Big Woods Beauty

Yesterday I headed out to Wolsfeld Woods SNA to check out the autumn

of this remnant of the Big Woods that once covered a large part of Minnesota. It was magnificent! I kept craning my head up to look at the tops of the tall sugar maple trees above. And it simply filled me with awe. I’ve been hiking in these woods for over 25 years and I never tire of their breathtaking beauty, especially this time of year.

To me, this is God’s cathedral, ineffable, sacred, beyond words.

I feel a sense of benevolence in the wise old trees that inhabit these woods. And I often pat the trees’ trunks as I walk beneath them, telling them, “Thank you. Thank you.”

Where Does The Temple Begin, Where Does It End?

There are things you can’t reach. But
you can reach out to them, and all day long.

The wind, the bird flying away. The idea of God.

And it can keep you as busy as anything else, and happier.

The snake slides away; the fish jumps, like a little lily,
out of the water and back in; the goldfinches sing
from the unreachable top of the tree.

I look; morning to night I am never done with looking.

Looking I mean not just standing around, but standing around
as though with your arms open.

And thinking: maybe something will come, some
shining coil of wind,
or a few leaves from any old tree—
they are all in this too.

And now I will tell you the truth.
Everything in the world
comes.

At least closer.

And, cordially.

Like the nibbling, tinsel-eyed fish; the unlooping snake.
Like goldfinches, little dolls of gold
fluttering around the corner of the sky.

of God, the blue air.

— Mary Oliver

I hope that you have time to look, really look, at the wonder of life all around you. Enjoy the beauty of the season. And if you have a chance head out to Wolsfeld Woods, or Nerstrand Big Woods State Park to take in the wonder and awe of Big Woods Beauty.

May you walk in beauty.