| I nearly passed right by it. Taking an early spring hike we found therridge, I stopped to rest and catch my breath. Below us, the hill descended e was still a considerable amount of snow on the ground, so we put on our snowshoes and trudged up the hill, maneuvering over the slushy drifts. The wet, soft snow was difficult to move through, and we had to step carefully to avoid tripping. Climbing to the top of the steeply, snow lying in piles up to two feet deep. I started down the hill, skirting the trees and trying to follow tracks of previous hikers. In front of me the dogs had spooked a rabbit, and they took off after it in hot pursuit. Watching them, I stepped forward and caught the front edge of my snowshoe. In the mushy drifts there was little I could do but fall down (I didn’t say that I am a competent snowshoer....), so falling down is what I did, landing face first under a tree. There it was, right in front of me, in the shelter of a juniper under which most of the snow had disappeared--a lone buttercup, delicate yellow petals cradled in startlingly green leaves. Is. 35:1- 2: “The wilderness and the desert will be glad, and the desert will rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it will blossom profusely and rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy....They will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.” Sometimes we best see the majesty of our Lord when we have fallen with our faces to the ground. |
