In the Heart of the Thicket-A Bucket List Moment

Mark another one off my Bucket List. The forest floor below the towering pines offers a padding or bed, if you will, of pine needles so thick that even in thirty degree weather, one will not feel the cold that has firmly gripped the ground. It's a reminder of the days of childhood long since faded off into the mist of adulthood oblivion. Today was that day. 

How dreamy the moment is to lie on this bed of pine needles. The minute my head sank into their cushiony depths, the scent of pine wafted up and became an aroma that not only could put one almost to sleep but teased the nostrils with the tantalizing scent of nature at its purest. A pine thicket has a smell all its own. And oh the sounds one will hear here, as the trees blow gently in the wind, allowing the trunks to sing their own melody. Nature's violin. I've always loved to stop to listen as the trees cross trunks and branches to make their own stanza to the bow and the break of the breeze. This is a dreamy place. To lie on one's back and look up through the swaying canopy of green, the blue of the sky transforms into an image of topaz mixing with emeralds! Maybe I'm a hair on the dramatic side but this is the way my mind sees nature in all her glory.  

I lay there and just tried to absorb it all. It's a place in time, I would like to stop still and just stay there. Stay there and hide from all worries and all care. There's a magical quality to the dimness of the thicket, especially when you look beyond the towering trunks to the outer edges. The hues of color seem to come alive and wake the senses! 

The soul is not the only thing that will find shelter in such a place. If you sit quietly, and long enough, you will see others who find solace in the shelter of the pine thicket. Deer are in abundance here. Some resting, some munching on a patch of grass here and there and some simply meandering about with their fellow deermates. In the trees one can hear the call of the red-bellied woodpeckers. Shortly one will begin to hear the persistent sound of beak on wood as the red-belly searches out her lunch.

It's in the magic of the thicket that you will see the wonder of nature and so much that she has to offer. If you're quiet enough and wait long enough, the rewards of visiting here are simply too much for words. I invite you, find a thicket and let time slow down to a crawl. You might just come out of here feeling like you have a new lease on life.

Fifty Years and More

The following is Taylor's final speech for her speech class. There is no doubt the love and the respect my girl has for her Mimi and Papa has no limits. This is just a glimpse into the heritage these two have sewn into their family.
                     
  Today we are celebrating a bond that two very special people have held together for fifty years. These special people are my grandparents. These two people have been inspirational to many people’s lives. They have been outstanding examples of people who know what it means to live and what it means to love.

 

            I have looked up to these two people my entire life. They have shown me as well as many others what it means to love one another. During their marriage they have continually treated each other with utmost respect and loyalty. These are the ingredients to a successful marriage. Every marriage has its downtimes, then is when we see just how strong a bond between two people is. They have proven that their bond cannot be broken, it can withstand anything. They have stood beside each other through thick and thin. They have shown us that sometimes it is better to fix something when it is broken rather than throwing it away. They have maintained a happy and healthy marriage by doing so.

They have also shown how to love others besides themselves. Anyone who knows them will find that they will do absolutely anything to lend a helping hand. They are the first to show up and the last to leave. They are the type of people who would give the shirt right off of their backs to someone without a second thought. They have been examples of what it means to be selfless.

            Spiritually they continue to grow daily in their beliefs and have made it the rock of their marriage. They stand firm on what they believe and have not let anyone ever stray them. They live solely by what they believe and have proven to me as well as many others that it is not as complicated as it seems. I have full respect for their beliefs for the simple reason that they do not push their beliefs on anyone. They do not need to, what they believe is conveyed within their day to day actions. Anyone that is around them for even a short time will see it.

            My grandparents have always inspired me to become more than I already am. They have always worked hard and fully earned what they have been given. They are always grateful and carry themselves with dignity. They have been perfect examples of what a gentlemen and a lady should be, from how they talk to how they walk, sit, and stand.

            In my honest opinion, I believe these people have lived the most close to perfect lives possible. I look at them as if they hold all of the wisdom in the world. They are true inspiration. How they have lived and carried themselves is why they are who and where they are today. This is for all of their years they have spent together and to the more that will come.