I had walked about a mile into the forest on the trail that borders the lake. I rested at a place overlooking the water, a location where I could meditate as well as enjoy the magnificent view and breathe in fresh mountain air. It is an accomplishment to walk even this short distance. I am returning to health and my physical strength is slowly returning. So I am feeling pleased that I am gifting myself with time to walk in the forest.
I met a woman on the trail who is in her early 80s. After we talked for a short while, I was reminded of a different time nearly 40 years ago when I also met and spoke with a woman walking a trail. I was recovering from an auto accident and could not walk more than a few hundred yards. Her courage and determination inspired me not to give up, and over the days and months that followed our chance meeting I eventually became a very excellent hiker, often seen in the rugged terrain of mountains surrounding Tucson (Arizona). Today, after a visit with another woman, I received new determination to walk with more energy and strength and to go the distance.
After this I sat longer in the forest, in a location of beauty overlooking the lake. I was in a state of bliss following a long period in meditation and prayer. I was enjoying a feast of love flowing into my soul that comes when we commune with the Source of all Love and goodness. My eyes had been closed and when I slowly opened them they were immediately drawn to a place in the water where I saw two white ducks moving quietly from the shore. In all my visits to Lynx Lake I had never seen anything like this. Perhaps white ducks are now a common sighting for other people visiting Lynx Lake, but not for me. When I saw them I felt deepened gratitude that I was gifted to see white ducks at the end of my time in mediation and prayer. I will not attempt to give it more meaning than this, or offer interpretation. I receive the sighting of white ducks as part of my growing experience of the presence of love.
– Joseph