I worked from our downtown office today. As happens most days that I spent in any office, cooped up and looking out on summer skies from behind glass, I was happy to take the Metro home to Brookland and to take a walk after work.

I walked to the Mary’s Garden, adjacent to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception:

Situated on a three-quarter acre site along the northwest grounds, Mary’s Garden provides an outdoor setting for hospitality, rest, and quiet prayer. The garden is shaped in a circle to symbolize eternity and lined with a walkway that leads to the Magnificat Fountain, whose red granite border is incised with two lines from Luke 1:46–47: “My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord. My spirit finds joy in God my Savior.”

I didn’t stay there long, but I was there just long enough to appreciate the sight and scent of the fountain’s flowing water and to watch as a bird descended and then drank.

Have you taken the time to notice the birds yet this summer, and to glory in this world we share?