Over the last couple of days, a huge rainstorm swept through Sedona. Oak Creek swelled and raged carrying away so much in her path. This morning I woke to a quieter creek. Oak Creek is no longer raging. She’s still high, and her waters are moving very swiftly, yet I can feel her gentleness this morning. I hear it, I see it, and I feel it.
I hadn’t realized how intimately I’ve come to know the trees I sit with each morning. All summer I watched the young ones across the creek come to life, and now they’re gone. The big old tree I love so much lost a small patch of bark, and I trust that it will survive.
This morning the birds came back with their beautiful voices. The air carried that rich, earthy smell of rain-soaked land, a soaking that will feed everything that depends on it.
I grew up near Lake Michigan, and I’ve known the power of water since I was young. I have never underestimated it. So today I’m celebrating what was saved, and I’m looking forward to watching it grow again.
It’s such a poignant reminder that nothing is permanent. When we find ourselves slipping into worry and concern, we would do well to remember this. Will we use our precious time more wisely?
I feel grateful that I am able to observe the creek in her rage, in her calm, and in everything in between. I am in deep appreciation and love for all that I have witnessed.