I had to bushwhack wildness between a river and canal
The strip of narrow land excited my imagination’s call
Oyster Mushrooms crowned new life on fading Poplars
Nature’s beauty blended everything, a blur in my mind
The bright sun overhead, warmed refreshingly clear air
The light switch on, details materialized, God was here
I noticed a sunning Carp had surfaced in the slow canal
The narrowness grew less, a gap between, showed itself
A flash of insight hit, I must abandon my stubbornness
Two ducks flushed to confirm, chills ran down my spine
I had forgotten my pen and paper, I knew I had to write
Then remembered, technology blessed me with a PDA
I grabbed the stylus to jot down subtle points in the note
Something was coming, I must prepare for it to appear
The distance between narrowed to less than twenty feet
Mushrooms briefly came to mind, to quickly disappear
River and canal suddenly merge, catching me off guard
No way to continue, I was done, I had to go back home
I turned, in front of me a fallen tree spanning the canal
Next to it a long perfect branch, nature’s balance beam
No choice left, I had to cross, I must return back this way
God’s presence magnified, I had been called to this path
Senses heightened, the something coming, is here for me
I looked ahead, to a patch of orange flame, out fifty feet
A smile came; I knew it well, a Sulfur Shelf mushroom
I had never found one so early, yet here it was to pick
I bent down to cut it off the stump, collect it for my bag
Instead, I melted into a perfect peace, God surrounded all
More love than this, one could not find in the narrowness
This not the first time, the difference greater than I seeked
Narrow paths are often not the way we choose to follow
Yet sometimes we can gather something for our humanity
But when you pray, go to your inner room… My inner rooms are places in the forest where I will unlikely encounter anyone. A new sign was put up for a piece of conservation property that nestled between the old Blackstone canal and river. It was a fresh spring day, and I had a couple of hours, so I thought I would bushwhack my way in, find a quiet place to pray and look for Oyster mushrooms, going as far as I could in an hour then begin to return home.
Little did I know God had other plans. In these moments, I seem to shift from a person who sees the entire forest to a person that sees every detail in every tree. No doubt both views of nature are beautiful, but I know when I am observing tiny details, God has an important lesson for me in store. This time it really hit home that I was learning to completely trust God’s action in my life.
For further reflection: Matthew 6