Nature nurtures the soul. I find serenity and peace in nature. Strength and centering. It nurtures my mind and soul while it calms my body. Really!
You will find a lot of references, pictures, thoughts and quotes about nature here at Goodness Matters, because there is so much perfect goodness in our natural world. A heavenly rhythm seems to have been set. When we step out of the rush of daily doing, step back from technology, and look around us, there is beauty everywhere (!) in the facets of nature created for us.
When I was a little girl, my dad was transferred to Kauai to tend the lighthouse in Kilauea there. We spent three years in what we considered Paradise on Earth. Our little lava stone house was adorable. It sat in what was then a pretty remote location, with only a few other families close by.
A most amazing plus of this assignment was the ‘sight, sound, feel, taste, hear‘ gift of living smack dab in the middle of fresh fruit of so many kinds all around us. The vegetation was beautiful and life-affirming. Up on the top of the mountain, where the lighthouse stood, we could see forever. At lease, to a small child, it seemed that way to me.
My love for the ocean began as a toddler, living on the East coast. But here, nature amped up her glory with dazzling views of seas, clouds, panoramic sights that humbled us and brought such peace and joy! I’m pretty sure that even then, as a little girl, that Hawaiian scenery- perfect as it was- built a reservoir of love and gratitude for God’s perfect and masterful gift of nature. It was impossible to miss the peace and nurture of it all.
What is it about nature that you love? If you live in an area with four seasons, what brings goodness to your soul in each of them?
Who doesn’t love the renewal of life in springtime? I literally clap my hands for joy when those first daffodils pop through and bloom. When the “popcorn” trees start showing off their white thick blooms, and light green sprigs show on trees, it genuinely is soothing to my mind. Spring is a good season!
Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. So the old song says. I don’t know about ease, but I know it brings thick carpets of grass, It offers up bounty of fruits, herbs and vegetables. Boating on the water, Sunning at the beach, traveling near or far to see the loveliness of our surroundings, and smiling in the summer warmth as well as ability to wander outside bare footed or with flip flops. Treats for the eyes are everywhere in full bloom of summer goodness!
Then there is autumn. What a season of beauty in stark contrast to summer’s fading! True harvest season. Gloriously colored leaves, Pumpkins, and the beginnings of crisp air and cooler temperatures. The older I get, the more I appreciate the stunning beauty of the season of fall.
Then, winter arrives with it’s perfect, pristine snow. Uniquely beautiful flakes from heavenly clouded skies That delight our senses. Then, a blanket of clean snow bedding! It’s a time of snuggling in for warm winter’s naps as nature’s growing glories fall asleep for a time, preparing for that next season of renewal.
Each season wonderfully indicative of nature’s stunning beauty. How can we not feel awe as well as soothing peace, joy and Reverence for Mother Nature’s perfect plan?
C.S.Lewis once said, “Isn’t it funny how day by day, nothing changes, but when we look back, everything is different?”
Yes! It happens in our lives as the years pass, and it happens as we pass through the seasons of nature. Each one powerful, useful and beautiful. Rach with lessons tp teach for those perceptive enough to watch, listen, feel and learn.Thar’s a good thing.
And goodness matters!
