An Altar in the World

NNow that I can still breath when I reach the 95th step leading to the upper reservoir on Mt. Tabor, I've started to add more distance to my morning walk. On Saturday my route took me to the oldest reservoir where I remembered an altar created around a hillside drain. The last time we jogged by the spot before my surgery last September, the Water Bureau had just cleared away an accumulation of trinkets including a plastic holstein cow. What will I find today?

I could see three stacks of stones from a distance. Close up I noticed two fresh oranges, assorted rocks and shells, a crumpled note tucked into a corner, a school photo of a young girl, a child's painting, and a single flower floating in the small round pool in the center. Water flowed gently out from the pool, down the mossy face of the retaining wall, and into a drain.

The wind sighed softly through the fir trees as I stood silently pondering meaning in the gifts. A steady background sound of water rushing into the century old reservoir soothed my thoughts. This is a sacred healing space, an altar in the world.

Note: You might want to check out the book An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor.