This I Believe

I wrote this in January 2015 and thought this would be the perfect place to share:

“I believe that everyone should experience feeling small. Not the type of small that comes from criticism – but the small you feel knowing you are a part of a bigger picture. As a child, I often made trips to our family cabin outside of Tionesta, PA, a small town bordering the Allegheny National Forest. “The Camp,” was founded by my grandfather and great uncle as a means of escape for family and friends. For as long as I can remember, my dad, uncles and cousins all went into the wilderness to hunt, hike and enjoy nature. When I was 11, my dad told me that I could walk alongside him while he hunted the first day of deer season. This would be my first trip into the big woods and I was beyond ecstatic. Our excursion entailed walking up and down mountains, through valleys and fields and along streams; for all of which my family had names. I had no idea how they knew where they were in the wilderness or how they could tell one mountain from another so needless to say I was impressed. The next few years brought more of the same; going into the woods with my dad for the first day of deer season and to me it was just a walk in the woods. This year, however, something strange happened. Upon entering the woods for the first day this year, it seemed every little thing caught my eye. I noticed the frost on the rocks surrounding me as the sun rose and my surroundings went from dark to light. I saw the trees, hundreds of years old, swaying back and forth as the wind brushed through their limbs. I heard nothing but the footsteps of animals and I realized that I was amidst complete silence. It was in this silence that I learned to appreciate all that the wilderness had to offer, and could now see why my family had ventured here for years. Outside the hustle and bustle of every day life, the wilderness provides an escape…an escape that works wonders on any human being who dares to enter it. I realized here, for the first time in my life, that I was just a part of something bigger. The rocks, trees and rivers surrounding me had been there for thousands of years and will continue to outlive me for thousands to come. I was in the middle of the wilderness, preserved by time, with miles upon miles of natural beauty around me. I felt small, and it felt good. This year I spent four days in those woods taking in what God’s Country had to offer, and each second was rewarding. I hope to return many times in the years to come, to feel small, as I believe everyone should.”