Songs of Gratitude

June is a spectacular month in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Perhaps God spent extra time in this area as He created the rich soil, plants, and creatures. I am grateful to be able to take it all in! Contemplating God's creation gives me peace in knowing that He is in the details of my life just as He is in nature. It is such a treat to listen to the sounds of the birds singing and realize that each one has a unique song. My husband and I like taking an evening walk in our neighborhood. Our walks provide a banquet for our senses. The sweet-smelling honeysuckle draws us to it. We pick the blossoms to pull out the bead of nectar stored inside. By pinching off the tiny green bottom of the flower (calyx), one can slide the white string attached to it down the center of the flower until the nectar appears at its base. My dad taught me this trick. As I engage in this activity it always brings back wonderful memories. Along with the honeysuckle, we can see and smell the wild roses growing at the edge of the woods.
 
One evening we met a young deer at the neighborhood stream. He turned away but gave us an even more exciting view of him as he strolled down our parking lot in the cool of the evening. We determined that our young deer is a buck who has not yet developed his horns. His color for the season is a light sienna brown. So beautiful! It makes quite a contrast to his dark brown eyes. All of this and more make me want to break out in praise to our Creator. But it was our trip to Tyler State Park in Bucks County that brought me to tears. All the fields in the Park are planted in wheat. The golden color of every shoot shows us that the fields are ripe for harvest. The distinctive heads of grain swaying in the breeze against the backdrop of a clear blue sky and several green trees got me taking pictures. Could I capture this God-sent moment? I took several photographs.
 
I was emotionally moved to sing "America the Beautiful." It was the phrase "for amber waves of grain" that came to my mind first. This hymn of gratitude was written in 1893 by Katharine Lee Bates, a teacher at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. It expresses her gratitude for the endowment God gave us. The first verse is about the grandeur of our nation:  "O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plan! America, America! God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea."
 
God is in the details of every part of creation. He is extravagant in the way He has blessed us. I believe it is telling that the first man and woman were placed in a garden. We are meant to be appreciative of life around us and to help care for creation. The psalmist knew it and expressed his wonder of God's care in Psalm 8:3-4. "When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers—the moon and stars you have set into place—what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?" ((NLT)
 
Yes, God is in the details of everything and everyone that lives. Today I unite with the psalmist in calling on you to join us in thanksgiving for the Lord's amazing creation and for the way He cares for us. "Everyone everywhere, lift up your joyful shout to God! Sing your songs turned to His glory! Tell the world how wonderful He is. For He's the awe-inspiring God, great and glorious in power! We've never seen anything like Him...All the earth will bow down to worship; all the earth will sing Your glories forever!” (Psalm 66:1-3a, 4 - TPT) Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!