Although it is only a quick
photo off of a phone camera, Gail and I took this early this month while in
Chicago. And though the focal image is not strong (it was a foggy day, after all), the mental
image is.
It is, of course, the
famous Windy City skyline (IMNSHO the most beautiful skyline of American
cities) taken above prairie plants. It reminded me of something about which I
had been thinking of writing.
A beloved relative who
shares a love for nature with me told me once, “You are so lucky you can live
in a beautiful place to enjoy nature.” I told her that nature’s beauty and
bounty is nearly everywhere if one has a patient eye to see it, or a broader definition to recognize it, and that she herself was surrounded by far more
than she realized. (She, too, was from Chicago, and in fact lived within a
five-minute drive of one of my favorite childhood Forest Preserves!) The place
represented in the photo is one such example among the many we have enjoyed in the
Chicagoland area.
This one is small,
barely known except by birders, but it also enfolds the last natural sand dune
habitat within city limits. It is the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary located at the east end of Montrose Avenue (4400
North) on Lake Michigan. Quickly accessible from the vast Montrose
Beach/Montrose Harbor parking area, it is additionally known colloquially among
naturalists as “The Magic Hedge” for its charmed attraction of birds of all
kinds that frequent the various central flyways, especially during migrations
and in winter. The Audubon Society
has even designated it as one of our country’s critical IBA’s, or Important Bird Areas. Many of these are in major
metropolitan environments.
Nature’s beauty and bounty is
nearly everywhere if one has a
patient eye to see it, or a broader
definition to recognize it...
So, can one enjoy nature
in the city? I certainly believe so! Set me in a room with a window that gives
me eyeshot of a tree or the sky and I’ll be happy! But as I mentioned to my
relative, it’s out there -- we just might need to be a little more diligent in
seeking it out. My sister Carolyn is actually my hero and inspiration in this
regard. A life-long naturalist and birder, she has introduced us to more
natural areas in Chicago than I could count! Years ago she familiarized me with
a fantastic organization called Chicago Wilderness, which ran an excellent printed magazine of the same name from 1997-2009, all of
which is archived and freely available to
any who would like to access it. It is just one more indication that urban nature
is available to those who seek it. I’ll never forget the article I read years
ago (Time Magazine? Audubon?) about the dozens of bird
species a birder counted one afternoon while attending (and ostensibly
watching) a Chicago Cubs baseball game at Wrigley Field!
People tend to define
natural beauty way too narrowly -- mountains, lakes, shorelines, forests,
__________ – fill in your own blank. Interestingly, I think we too often do
this with God as well, that is, define God way too narrowly, or at least define
God’s control over or interest in our lives too narrowly.
Let’s open our eyes.
Let’s see God in God’s bigness, avail ourselves to God’s surprises. And let’s
see the beauty and diversity of God’s creation similarly. In both, the
possibilities are endless.
P.S. Coming up next
week? Something from my nature journal on Christmas and the winter solstice…
~~RGM, December 11, 2013
