Today was just a Beautiful Day

By Fr. Nick Kotsis - Today was just a beautiful day.  This weekend brought us the nicest weather we’ve experienced seen since last fall.  It was as if the Lord unlocked our jail cell and waited to see what we would do.  It took me a day and a half, but I finally came to my senses and bolted.

We all jumped in the car for the first time together since before the stay-at-home order was issued.  Each of our kids were allowed to take a can of pop in the car.  That’s a double treat: to have a pop at the whim of the parents and to be able to drink it in the car (yes, I know, we keep our pleasures simple…)!  All we did was simply ride around the backroads of Washtenaw county.  We brought a couple of cameras and a pair of binoculars just in case we came across some photogenic birds.
 
One thing I noticed is that the moment God unlocked the cells, even nature responded.  It’s interesting to see how things change so rapidly when the weather warms up, even for a little while.  The leaves of our two maples in the back have quadrupled or more in size since Friday.  All the low-lying brush along the roads were spotted with green and some of the pear and cherry tree varieties have started to blossom.  We saw many a magnolia in full bloom (I know to those of you in Nashville, that probably happened a little while ago, but now it’s our turn!).
 
At the corner of Rentz and Ellsworth roads, an area with nothing but farms and small, forested areas in between, we hit the jackpot.  In a low-lying area that seems to flood, we spotted many red-winged blackbirds, several common grackles, two wood ducks, a yellow warbler and an indigo bunting – all within a few moments!  I wanted to get into the area for a close look and asked the family to follow me.  They pointed to the signs on the trees that read, “No Trespassing: no hunting no fishing.”  I thought of the line from the song “Signs,” by the Five Man Electrical Band: “And the sign said anybody caught trespassin' would be shot on sight…”
 
After an hour and a half on the country roads we made our way to the Huron River and took Huron River Drive back into town.  I know I speak for the family when I relate that we were all grateful of this bit of respite the Lord gave us this weekend with weather that was perfect.  
 
Only He can make things perfect.  Amen.