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Good morning sisters and brothers;

Early this morning we heard the sound of rain dancing on the rooftop, followed by the sound of muted thunder in the distance. The thunder reminded me of a tiger prowling in a jungle, unseen but heard. And as I was getting ready to head to my office in the church, the rain and the thunder suddenly came to an abrupt stop, and the cloud cover began to dissipate , allowing shafts of brilliant sunlight to break through and form rainbows in the mist. 

On the way to my car, I took a moment to reflect on the beauty of the landscape after a rainfall. The birds were happily bathing in the puddles, oblivious to the barn cats who sat  not 15 feet away staring at them. The green foliage was weighted down with heavy rain drops, making the trees seem almost tired. And as I admired the wild flowers, the towering oak in the middle of the muddy field, the wild meadow , I happened to look down the base of an old Manitoba Maple and saw this cluster of wild mushrooms. I was startled by their beauty and symmetry. I have always been fascinated mushrooms. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they come in all the colours of the rainbow. Some we can eat, some we cannot. And they have purpose. They recycle carbon, minerals, nutrients for use by other organisms and contribute to the soil matrix physical properties.  And they provide rain cover for toads and frogs. Not that long ago , when I was walking through the wild meadow enjoying a soft early summer rainfall, I found a dignified toad sitting beneath a rather large mushroom. The toad looked up at me, unafraid but rather concerned looking as though wondering why I was without an umbrella. He looked like a porcelain figurine one might see in the window of a shop on any main street in any little town across Canada. 

As I looked around, I realized that there were mushrooms everywhere. And while most might not give them a second look, to me they are a beautiful part of God's design. 

As a child I spent hours drawing mushrooms. The house in the national park in which we lived was the habitat to an astonishing variety of fungi.  It was like a museum of natural history in our backyard, and its curator was our loving and gracious God, creator of heaven and earth. 

My prayer for you, sisters and brothers, is that you take the time to look down and spot the miracles that lie scattered at our feet. You will be amazed at what you find, simply amazed. 

Let us pray 
Loving and gracious Creator, we give you thanks and praise for the little things in nature. Let us be attentive and more caring of your beautiful yet fragile creation. Let us tread lightly, and lessen our carbon footprints. Forgive us for the wrongs we have perpetuated against our mother earth, and help us to be better stewards. This we ask in Jesus name. 

Amen 

Diosito me los colme de bendiciones y alegria 

Paz 

I love you 

John