finding my way-

years and years ago

when i was in junior high...

i discovered the joy of

hiking solo;

i would get home from school

throw on a backpack 

stuffed with my journal and a pen---

and off i would go,

stopping along the way

to jot some poetry 

in my journal.

usually i didn't get home

until dinner time!

being up around the

trees and fresh air

always cleared my head,

helping me cope

with the social anxieties

that every junior high kid

experiences!

hiking 

comes

 natural for me;

growing up in a home

where my dad thought 

camping meant

''backpacking' 

with all our own gear---

and heading somewhere

 no one else

would ever, ever

 imagine going!! :)

(thank-you, Dad!)

my husband and i 

hiked when we were

dating-

and then later

we hiked as a 

young growing family;

we

took our daughters

 on many, many hikes

as they were growing up.

we continue this tradition

with at least one

hike a year as

a family.

this year,
so far

i have been lucky enough

to go on four hikes...

two hikes with family

and two hikes with friends.

the last couple hikes i did,

were so crazy beautiful...

it was easy to see why 

my dad 

used to say, 

hiking was where he

 felt the closest to

God.

it was impossible

 to look at the beauty around me

and not

thank our Maker for it

all!

God's handiwork was

 evident everywhere

i looked!

in the trees that sloped on the hills,

puffy clouds floating above me,

clear blue skies,

the sunshine glistening off the 

icy lake,

the meadow bursting with flowers,

a bubbling brook,

rock formations that just begged

 to be climbed.

in it all,

everywhere i looked...

abundant beauty

surrounded

me.

thankful. blessed. grateful.

always.