{"id":7410,"date":"2015-08-23T07:11:21","date_gmt":"2015-08-23T11:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/p4td.lightshedder.com\/?p=7410"},"modified":"2015-08-23T07:49:45","modified_gmt":"2015-08-23T11:49:45","slug":"a-praise-of-blazing-star-happy-sunday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/psnp.info\/p4td_\/?p=7410","title":{"rendered":"A Praise of Blazing Star! Happy Sunday."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Northern Blazing Star. Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area, ME<\/p><\/div>\n

You might remember that back in late July and early August I was tracking the bloom of the Northern Blazing Star on the Kennebunk Plains and predicting one of the best years for the flower in recent memory. On August 5th I left for 2 weeks of travel and it rained for a few days when I got home…so it was yesterday before I got out to the Plains to see how the Blazing Star was doing. And it was certainly doing! I have not, in my more than 20 years of living in Southern Maine, seen the Blazing Star so dense or so extensive. To say that the Plains are purple with it is an understatement. This might be full bloom. I saw no unopened buds, and the oldest, topmost buds on each plant are fading…but, oh my, what a bloom!<\/p>\n

Sony HX90V, in-camera HDR at 67mm equivalent field of view. Processed in Lightroom.<\/p>\n

I sometimes think that mankind is unique among all God’s creation in the ability to praise the creator. We have the privilege, not only of being created, but of knowing that we are. And we know, if we know God at all, that we are created with love…lovingly created…and loved all life long. We respond to the greatness of that love with praise…thankfulness, awe, joy…we make a joyful\u00a0noise before God…lifting hands and faces…bold in the awful\u00a0presence of the Creator of all.<\/p>\n

But then I see the Kennebunk Plains ablaze with the purple of Northern Blazing Star, and I am not so sure we are alone in our ability to praise. A plain full of Blazing Star in bloom looks a lot like praise to me…as though the earth itself lifted its face and hands and\u00a0broke out in exalted song.<\/p>\n

A praise of Blazing Star!<\/p>\n

When we praise the creator of all, how can we not believe that all creation praises with us. And I, for one, can not look on the Plains ablaze with Blazing Star without praising… \u00a0Happy Sunday!<\/p>\n

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