EVERY GOOD CHURCH has something special

EVERY GOOD CHURCH has something special to recommend it. The architecture perhaps. Or the beauty of the grounds. History, tradition. The feeling of spiritual uplift one gets from attending. Our Church O’ The Pines, under the big pine grove by the Mississippi, has all of these. But in truth, my favorite feature is the virtue of the congregation. Oh, I

Small outing to the Little Stream

TODAY from the Church O’ The Pines, a small outing to the Little Stream. The woods seem dead, but are only resting. The stream is frozen, but only on the surface. Beneath the cold, still ice, everything is still moving, singing, flowing, living. Everything important happens below the surface. One day the ice, too, will move. It will be tossed

All is calm and rather bright AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES

AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES, all is calm and rather bright. The blue jays holler and the squirrels scold. The chickadees gently gossip and the local deer herd drops by for a visit. The deacon pines reach their arms toward heaven. And the whole congregation seems to be at peace with the world, sharing the general feeling that it’s

THIS SMILING, HANDSOME FELLOW is Bob Heim

THIS SMILING, HANDSOME FELLOW is Bob Heim. We’ll get back to him in just a moment… Here at the Cabin-in-the-Woods, in the grove also known as the Church O’ The Pines, Kathy and I feed the blue jays. And crows. And red squirrels and gray squirrels. And nuthatches and pileated woodpeckers and other feathered friends. And deer. And a whole

Roof Work at Church O’ the Pines

AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES, there is a bit more roof work—moss and pine needle removal—to be done. Up on a roof, near a stone chimney-steeple, there is a wonderful change in perspective. One sees the world with something closer to the eye of the chickadee, the crow, the jay, the hawk. The golden carpet of needles is more

AN AUTUMN EVENING walk

AN AUTUMN EVENING walk round the Church O’ The Pines woods. A centering walk. A hopeful walk. A walk of deep breaths and the fragrance of fallen leaves, the last golden carpet from the last maple. It held on so long and steadfastly. A blue canoe in a red sunset, the desire to take it out for one more spin.

OCTOBER SUNRISE

OCTOBER SUNRISE, Church O’ The Pines. The morning gossiping of chickadees. The laugh of a pileated woodpecker. The reflecting Father of Waters…. All the congregation, surrounded by beauty. We wish you beauty. We wish you Good Sabbath.

AND SO IT IS AUTUMN

AND SO IT IS AUTUMN. At the Church O The Pines, the morning light is different. Things seem to glow with some inherent luminescence of their own. The blue of a blue sky is a little deeper. The angle of the sun makes the river sparkle a bit more brightly. And there is just the beginning of a certain tang

The morning light is soft

AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES the morning light is soft. The breeze is soft, over the river. The wind chimes tinkle softly. The air is humid, and it is the season when quilts of fog hang over wetlands and fields in the evening. It is in many ways a gentle time of year. No more the blazing heat of

Rising in the morning

SOMETIMES, rising in the morning, simply going out the cabin door and looking up… is enough to begin the day with perspective. Peace. Inspiration. As Aldo Leopold said, “I love all trees. But I am in love with pines.” It is good to live in the company of trees.