Like a Fish Swimming Upstream

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A couple of Sisters of mine just returned from fishing in the Clearwater River in Idaho where one caught a 20-pound steelhead, which is a species of salmon. (Or maybe trout.)  It is a magnificent fish that, because it is endangered, was released after a quick photo.
           
Steelhead migrate from the ocean to their ancient inland spawning ground – their reproductive home - traveling up to 800 miles, jumping fish ladders and swimming upstream in the process.  Wow!  What keeps the steelhead going?

I don’t know…dead reckoning, magnetic fields, smells, instinct? There are lots of theories behind animal migration.  All I know is the steelhead persevere; they just do it… year after year after year after year… always moving toward that which beckons.  And by doing so, they produce new life.

There are times in our own lives when we might feel as though we’re swimming upstream, fighting current, failing to connect with each other … or with the Divine Spark at our very core, which is always beckoning us forward.  Maybe we should take a lesson from the steelhead.  Persevere.  Trust.  Have Faith.  Keep Going.  Journey with Trusted Companions; Swim Toward the Source; Swim to the Light.

How has nature spoken to you recently?  What have you heard?         

Sr. Kathy Flynn

Spokane, WA

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