Natural Beauty of Creation

There is nothing more invigorating than to experience the natural beauty of creation. The Creator, the Supreme Artist that He is speaks in the simplicity and spontaneity of his creation.

Whenever my eyes feast on the green and the unadulterated scenery (whatever has been left for our eyes to see) of the surroundings my soul feels like bursting with a song of praise to the One who made it all possible.

Years ago, I (with three companions) had the chance to spend a day hiking up the mountains of Banaue. It was an exhilarating experience indeed. Up there, it felt like I was on top of the world. We were one with Mother Nature. We drank from the spring we found along the way. After a long hike, we stretched our tired bodies by the roadside, told stories and swapped jokes with one another. One took out her harmonica and lulls us to nap with her music mingling with the sound of the birds and the rustle of the leaves.

Moments like this are like treasures for me. It awakens in me a deep sense of gratitude to God who has provided us such a wonderful world to live in; a world that is filled with beauty and goodness found not only in the environment but also in the people around us.

It gives me great concern that our environment is deteriorating; that we as a people do not seem to care. I mentioned in one of my previous column how this feeling of loss gnaws in me upon seeing the rivers in my home province dried up; the bamboo trees uprooted, the farmlands transformed into economic processing zones and subdivisions. This is becoming a reality in every part of the country. The pristine countryside is becoming modernized. And little by little the simplicity of the environment and its people will also be affected.

I have always wondered if I will experience again that joy I had in hiking up the mountains of Banaue. Would the clear spring be still flowing? Would it still be possible for us to stretch our tired bodies by the roadside just as we did before? Would the people be still as helpful as they were then?

Last weekend I had the chance to go with my community and some friends to the mountains for a day’s relaxation and fruit picking. It was a long uphill drive from the highway of Montevista. I had to park the vehicle about a kilometer away from the farm we were supposed to visit since the place can only be reached on foot. It was not an easy climb. The slope was muddy and slippery because it rained the day before.

We exchanged a few words with the local folks. They were so nice and helpful.

It rained in the afternoon before we were able to go back to our car. We had to walk gingerly because one false step can bring us down through the slope. The men helped us down the slippery pass one by one until we reach our car.

We were so grateful for their help. They in turn were so happy to be of service and genuinely appreciative of our presence in their barrio.

On our drive home I could not help thinking of the rolling hills and trees and the rain and the fruits and most of all the generous and helpful people in the farm. Everything that we experienced was an experience of the presence of the Creator in our life. I was also reflecting on how we really need one another to help us in our journey. We cannot journey all alone. Somehow along the way, we will experience some difficulties and we will need the guiding hand of others to help us overcome the obstacles and reach our destination.