Throughout the year, I’m going to the same place on the same river at four different seasons. Today was my winter view. I leaned against a tree along a bank for perhaps a half-hour. I had a small notebook and pen in hand, jotting notes on what struck me during this time. I know that this single stretch of will look rather different from one season to the next. And yet, there will be a lot of sameness to it.

You know about my River construct of your and my lives. I continue to share the River construct in nearly all of my small-group and large-group presentations. It’s always pleasing to hear the feedback. I receive countless ideas and comments that help me add to the River.

But it’s also good to see nature’s way. Standing next to a river and watching the details shows what I’ve missed when fishing or hiking or even canoeing.

This morning I saw that a quiet, flat surface is no guarantor of comfort and ease. Rain and snow made the river run very high. The greater depth meant that obstructions were covered over. The greater depth meant that the current, though silent, was powerful. The greater depth added to the speed of both the main current and its companion motions. And downstream from me, maybe two hundred yards away, the river changed direction sharply. On this morning, that could have brought struggle and difficulty.

The water was peaceful until you took the time to see what was going on. Then, the river became serious.