http://joelssermons.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/5513-water-and-spirit.mp3
At the end of last year I received this book as a gift. It’s called Dark Water Dancing to a Breeze: A Literary Companion to Rivers and Lakes. It’s a collection of short essays and journal entries from some of the leading observers and enjoyers of nature over the last number of centuries. Names I recognized include John James Audubon, Charles Darwin, and Mark Twain. The writings range all the way from a reflection on the overpowering force of a flood, to a humorous inquiry as to how the heavily polluted Ganges in India still serves as the Great Purifier – that was Mark Twain’s piece. The editor opens the book by saying: “Whether we are conscious of it or not, water is omnipresent in our lives. This is literally true, since our bodies are 70 percent water and because, for practical as well as other reasons, most towns and cities and built beside water. With a bit of thought, we can section the course of our lives by the rivers or lakes we’ve lived or traveled on.” (p. 11)
The giver of this book was Caroline Lehman, a thoughtful gift from a thoughtful person. It was given...