When I Consider All The World Thy Hands Have Made

Earlier today, I wrote in an e-mail to a friend, "that there is beauty to be viewed, admired, and appreciated all over our country - in fact, all over the world.  However, the pristine beauty of unspoiled wilderness and waters, coupled with animals living and playing in their native environ - as they have done for centuries - is a special beauty that is both soul-satisfying and soul-enriching."

I concluded my note by jovially stating, "that this is my story, and I'm sticking with it."

Actually, it's the story that is sticking with me!!

How does one do justice to an early morning cruise down the Lynn Canal, under a bright, blue sky and with balmy, Alaskan weather - that rather than causing one to feel chilled - evokes a sense of feeling exuberant and tingling with excitement?

We met our hosts and their young, 20 month old son, at 8:00 a.m., and were soon cruising southeast, down the channel, toward Sea Lion Rock - a series of ledges, I'm guessing, about 12 to 15 south of Haines, AK.

And, we were not disappointed!!  Probably over 100 sea lions were resting, frolicking, and swimming - as well as serenading us with their incessant, cacophony of sounds.  I think that it is best described as a free-style mixture of belching, burping, and moaning - depending on what a given sea lion was feeling and experiencing at the moment.

In a manner similar to almost everyone else who visits Alaska, Melba & I have hoped that we might experience seeing whales.  And, again, we were not disappointed!!  Shortly after leaving the Sea Lion Rock area and heading north up the channel, a humpback whale was sighted - skimming along at the surface level of the water.

And while it did not perform a full body leap out of the water, we did get a view of it - as it flipped its tail into the air, and took its dive down into the channel depths.  At that point, we were boating in waters that were 700+ feet in depth.

As we continued making our way north - toward an area of waterfalls that our hosts desired to show us - all of us noticed a white object, on a distant rock - sitting and overlooking the water.  As we drew closer, we were able to see that it was a mountain goat, and as our hosts informed us, it was a rare event to be able to view a mountain goat at such close range.

It almost appeared that he was as interested in looking us over, as we were in looking him over!!  He maintained his position for several minutes.  Maybe he enjoyed posing for the photo shots that we were busily shooting.  Who knows?  At any rate, he was not in any hurry to leave his rock perch, and when he did turn to leave, he moved with a stately grace that seemed to convey a sense that he was in his element, and happy to be there.

By this time, we were heading back to the dock in Portage Cove; however our hosts had one more site that they wished to check as we cruised back to the dock.

And sure enough, the seals that they hoped would be out, were enjoying the sun and the water.  The boat's engine probably spooked them to some extent, as most of them moved and jumped into the water - as we approached.  This was unlike the sea lions, who appeared to care less - that we were anywhere in their vicinity.

Sea lions, seals, whales, a mountain goat - all in one morning's cruise!  And this doesn't include the numerous birds - both in the air and in the water, as well as the three bald eagles who were perched and watching, as we had left Haines earlier in the morning!!

I'm going to venture out and say that our experience gives a new meaning to the Afro-American spiritual, "My Lord, what a morning!  My Lord, what a morning!"

This afternoon, I've thought about how many times I've heard or sung songs, such as "O Lord, My God, When I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made."  Or, "Oh Beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain; for purple mountains majesty ... "  Or heard or read, "The heavens declare the Glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork."  The occasions have been many.

And, as I shared with my friend, that while there is beauty to be viewed, admired, and appreciated in many locales - here, in Haines, AK, one can experience a sense of being immersed and embraced in the beauty of God's creative wonders.  They are so abundant and encompassing - everywhere one looks.

It's a feeling that, here in this environment - like two good friends - awe and humility meet, and warmly embrace - with gratitude - for the "love which from our birth, over and around us lies."