Eden Prairie Local News
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Tuesday, March 28
    • About
      • About EPLN
      • Team
      • EPLN in the News
      • Policies
    • Contact
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Subscribe
    Eden Prairie Local News
    • Home
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Public Safety
    • City
    • Calendar
    • Donate
    • Subscribe
    • More
      • Construction
      • Outdoors
      • Politics
      • Health
      • Spirituality
      • Community Service
      • Legacy
      • Obituaries
      • Arts
      • Family
      • Holidays
      • Letter to Editor
      • Listen
      • Jobs
    Eden Prairie Local News
    Home»Spirituality»Spiritual connections: God paints with a big brush
    Spirituality

    Spiritual connections: God paints with a big brush

    By Rod AndersonOctober 11, 2022Updated:October 15, 20223 Mins Read

    A few years ago, my wife Julane and I were privileged to be guests of friends in Hartford, Connecticut, who took us on a road trip to see the breathtaking autumn leaves around that whole region from the Atlantic shore to Mount Washington State Park. Our friends didn’t have to try very hard to convince us that “God paints the leaves, but in the northeast God uses a bigger brush!”

    Our home is in the Cedar Forest neighborhood along Pioneer Road in southwest Eden Prairie, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that we have 22 red cedar trees on our lot showing us their green foliage year around. Thankfully we also have several oaks and basswoods to bring the color. 

    But coming and going to our home, we regularly drive up and down Dell Road as it curves its way through the Big Woods that straddles Highway 212, which wasn’t even there when we built our house. Every day our way to and from our home is painted with bright and glorious colors at their peak on all those mature trees! 

    In fact, when we moved in 45 years ago, Dell Road was only a gravel road that extended just four blocks south from old two-lane Highway 5, dead-ending in a hayfield at 82nd Street. If my recollection is correct, there was much discussion at the old City Hall on Eden Prairie Road (now the Senior Center) about whether Dell Road should be a straight road through the Big Woods or might it wend its way north and south, and even include a tree-lined center median between its four lanes.

    Advertisement
    Ad for Washburn-McReavy

    And then there are the trails! Oh, those wonderful hiking and biking trails around Rice Marsh Lake, over Highway 212 and then along the old railroad right of way! Wow! Canopies of color suspended over the trailway as if the trees were not only painted by God but also perfectly spaced and planted by God!

    We can all thank Bob Lambert, the retired Eden Prairie director of parks and recreation, for our community’s national award-winning trail system! Last week when I was in their neighborhood, I stopped for a visit at Bob and Sally’s retirement home in the country. Bob took me for a ride over hills and trails around his small retirement farmstead on his side-by-side as he pointed out views overlooking Gustavus Adolphus College campus and the beautiful colored bluffs along the Minnesota River. That’s the same river we view from the Eden Prairie river bluffs trail! It’s clear, wherever Bob goes, there will be happy trails!

    As for Julane and me, we still cherish our wonderful experience of living for one year in the arid Sonoran Desert in Arizona during my seminary internship and remembering the birth of our first child exactly 50 years ago. 

    But we clearly remember missing the change of seasons. Her favorite season is autumn, with all its color. My favorite is spring, with all its hope for life and growth again. But we both cherish the change of seasons as calendar pages are turned year in and year out while God keeps painting our beloved Earth, soon to be white with snow!

    Editor’s note: EPLN contributor Pastor Rod Anderson serves on the EPLN Board of Directors. Anderson is the former senior pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie. If you would like to contribute a faith-based column to EPLN, email editor@eplocalnews.org.

    Be Informed
    Sign up for the FREE email newsletter from EPLN
    Subscribe

    Comments

    Comments aren’t allowed on our site, but we do offer several ways to provide feedback, and have your voice heard. If you believe the story has an error, or would like to get in touch with the author, please contact us. If you would like to respond directly to this article, we welcome and encourage Letters To the Editor. You can find details on how to submit a letter on our contact page.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleWard-Rannow, Pagan-Uman and Kerry for school board; reelect Cwodzinski, Kotyza-Witthuhn
    Next Article Photo gallery: Citywide Open House

    More to READ

    6 Mins Read

    Color of Holi strengthens Hindu Society of Minnesota’s outreach efforts in Eden Prairie

    March 22, 2023
    3 Mins Read

    India’s vibrant festival culture: Holi celebrations promote unity, love, and joy

    March 17, 2023
    3 Mins Read

    Spiritual connections: A time for contemplation

    February 20, 2023
    Subscribe to get EPLN in your inbox for FREE!
    Recent Articles

    Police arrest suspect in connection to theft, gun possession

    March 27, 2023

    EP-based running club stays active all year long

    March 27, 2023

    EPHS names O’Leary as new head dance team coach

    March 27, 2023

    Standing with Ukraine in MN

    March 27, 2023

    Celebrating everyday heroes: Read three winning essays from the EP Optimist Club contest

    March 26, 2023
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Eden Prairie Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 85-4248265 | Copyright © 2020-2023
    • About
    • Policies
    • Jobs
    • Contact
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Donate

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.