I no longer knew how to find God, so nature became my church

first person

I no longer knew how to find God, so nature became my church

First Person is a daily personal piece submitted by readers. Have a story to tell? See our guidelines at tgam.ca/essayguide .

The cardinal comes first, scarlet as stained glass. Then a blue jay, brash and loud as any preacher I’ve known. I didn’t realize, when I bought this house in the early days after the pandemic, how important this sunroom would become – how much it would teach me about stillness, and about the sacred.

For years, my weeks orbited around Sunday mornings. I was steeped in ecclesial life – as a religion journalist, I wrote about spiritual renewal, interfaith movements and debates over doctrine. I knew the rhythms of worship, the faces in the pews, the flare-ups in board meetings. I atte