Almost Heaven

When I reflect on how much time we spend in our homes and offices, or hurrying here and there in planes and trains and autos – wrapped, always, in cocoons of our own making – I am dismayed. We need to break free from our self-imposed isolation and open ourselves to the healing power of God’s glorious creation. Nothing restores the spirit quite like a breathtaking mountain vista. It just doesn’t get much better than it is for this fisherman, who has tramped through the woods, rod in hand, to discover a glacial lake where he can fill his creel with plump rainbow trout. I love to fish, not so much for the strike or the catch, but simply because fishing gives me license to get out into nature. A haven such as this, I believe, truly is Almost Heaven.

The fisherman seems insignificant among so much grandeur; yet, bathed by the radiant glow of sunset, he is intensely a part of the scene. Like him, we are at once humbled and exalted by immersion in nature. I urge each of you to break free from the confinement of modern living. I would take everyone with me on my fishing expeditions if I could. And, indeed, through my art, I hope that I can transport you to where it is Almost Heaven.