Paperwork: Come, follow me through this open door … to everywhere

I walked through the half-opened doorway, probably for the last time.

This door had weathered the tempests of time – years I suppose – standing framed but without foundation, other than a lush green landscape. Two small iron fences with adjoining lavender-bright flower beds protected the entrance, slanting toward the door.

Before me was an invitation that beckoned: “Come. Discover.” I had stepped through this old wooden door before. This time I was on a mission and this was the perfect portal – taking me nowhere in particular or anywhere I wanted to be. My journey was more internal than external.

On this Saturday morning my wife and I joined 19 others, all with a similar mission to explore and discover and reflect in the “Wild Church” that surrounded us. This gathering was organized by the Wall Street Methodist Church from nearby Jeffersonville, Indiana. I pulled this bit of history off their Facebook page:

“For a number of years Wall Street enjoyed a yearly gathering at Lapping Park in Clarksville, Ind., for a worship service and picnic outdoors in September. Members asked for more worship activities in the great outdoors, so we looked into ways to offer connections with God in nature throughout the year.

“After some research we found that a church movement had been developing that eventually came to be called ‘Wild Church’ [in England, where this idea started, it is called ‘Forest Church’].

“Wild Church is a way to connect those who care about God’s beautiful, natural world with a different way of doing church. It is a time for pondering Creation in natural settings.”

On this particular Saturday we gathered around Associate Pastor Nancy Palmquist who said this would not be a formal service or liturgy offered, and all faiths were welcome. This was about personal contemplation and connection.

Each of us was given 20 minutes to wander the surrounding gardens and landscape. Pastor Palmquist suggested we do four things: observe, reflect, respond and then rest.

The clanging of an outdoor bell summoned us back together. We shared experiences that were similar, of course, yet extremely personal. I explained why this Wild Church was important to me ... and why I had to walk through that door.

For me this was more than a commune with nature, which indeed, is spiritual – no matter what your beliefs are.

This patch of nature, eight acres total, belongs to longtime friend and mentor, Bob Hill. Bob and his wife Janet left Illinois in 1975 to move into a home built in 1865. They established Hidden Hill Nursery and Sculpture Garden in Utica, Indiana, which is a hop, skip and one toll bridge away from Louisville, Kentucky.

Hill drove to Louisville for 33 years, establishing a lasting legacy as a columnist for the Courier Journal and former Louisville Times, while also running the nursery (like a huge hobby).

Now they have made the hard decision to downsize and sell what they created. That is what I was saying goodbye to – a legacy, their partnership with nature.

The natural beauty goes beyond the small, murmuring waterfall, bountiful and colorful flower patches and splendid, tall arching trees. Dotted throughout are the discards of man that have been absorbed within a huge green hug. A flatbed wooden wagon, small tractor, sculptures crafted from “junk”, twisted and shiny metal remnants, four metal chairs around a concrete table top … and more.

I walked through that door as the entrance to this storybook wonderland. It was magical. If fairies exist, they are there. If leprechauns exist, they are there. (Bob is proud of his Irish DNA.) Whatever connection to the universe you accept, it is there.

It cannot be easy for them to leave. Which is why I applaud what Bob and Janet planted and sculpted, hoping nature somehow will remain its guardian.

They already are making plans for a smaller, personal “Wild Church” in their new backyard – their next adventure – where their hearts, like that door, will always be open and inviting.

• Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, also was a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet in the 1970s. His PaperWork email is lonnyjcain@gmail.com. Or mail the NewsTribune, 426 Second St., La Salle IL 61301.