Valley of Loud Springs

by Lisa M. Johnson

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland 

Valley of Loud Springs, by Lisa Johnson 

VALLEY OF LOUD SPRINGS

Poets and writers of story and song have long been inspired here at the gateway to the Alps—at the base of the Bernese Peak in the Valley of Lauterbrunnen. A valley of seventy-two waterfalls, ten that are glacier-fed, leads to the lushest of flora, green grasses, and vegetation. The rivers beneath run swollen, fed by alpine snowmelt and waterfalls, and their sheep, swollen on lush green pastures. I can still hear the bells that ring around the little lamb’s necks—bells that sing the words of Psalm 23, as I think back to the day of this photograph. He makes the waters flow, raining kindness from the mountain tops onto every humble valley tongue and buried seed. Every tear that falls here is holy and becomes a part of the collected waters. His children stream in and raise their heads beneath the vast shadows, then bow at the feast of His valley table. Every drink flows graciously from above.

LISA M. JOHNSON

Lisa M. Johnson is a retired pastor’s wife, turned full-time "Lolly," as the Italian grandmother of three. She is a mentor, writer, and photographer. Lisa currently dedicates herself to discovering rest, healthy rhythms, and healing through therapy, writing, and story work. You can find her in the quiet of her garden outside her home in the heart of the Bluegrass of Versailles, Kentucky, sipping a cup of hot tea with a little honey. Other published works in: Publish Her Press Anthology, The Way Back To Ourselves, Vessels of Light, and Calla Press Literary Journals. Connect with her on Instagram: @lisamicelijohnson and Substack: substack.com/@lisamicelijohnson