With the power outage that occurred last week I had an opportunity to catch up on some reading. I finished “The Complete Angler” by Izaak Walton and “The Grand Design” by Steven Hawkings. These books are polar opposites in content. The first, a poetic book of fishing and religion. The second a book of physics and science. I am a little biased towards fishing so you can probably guess which one I liked better. But I do enjoy reading about science occasionally. I was particularly interested in The Grand Design because intelligent design intrigues me. Hawkins slowly worked his way to it throughout the book. In the process he described the history of science, philosophy and religion. I’m no physicist so reading about quantum theory and other scientific concepts took a lot of concentration. Hawkins went on to discuss a possible universal law called “M Theory”. Even after reading the book I can’t say I understand it completely. But physicists are looking for a universal law to tie up their loose ends and come to a complete understanding of the universe. I may have this all wrong but apparently the laws of physics in the tiniest sub atomic particles of life do not apply to the laws of the entire universe. It’s now believed that there are infinite universes, each one having their own set of laws. M-Theory is supposed to tie them all together somehow. I wish them luck on that quest. I’m not looking for answers to creation. They say that we are here by chance and it can be mathematically proven. They say that God does not exist because the universe must remain in balance and something cannot be created from nothing. They have faith in their mathematics. They admit that life evolved due to a number of fascinating probabilities. One change in the process and life would not exist. Some call it “intelligent design”. But they still believe that it happened by chance and we are just a roll of the dice. Well I may believe them some day when they solve all the mysteries of the universe. But I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. The further we dive into the mysteries of the universe the more we encounter more mysteries. That’s the only constant I see. Not everything in life is logical. As long as there are mysteries there will always be room for Faith. Faith can coexist with science. Faith doesn’t need proof. Faith is not looking for answers but accepts life as a gift. I admire physicists who unravel the mysteries of life. It would seem to me they could either feel closer to God from their discoveries or further from God. It all depends on their Faith in my opinion. Anyway, I probably won’t read many more books on solving the answers to life. Life is too short and I’ll find out soon enough when my time comes. So I think I’ll stick to poetry and fly fishing.
The Heron 
Oh, the comfort, had I read this when you first wrote it. Yet, now I read it with my having spent, through the intervening years, more time with the color changes of the sky and sea. In the misty yawning of new days or just before the golden dusks at sunset, while fishing, while walking along a beach or through a field of Queen Anne’s Lace and chicory, I’ve found delight which cannot be quantified.