"GOD CALLS TO OUR SOULS in ways that words cannot — through a moving song, a dramatic dance, the smile of a friend, or the kiss of the sun. From the vivid shades of autumn to the intricacy of a spider’s web, God made the earth and everything in it."

This quote is from today's Upper Room Daily Reflection. http://www.upperroom.org/daily/ It made me think about this picture I took while the kids and I were hiking along a road leading to a nature trail and waterfall. This wildflower amazed me - how carefully the little flowers were contained in the fuzzy clusters by thin little stem-like pieces. Once in full bloom, the little white flowers weren't fuzzy at all. Though the evening was hot and humid and we were anxious to get where we were going and get back inside where it was cool, there was something about this plant that made me stop to wonder at its simple beauty.

In the next few weeks as I immerse myself in the Summer Institute and put my fingertips back on the computer keys to finish my dissertation, I need to remember to live aware of the times God calls to my soul in ways that words cannot. I need to take time to stop, look, and appreciate simple things that are really beyond my imagining. For those moments of beauty and wonder are the source of inspiration and peace that feeds my soul.