A Liturgy for Coming Out of the Woods

Literally, not metaphorically

I’ve been visiting special places lately as my family prepares to move out of state, one of which is a nature preserve on the edge of town. While all four of my kids have enjoyed it throughout the years, the youngest two have loved it in a special, tender way. They go to the woods to just look at trees and watch for birds, which results in contagious expressions of joy and awe.

I integrate that joy and awe, along with the surrounding beauty, into my experience of God as I walk through the trees. I often find myself praying, something that doesn’t come naturally right now. I wrote this liturgy as we were coming home from the woods this week. In a way it’s specific in that it was inspired by a personal experience. But in other ways I think isn’t limited to that; I think it might be something that could be used again, by me or by other thoughtful, woodsy people.

A Liturgy for Coming out of the Woods:

Thank you, good Father
for breaths taken here,
for thoughts inspired here,
for respite granted here.

Thank you
for the warm smell of earth,
for the joy of spotting birds,
for tender, Spring wind.

Thank you that the trees are for
both young and old,
noisy and quiet,
believers and doubters.

Thank you for being in this place.
Go with me from this place.