Lent Photo-a-Day 3/27: Meditate

"Rockside Reflection"
The Little River 
Great Smoky Mountains National Park 
© 2014 Kristina Plaas, All Rights Reserved
A couple of weeks after my mother's death last summer I went for a drive in the Smokies to think about what I was experiencing and let some of my feelings out in a safe place. I parked in a favorite location along the Little River, grabbed my camera, a pencil, and a journal and found a nice rock to sit on at the water's edge. Snippets of verse had been running through my mind as I drove the Little River Road, but they found a home as I meditated on this view. I didn't take time to put this image and poem on my blog then, but I want to remember so I'm doing it now.

Just for today 
I will drive through the Smokies like a tourist,
I will savor every curve in a road I know by heart.
I will listen to water crashing over big rocks
And know that beneath still water lies a strong current.
I will remember that green leaves don't stay on trees forever,
And the yellowed birch leaves floating at my feet are a sign of what is to come.
I will watch clouds float across the sky
And know that life is constantly changing.
I will shoo away gnats,
Knowing it doesn't matter how much insect repellent I use,
At least one will bite me.
I will reflect on reflections,
And contemplate the mystery of light.
I will feel the stillness of the humid air,
I will breathe,
And I will cry,
For there is strength, majesty, and healing in flowing water.
Just for today
I will let the healing waters flow.

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