I would rather have two or three lilies
gathered for me by a person I like;
than the most expensive bouquet -
Elisabeth Gaskell
And so my beloved BuckarooBabies gathered their two or three wild arum lilies from the mountain pools. We were splashing in the chilly waters watching tiny darting fish and delighting in the hundreds of huge arum lilies. Have you ever found that hidden jewel in the most unexpected places? Travelling through semi desert you would never expect to find an oasis fed by a waterfall flooding down the mountainside.
Yesterday we spontaneously decided to take a break from the grueling days we've spent on the homestead this summer. We drove to distant friends living at the foot of the mountains. It was the perfectly hot day to wonder their cool gorge.
Tucked away. Tranquil. Far from reality. And yet, the only reality. Creations beauty whispering. Beckoning. Come away a while and rest. Dip your feet in cool flowing waters. Delight in the beauty of the promise that comes with the lilies growing abundantly at the water's edge.
It is unbelievable how icy that mountain water is. If you climb up the gorge into the waterfall the pools are so deep and the rock face so steep you need to swim. But the arum lilies offer hope as they line the way up. Up. Up.
A sanctuary out in nature truly does bring perspective and introspection. The abundance of life. Despite the harsh conditions around this lily filled gorge is like a cocoon. Sheltered against and in spite of the desert.
Ferns of various kinds fill the spaces with beauty. The many tiny fish darting around the pools intrigues me. How do they survive up there? Apart from the song of the waterfall there is no sound. It is like a tiny piece of Heaven. Frozen in time and isolated against troubles.
So we ended our Wednesday walk refreshed and invigorated. With our small bouquet of wild arum lilies and hope overflowing.
The year's at the Spring
And day's at the morn
Morning's at seven
The hillsides dew-pearled
The lark's on the wing
The snail's on the thorn
GOD's in His Heaven
All's right with the world
Robert Browning