Signs of Love

Being brought up in an area that has an abundance of natural beauty has been something I try not to take for granted. It is never a mistake to spend time outdoors enjoying the trees and critters that populate the area here in northeast Pennsylvania. So when my wife suggested that we spend a couple hours walking the trails at Bushkill Falls the other day, I agreed that the idea was a good one and although, as usual, there were several projects that competed for the time, we drove the two miles or so to what is arguably one of the most popular tourist attractions in The Poconos. Because of the cost to maintain the several miles of trails in the attraction the cost to visit has risen over the years to a point where I would rarely make the trip. However, the policy of management has been for some time that people who live in the area should be able to visit free of charge. The zip code on our driver's license proved to be all that was needed and we spent the next hour and a half descending into the beautiful gorge formed by the Little Bushkill Creek and, of course, climbing back up on the opposite side of the stream for the return trip. I am blessed to have a wife who is pleased when I do something like this with her and the adventure gave us an appreciation of the natural beauty that surrounds us.

Finding something new or out of the ordinary always makes an activity like this special. As you may already know, I have been active in The American Chestnut Foundation and am excited whenever I find a Chestnut tree that has not yet succumbed to the blight. When Jen and I had dropped down in the gorge to about the lowest point on the maintained walkway, there clinging to the steep cliff side was an American Chestnut. It was not very big, but it was definitely a healthy young sapling. I wondered how many people walked by that little tree not knowing what a rare thing was exposed there. I took it as a sign that the Chestnut is trying to persevere and that efforts to introduce a blight resistant strain is worth the time and effort folks are spending. Being able to still negotiate the trails, being able to do so with the one I have promised to spend my life with, being able to see signs of love by our Maker and for one another, for all this I am grateful.