I spent a week-end in the Qu’Appelle Valley with my family; there’s something relaxing about traveling to the valley, something about the deepness of sleep that you experience and just the way you unwind and are able to put things in perspective.  In a sense, it is an aspect of respect to experience ourselves in the quiet of creation and reclaim some serenity into our lives.

I’m drawn to ideas of environmentalism–not just from the point of view of someone who is interested in advocating for the planet, but also how I interact with the nature and find comfort and peace in it.

There is a prayer that is often recited during Lauds called The Canticle of the Three Young Men.  The story goes that these three youths were, as a punishment, thrown into a furnace to be consumed by fire.  They were greeted in the fire by a glowing figure who assured them of their deliverance; the canticle was their song of praise for being rescued from the fires.

This song is a listing of all things in creation, a song of joy and gratitude.  When I read it, it often feels like I’m listing the things in creation from the smallest to the largest to those things that exist outside of creation as we understand it, yet interact with creation in ways that are spiritual.

Its also a reminder that even in the greatest moments of despair, the greatest moments when we might think we’re not worthy, or able, or capable, that we are uniquely created in the image of God:  that in the entirety of creation, a creation that spans an unknowable number of planets and galaxies.  Every human being has been, is, and will be absolutely unique.  That in itself is miraculous!

Each life, yours and mine, is a gift that has to be honoured because it is part of creation.

That respect can be in watching a bird visit a bird bath or bird feeder, or saying grace before a meal–acknowledging where all the difference food came from, or it can be simply greeting and being grateful for the day by saying a prayer when rising and when going to bed.

It can, and also should be, the acknowledgement of the Divine presence in each human being we meet.

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord;
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord;
You heavens, bless the Lord;
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord; bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord;
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord;
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord;
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord;
Frost and cold, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord;
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness bless the Lord;
Lightning and clouds, bless the Lord.
Let the earth bless the Lord;
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord;
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord;
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord;
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord;
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
You sons of men, bless the Lord;
O Israel, bless the Lord.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord;
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord;
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Ananias, Azarias, Misael, bless the Lord;
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Let us bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost;
Let us praise and exalt God above all forever.
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven;
Praiseworthy and glorious forever.