Zumwalt Prairie and Buckhorn Springs

Were I to create my own "Eden," I would model it after the Zumwalt Prairie.  Located in Wallowa County in the extreme northeast corner of Oregon, it is an incredible grassland of 330,00 acres atop a basalt plateau.  This high altitude prairie ranges from 3,500 to 5,000 feet and lies along the western edge of Hells Canyon. Cattle ranching here has respected the needs of land as the excellent book, "The Prairie Keepers," describes. The high elevation, long, harsh winters, and poor soils made farming difficult.  Thus, much the original habitat remains for plants and animals.  Hawks thrive here. The Nature Conservancy also manages a considerable amount of land here as well.

Meg and I love to visit in the late spring/early summer.  The solitude, the quiet, the beauty of canyons, hills, and green grass decorated in wildflowers wrap around us, and resharpen our senses.  We follow the road as far as Buckhorn Springs, a majesty bench that overlooks the drainages of the Imnaha river before it flows into the Snake river.  The Zumwalt roads takes off between the towns of Enterprise and Joseph.

How Majestic is your Name

 Acknowledging and joyfully living  the power of God has been transmitted from the psalmists to the early saints to us today.  As always, our response to God is our choice. We can read and think all we want to, but praise and thanks of our lips and obedience of heart, mind and soul is ours alone to exercise.  In this vein, I love what St Patrick wrote  around 430 AD/CE:  "I bind myself today to the power of God to hold and lead, his eye to watch, his might to stay, his ear to hearken to my need. The wisdom of my God to teach, his hand to guide, his shield to ward, the Word of God to give me speech, His heavenly host to be my guard."

Pentecost

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday which, next to Easter, is the most important event in the life of the Church and of the followers of Christ. The incarnation of Christ is more than a story.  At Pentecost, through the Holy Spirit, His presence becomes personal to each of us ordinary people, regardless of the time or place in which we live. Each of us continues to "receive this gift of God dwelling within us to provide direction, courage, comfort, hope, companionship, and peace." It is a power that gives us the strength to do far more than we can ever possibly imagine. 

Psalm 25

This week's picture post includes three excerpts from Psalm 25.  I love the strength and range of emotion and relationship with God that the psalm includes.  The Psalmist asks God for guidance along the right path, and thanks Him for His unfailing love.  Yet the essence of the Psalm, and what must be the essence of our lives, is found in the first verse: "Oh, Lord, I give my life to you.  I trust in you, my God."  I realize all too often that in my own life, I reserve a substantial part of me for myself, for my own willfulness. I still have a long way to go, even at my age.