A mid-afternoon, early-January meander in 38ºF air along Jordan Lake encourages an intentionally brisk pace. Physical comfort in the raw weather instead of making time for mindful spiritual seasoning is a priority, until a shoreline glade of towering loblolly pines quietly grabs my attention.
Darkening overcast skies, dramatic vertical angles of tree trunks, subdued light filtering through evergreen canopies, a soft carpet of pine straw and the palpable silence within said colonnade cause mind’s eye and heart to take flight into a 10th and 11th-century European Romanesque cathedral.
An awareness of safety and peace takes hold of my inner being. My soul soars longingly into the stillness, brimming with a renewed God-given sense of the Eternal.
© Ilija Lukić 2025
