A Hike

Patty received her Herceptin treatment yesterday without incident. One thing she hasn't consistently disliked while being on chemotherapy is what she describes as a "chemical smell." She says after she receives a treatment she smells a chemical smell. I've never smelled anything but she insists she does. I suspect that it may be emanating from her blood vessels in her nasal passages.

I mentioned a that a group of my close community group friends went on a hike in the Smokies. In particular, the Meig's Creek trail behind "The Sinks." Below is a piece that stemmed from that hike.

Recently, I went on a hike. I love to hike. It is one of the times that I feel closer to God. Strangely enough, I've never had a desire to be a park ranger. Probably because I'm afraid if I experienced God's unblemished creation on a daily basis its inspiring affect on me might be dampened. Maybe. More likely, its that I know they don't make much money. lol... As I write that last sentence I wonder what that says about me but, I'll digress.

One of the things I love about a hike is the anticipation of what hiking around the next bed of the trail might bring. An inspiring vista?...a ?...a refreshing brook? God only knows. The bend beckons me to peek around it in a quest of what as to what it holds. More often than not its the view of another bend or maybe another up hill climb. But just when I'm contemplating reversing course and heading back God jumps out in front of me in the form of a cascading waterfall or a breathtaking view of his vast creation.

A hike in a sense parallels the journey of life and boy have I walked down some beautiful trails of life. Over the last year, the hike has been a long, steep, difficult climb especially over the last month for me. My shoes are worn and wet from crossing swift streams and my knees ache from falling on the rocks. My backpack weighs more and more with each hill. But I know that God has a vista, a waterfall or a refreshing brook ahead of me just around the bend and thus I trudge along with confident trust in His providence for us.

For those of you who don't know me I'm in the middle front row