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Image Courtesy of Nick Steinwand

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

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If you’re looking for ways to connect to Creation and the Creator during these strange times, consider engaging in one or more of the following suggestions: 

1. Plant a Garden (or a few containers on your balcony). 

2. Buy A Rocha veggies. 

3. Become a neighbourhood naturalist! 

4. Pay attention to the Sun.

5. Give a financial gift (no matter how small) to your favourite environmental or food security organizations. 

6. Connect with God in Creation. Consider participating in a “Creation Contemplation.” Here’s how it works:

  • Take a walk outside or just sit and observe what is around you. Notice the various aspects of creation — the sky, the sun, clouds, trees, plants, flowers, grass, ground, rocks, animals, birds, people

  • Let yourself be attracted to one thing (e.g. clouds, trees, rocks, etc)

  • Use the method of visio divina to contemplate this one thing:

    • Spend time observing it, but not judging it — noticing things about it that attract your attention. Touch, smell, taste, or listen to it if you can. When your mind wanders, return your attention gently to this thing and continue to observe.

    • Consider what memories or emotions are stirred by this encounter with creation. Be with those memories or emotions and explore them.

    • Finally, notice what the Spirit’s invitation is through this encounter. What is revealed to you about God’s love? About yourself? About how God has created and is still creating?

    • Talk to God as you would a friend about this.

7. Ponder Poetry. The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry above is a good creation-y one that’s a riff on Jesus’s admonition to consider the birds of the air and flowers of the field.

8. Connect with us online. 

9. Help the pollinators. 

10. Stargaze. 

Learn more about each of the 10 ways to care for creation during COVID 19 in A Rocha's article: https://arocha.ca/10-ways-to-connect-to-creation-during-covid-19/#

About A Rocha: A Rocha is an international Christian organization that, inspired by God’s love, engages in scientific research, environmental education, community-based conservation projects, and sustainable agriculture.