We’ve had some memorable vacations over the years. Pastors sometimes receive mild criticism for the amount of vacation that is typically negotiated into the terms of call. For our working lives, we almost always had four weeks of vacation each year. Most of the people we served had only two weeks of vacation. When asked about it, I sometimes would respond with a question: “Would you trade all of your weekends for two more weeks of vacation?” Weekends are more common for pastors these days. I know several who take Fridays and Saturdays off each week. However, we did not. We generally considered Mondays to be our day off each week, but worked on Mondays if there was a funeral, a special church event, or another reason. Our family generally planned special events for Thanksgiving because it was typical for us to take Thursday, Friday, and Saturday off, giving us the only three-day weekend of the year.

There are many justifications for the amount of vacation we took. What we quickly learned after becoming ordained is that the nature of the work we did was demanding, and we often neglected time off. Remembering the Sabbath and taking time for rest is a serious commandment, and we had to learn how to honor it. Some years, we took our vacation in segments, taking a week here or there throughout the year. Other years, we took an entire month off. Although Susan and I are both ordained ministers and we worked together for the same church, often job sharing a single call, we still had to make accommodations for our children’s schedules as they grew through various stages of their lives.

One fall, after our children were grown, we used our vacation time to visit several national parks. Our daughter was attending college in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and our son was living in Los Angeles, California. Between visiting our children, we drove through Utah and Arizona and visited some of the National Parks along the way. We had a tent and car camped. In those days, campground reservations were generally not needed during the off-season, so we had some flexibility about where to stay.

After visiting Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks, we camped near the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We planned to set up our camp and drive to the North Rim to view it at sunset. The next morning, we would drive around to the South Rim and view the canyon from that perspective. The plan didn’t work out because a wildfire had closed the North Rim viewing points. The smoke was not blowing toward the campground, and we had a pleasant and relaxing evening before proceeding to view the canyon from the South Rim the next day.

I have been thinking of that trip because a rapidly growing wildfire is currently causing the North Rim viewpoints to be closed. The fire is quickly increasing. At one point, it expanded more than 10 times in less than 24 hours. The National Park Service has evacuated visitors and staff from the fire zones. It has been very hot and dry in the region. Daytime temperatures have exceeded 100 degrees, and the Park Service is advising against hiking into the Grand Canyon.

I am grateful that we have been able to visit some of the famous natural wonders. We have explored the wonders of Yellowstone, marveled at Niagara Falls, walked around Uluru in Australia, stood on the Columbia ice fields in Alberta, peered into a volcano in Costa Rica, and wandered in Acadia National Park. We have had many experiences of natural beauty in public lands in several different countries. We have been fortunate to travel.

As great as it has been to see such beauty and to experience nature in those places, one of the unexpected gifts of retirement for me has been the discovery of such beauty right in the place where I live. It is a lesson that we have been learning for a long time. Before our retirement, we lived for 25 years in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Deer had their fawns in our yard. Wild turkeys crossed our lawn each day. Summer thunderstorms treated us with spectacular rainbows. Buffalo, Elk, Big Horn sheep, and mountain lions gave us glimpses. The iris and sunflowers in our garden treated us with indescribable beauty.

These days, we often walk the same route each day. Around our neighborhood, down the hill to the sea, along the beach, and back up to our house. It seems that each trip involves the discovery of something that we haven’t previously seen. Hummingbirds clustered around flowers, new blossoms in the yards of our neighbors, tiny baby bunnies, eagles overhead, and great blue herons fishing in the shallows are among the many beauties we witness. The ocean is constantly changing with different levels as the tides roll in and out, different lighting as the sun rises and sets, and various moods as fog descends and lifts. The seagulls entertain us with their clam-smashing drops from high, followed by a quick descent to eat the contents before another gull comes along. There is always something new to discover. There is always beauty to behold.

Our grandchildren have been excellent teachers to me as I have learned to slow down and look more closely. Our granddaughter discovered a mason bee nest and showed me where it was located. Our grandson helped me pull weeds, but instead of tossing them into the bucket to go to the compost, he examined the roots of each one, shaking the soil off and spreading out the thread-like extensions of fine roots. They are fascinating and beautiful when one invests the time to look closely.

The glory of creation is all around us, and we are not separate from that glory. Our bodies are composed of the same elements as the world around us. We are constantly exchanging air, water, and other elements with the wider creation. As wonderful as it is to see the grand vistas that have become tourist destinations, we don’t have to travel to behold the wonders of the world. They surround us wherever we are.