By: Lynda Shadel During my walks, I have noticed on sunny days that the sunlight is blocked by some of the trees. Yet, the light does get through, highlighting the leaves and branches, bringing them to life. The contrast between the sun and the darkness of the...
By: Keith Sampson Lately, the threat of terror has risen back to the top of conversations and thoughts. Paris and more recently San Bernardino have brought these concerns to our country, to our cities… Following these attacks, I have read posts,...
By: Keith Sampson I’m assuming many of you grew up knowing there were “things that you just don’t do”—things that, depending on your upbringing, would change the way people look at you. Because of (fill-in-the-blank) you are viewed differently; you are judged. ...
By: Lynda Shadel When I walk with Wally and Charlie they run here and there, ahead of me, and out of sight much of the time. We have an understood check-in point that is the Forgiveness Tree. If they are not waiting for me, they will come running to my call. I’ll...
By: Lynda Shadel Spring is a special time of new beginnings in the woods. Everything is coming to life, bursting from its dormant state with new growth. The new plants and the increasingly warm temperatures are exhilarating for both myself and the dogs. In his letter...
By: Keith Sampson This is the part where I get to do a fun, “connect-the-dots” kind of thing…The third big lesson I learned through my experiences was that God knew what was on the horizon and had prepared me for it. Many times we don’t get to look back and...
By: Lynda Shadel The past year has been a wet one, and with the rain comes mud. During my walks, the mud can become treacherous. Often I try to just step over the mud rather than taking the harder way of avoiding it altogether. I sometimes misjudge and end up...
By: Lynda Shadel One of my routes for walking the dogs requires me to take the same road there and back. At the end of the woods is a tree that I touch to make sure I complete the walk and return home. Now, I have to admit there are times when I want to stop...
By: Lynda Shadel The paths we walk in the woods occasionally need to be pruned. Every once in a while, I will take along my pruners to clear the branches that are small enough for me to cut. Sometimes my husband comes along with his chainsaw to cut and clear...
By: Keith Sampson Executive Coordinator – God of Hope “I can fix it...” Not only am I like most guys who think the answer to things is to either fix it or find a way to fix it, but I would self-proclaim that this is wired into me in an abnormal way. I don’t...
By: Keith Sampson Faith…faith can be such a hard idea to grasp, to explain. People put their faith in different things every day, consciously and subconsciously. Getting through hard and painful moments requires faith in something bigger than ourselves. As much...
By: Jesse Deloe Is there any subject that has more poetry, novels, and music than love? You would think with all that literature there would be some common understanding of the term—and that life in general would be characterized by genuine caring and...