Feb
7
O Rugged Land of Gold
Filed Under Live-Again-Reads
Since the Grace Performs Ice Acrobatics incident occurred a few days ago I have been house bound except for a few hours at work and a quick trip to the doctor’s office. Needless to say there has been more sitting than usual going on in my life. As I sat yesterday, I glanced over at the book shelves and saw one of my most favorite books in the world. It is a small book entitled O Rugged Land of Gold, by Martha Martin.This book is dear to me because it is inspiring and evokes emotions that cause feelings of inspiration, gratitude for the people that surround me, hope, and fortitude, and leaves me in a state of awe toward nature and the world God created.
As best we know, Martha used real life situations she endured and a bit of imagination to tell the story of being stranded alone on an undeveloped (at the time), isolated Alaskan Island throughout a winter. At the start, she became quite severely injured in an earthquake. Along with head injuries, she suffer a badly broken arm that she forced herself to set and using what she had available in her supplies, create a make-shift cast. (Yes, I was relating to the broken arm injury yesterday. Comparatively speaking, I am a wimp.) She is also pregnant during this winter and does not become rescued until after the baby is born.
Martha’s story makes me wonder if I could survive alone in those rugged conditions. Martha makes me wonder if I could survive alone at all. The story she tells shows her inner strength and does affirm to me that such inner strength exists in all of us if we chose to use it.
I have read this book many times, but I still remember the exact moment that I read page 89 for the first time. As I read the words I was surprised and happy that I had found someone who experienced God much in the same way that I always have, and that she could express this experience far better than I.
Upon reading that page for the first time, I paused, read it again, took the book to the computer and typed the entire page up, printed it out and placed it in a plastic cover where it remains today, 7 years later, in my daily planner. Rereading that excerpt floods my mind with visions of mountains, forests, lakes and sky, and I immediately feel a peace surround me, a renewed reverence for and oneness with nature and burned into my mind again is: there was, is and forever will be God.
Here is what Martha wrote:
“I was raised in a religious home, but I had to live in the wilderness to experience the meaning of faith. In the States I accepted what my people believed, conformed to what was prescribed, and bothered my head no further. Here the slate is wiped clean of all creeds and doctrines; faith is stripped down to the fundamentals; and it becomes clear that all religion is no more or no less that the human soul reaching out to the Creator; that the individual alone, of his own free will and accord, must do the reaching. For me contact with God comes through His creation; the forests and the hills, the wind and the tides, the birds of the air, the creepy things upon the earth and the fishes in the sea, the starry heavens, the loyalty of a friend, love and devotion, faith and work, honor and awe.
I worship my God humbly before His manifestations, which go far beyond the ritual of any church. From Deep within me my worship surges forth, I am thankful and humble. A divine force- a spiritual guidance surrounds and envelopes me. This I know, not how or why: I only know that I do know, and it cannot be different.
As your needs are great, you will pray. This I ought to know from experience. I have said prayers since I could talk-mumblings and say-words- yet I have never prayed truly until there was nothing else possible for me to do. These last few weeks I have prayed more than in all my life before.
My prayers will be answered only if I pray with all my heart and humbly accept the answers to my prayers. To receive help I must do my part ungrudgingly, no matter how hard it will be.
I must work with all my might and intelligence and pray as I work. Then all will be well… Yes, I do sometimes doubt and question- much less now than at first. After all, I am only a mortal being, and I have been sorely tired.”
Excerpted from Martha Martin’s O Rugged Land of Gold, page 89
Many of my very favorite times occur out-of-doors. And when I can’t easily be out-of-doors, favorite photographs, collected leaves or buckeyes, or a loved passage from a favorite book can conjure up very special feelings, and special feelings make live-again-days.
Look around you right now. Do you see anything that gives you that special, live-again-day feeling? I can look up and see my favorite coffee mug and a puzzle that our family made together (which proclaims It’s Good To Be Queen!). If your answer is yes, I say good for you! If you don’t have something around you that gives you that live-again-day feeling, get something! Rugged times are easier to navigate when you are surrounded by golden treasures, and ordinary days become extraordinary days when you can tap into that live-again-day feeling!
Livin’ live-again-days!
Filed Under Live-Again-Reads |
Comments
2 Responses to “O Rugged Land of Gold”
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Amen!!! So many of us play church and we worship a god there. What God wants is for us to Worship God. Worship of our God must happen where ever we are what ever we have gotten ourselfs into.
Oh Dave, thanks so much for your comment. I say “Amen and Amen” to your “Amen”!
God is truly everywhere and in all things.