivating a contemplation of nature as a spiritual discipline
"We forget to look for rainbows when the rain clouds part near sunset. We get up too late to watch the dawn. We forget to gaze at the stars and to recall the vast light's journey to reach our eyes. We take the water for granted and wish the rain would go away. We stop bending low enough to witness the toiling ant. We lose our wonder for growing plants and the mysteries by which the seed falls to the earth and brings forth grain a hundredfold.
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In the beginning, if we are rusty and out of practice, we shall have to remind ourselves constantly to open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to what we see.
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A quick glance at sunset or sunrise on a busy day can bond us with nature, even if no extended moments are available, just as a parent can bond with a child in a swift glance.
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