Hey people I am sending this to you on Monday because it probably the only day I can, so it is pre published. We will be well on our way when the paper comes out. If I can find a way to get the AZ columns to you - you will hear from me, if not - see you in April. Hope the winter goes well, I know ours will. George
Sour Grapes and Saddle Sores
George Hirst
The Wonder of Beauty November 27, 2009
The weather has been difficult for us all and especially hard on the harvest, however, I find a wonder that speaks of powers beyond our world. The corn grew this summer putting green walls up so that it was like driving in a tunnel. The fields of standing corn and beans are a wonder. The planning and work of farmers whose knowledge and skill at preparing seed selections produced the wonder. Beyond that, how do those kernels of corn and beans do that? Where the crop has been harvested, we see the beauty of the rolling land, and remember how old that land is and what went on to put it in the shape it is. The glaciers that ended here, the massive amounts of water that moved over the soil shaped it. All of this reminds us that we are part of a wondrous universe. These are the things I find wondrous, the land we live on, the produce that feeds the world and the mysteries of that caused our weather, how the crops grew under the difficulties, the lack of sun, the abundance of rain, and the temperatures below normal. It is beyond the abilities of farmers and the rest of us who go about our lives. How do we understand the powers that enabled us, plants, animals and humankind, all creatures of this earth to grow and work? We see it all and find wonder and beauty, appreciation of our home.
"Beauty remains a gateway to God, although it has lost that label. To stand in a roomful of great paintings, to listen to a sublime orchestral movement, to walk the winding pathways of a botanical garden or stand in the multifaceted light of a stained glass window, is the feel the approach of a transcendent something - though we may no longer call God". p 151 God is No Laughing Matter Julia Cameron
"A gateway to God", Julia Cameron writes, I find that a connection of my faith in the spirit and my work and belief in the material world in which we live or, to put it another way a connection between my consciousness and the beauty around me in all shapes and forms.
I see the farmers in their fields getting crops in between rainy spells and I know a little about the work it takes to harvest a crop that stands in mud. Those folks are a wonder. A while back when the valley grew peas, the harvest was done in the mud leaving a field unfit for farming until the ruts could be worked out. Nick Knobloch said, in response to the question, Why do you do this?" that he was, after all feeding people. Farmers don’t just raise corn and beans to make money (altho, that helps) they do it to feed the world.
The beauty of human effort! People go to work every day. They are educated in all sorts of efforts. They don’t just make a living, They give witness to a belief that the Love of a Creator, named God helps them give to a whole world. God bless us all.
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