A father is reminded of God’s gifts when his daughter sings

My daughter sometimes sings a little lullaby. With her operatic trained voice, it is beautiful.

“The little star peaks over the hill, the woods are dark,

the birds are still, the little children sing their prayers,

and the love of God is everywhere.

Anichei, Anichei why do you hum?

I am so happy that summer has come,

Summer and sunlight the whole day through: and I sure love you.

Bzz, bzz, bzz. Bzz, Bzz, bzzz, bzzz,

Sunlight and flowers surround me the whole day through: and I sure love you.”

I am reminded of this song at one of my favorite places: Tipsoo lake at Mt. Rainier National Park.

Tipsoo Lake is a popular summer destination on the eastern edge of Mount Rainier National Park. Located at Chinook Pass along State Route 410, this subalpine lake is set in a glacier-carved basin and surrounded by subalpine wildflower meadows. The area experiences heavy snowfall in winter, with snow lingering well into June or even July.

A network of easy trails, suitable for all ages, leads through the subalpine meadows and around the lake. Naches Peak Loop Trail is a popular hike, which is actually a historic wood and stone bridge. This trail features superb wildflower displays in midsummer.

In the springtime the snow banks near the lake begin to melt. Small streams of melted cold snow water flow down the slopes to the lake. The little streams contain schools of thousands of tiny fish and tadpoles.

The clear water in the lake enables every rock on the shallow lake to be clearly visible, the rocks like tiny volcanic peaks ready to erupt to the surface. Larger trout can be seen gliding in the bottom water of the lake.

So anxious to greet the sun, snow plants push in small holes to the surface. Carpets of colorful flowers: lupine, Indian paintbrush, partridge foot, avalanche lilies, paintbrush, asters, daisies, cinquefoil, fireweed, purple shooting stars and so many others set a dramatic scene. Easy area nature trails meander near the lake offering dazzling views.

To visit Tipsoo Lake in the spring is to absorb the sacred spirit of the place into one’s bones and skin and muscle and heart. It is to visibly sense the cycles of nature and the beauty connected with them.

Every time I listen to the “bzz” song I am reduced to tears. It reminds me of the gifts God gives us—simple things that we often do not heed.

Things like stars rising over hills, children singing their prayers, the joy of summer, being surrounded by flowers at Tipsoo lake, loving others, a daughter with a wonderful voice: but most of all it tells me that the love of God is everywhere.