A simple meditation for a short walk on the towpath trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, starting at the Station Road trail head and walking to the eagle nest. Please note: Visitors should stay at least 300 feet from any nest, stick to marked trails, and keep noise down.

A Three-Step Morning Prayer

First Step

After we cross the bridge and get onto the trail

Plant your feet firmly on the earth.

Take a slow breath.

Notice what is around you.

Give thanks to our Creator God— for what you can see, for what you can hear, for what you can smell, for what you can touch, for the air filling your lungs.

Let yourself be present to the quiet gifts of creation.

Pray that today you might remain open— awake to the ways God is already meeting you here.

Second Step:

Now, gently release what you carry from yesterday. The worries, the regrets, the moments you wish you could redo— you do not need to hold them any longer.

Imagine brushing the dust from your hands, your feet, your heart. Let it fall away.

Take a breath, and leave it behind you.

Third Step:

And now, step forward. Into this new day— a gift not yet opened, a path not yet walked. Receive it with hope. With curiosity. With trust. Give thanks for this day that God has made, and step into it with courage and joy.

As we arrive at the nest

When we get to the point where we are going to go into the treeline to view the nest (in groups of two or three).

Listen to these ancient words and hold them in your heart as you make your way to the river’s edge (from Isaiah 40):

Those who wait upon God find their strength renewed. They rise up on wings like eagles. They run and don’t grow weary. They walk and don’t fall behind.

Closing Call and Response

As we get back toward the bridge

Leader: Where do we notice love showing up?

Group: All around us.

Leader: (Names what they see in real time such as in the tall trees…in the birds overhead… in the wind on our faces… invite others to call things out, and we respond with All around us.)

Group: All around us.

Photo by John Luckas as publicly shared on Facebook.