One of the joys for me of the property we own is that the river runs along one side of our four acres. The water rises or falls according to the season and the amount of rain or heat or snow melt. I’ve seen the water level rise by as much as 8 feet in a 12 hour period and I’ve seen the level go down to about 3 inches in the heat of summer.
On a hot summer day there is nothing more refreshing than to go and sit on a big rock in the middle and soak your tired feet in the cool water while Mirza runs up and down splashing and frolicking. It always brings a smile to my face.
I have been down along the bank in the early evening and watched a beaver swim upstream and seen the bats swoop down, back and forth between the banks. There are trout in the water and if you’re lucky you can watch them swimming about. This past Spring the Cedar Waxwings nested in the trees on the far side and in the early morning, I would take my coffee down and stand there watching them fly back and forth distracting me from where their nests were. There are tall grasses that grow out into the centre of the flow and often after the Spring floods tree branches and sometimes whole trees are knocked down right across.
On a full moon night, if you’re there at the right time of year, you can see the moonlight reflected in the water and sense the magic of it all.
The river is not only filled with life but is also a living thing. It flows at different speeds at different times of the year. Sometimes completely unobstructed and other times having to go around rocks and trees and even bits of planks and other debris that have been washed down. When the snows melt or we have heavy rains the water rises and the river overflows its banks and covers the fields and once even washed out our road. But always the river flows; it goes over, under, around or through and continues on to eventually join the salt water of the Minas Basin.
Life goes on, as does the river and we too must go over or around obstacles, problems, and choices and at times our life overflows and causes destruction or change of some kind. Yet still we must flow on till eventually we join that great concert of souls that is the journey into the next realm.
There is serenity about the river and wisdom also. It doesn’t stop when it comes to an obstacle but finds a way to carry on. No matter the weather, no matter the times, the river continues on, sometimes with a murmur, sometimes with a roar, but always going forward. I want to be the river as I journey through this life.





Mar 06, 2013 @ 13:35:26
Its a wonderful aspiration, being a river, and how well you present it of course..seems like a little bit of heaven!
Mar 06, 2013 @ 17:14:34
there’s something about the flowing of river waters that speaks to me of life and all it brings.
Feb 28, 2013 @ 10:28:37
“There is serenity about the river and wisdom also. It doesn’t stop when it comes to an obstacle but finds a way to carry on. No matter the weather, no matter the times, the river continues on, sometimes with a murmur, sometimes with a roar, but always going forward.” Another fantastic piece of wisdom from you this morning. Seems these posts were put on my path for a reason today.
Thank you for continuing to exert beautiful strength and powerful grace in your own confident, peaceful way(s).
Feb 23, 2013 @ 14:31:25
Thank you for sharing
Peaceful times
Beautiful photographs.
You are truly blessed
To be so near
Cleansing
Healing
Flowing
Water.
This is Allison Crowe’s version of Joni Mitchell’s “River”
Feb 22, 2013 @ 20:54:42
Oh, Joss…what a joy to live by a river…a very dear member of your family, too. I’ve often thought that I could learn all I might need to know from a 9 square foot section of a river… I think life’s lessons are there…so much wisdom. You explained it so beautifully… : )
Feb 22, 2013 @ 19:32:58
A vivid picture of the amazing and extraordinary world you are lucky enough to live in.
And as usual, a bonus of loving wisdom.
Namaste.
Feb 22, 2013 @ 20:05:43
Thank you my friend. The river has much to teach and share
Feb 22, 2013 @ 15:39:33
What a blessing to have this so close by – all the time!
Feb 21, 2013 @ 21:45:23
Absolutely beautiful and wise words! <#
Feb 21, 2013 @ 21:46:23
Sorry for the typos…I have a cut on one of my fingers and it’s hard to type….
Feb 21, 2013 @ 17:00:09
Something we would envy you. We have little in the way of proper rivers. The ones which are more than a trickle are likely to have little complications like crocs in them, so it is only high in the mountains where one has the pleasure of a dip in a stream.
Boating on rivers is such fun, too.
Feb 21, 2013 @ 13:01:48
Jealous x
Feb 21, 2013 @ 11:56:44
I love the sound of a river gurgling. There is something so peaceful about water flowing from one place to another.
Beautiful writing and pictures!
Feb 21, 2013 @ 10:50:40
What a lovely post! Thank you for this.
Feb 21, 2013 @ 10:33:42
I love how you experience the world, Joss. The way you write and feel into it–takes me there. It’s as though I’m walking with you. Thank you….from a suburban city girl. xoxo
Feb 21, 2013 @ 06:16:43
Lovely – your writing flows like the river itself. And I love the moonlight photo.
Feb 21, 2013 @ 03:43:47
Very nicely written!
Feb 20, 2013 @ 23:33:38
Ahhhh…lovely analogy! If only we would all travel through life like the river! Thanks, Joss!
Feb 20, 2013 @ 21:41:08
That was very beautifully written, Joss! So true, how it manages to find ways to carry on. Just like most of us.
We lived by a river in QC. Most of the time it was just a small stream, but still bore the proud name La rivière Jaune. The house was built way too close to it — it should never have been allowed to be built there. I looked out through the window of the computer room, straight down on it. Each Spring and Fall we had it in the basement. We had to take turns staying awake to watch the pumps.
Feb 23, 2013 @ 14:43:09
Hah Rebekah, you should have erected a water wheel (and changed your last name to Miller; )