Meghan Bradley: 2013

A couple of friends of ours invited us to go camping a couple of weeks ago. I hesitate at the word "camping" every time. Don't get me wrong, I love nature. But I am intensely afraid of bears. The idea of them creeping around my tent is enough to paralyze me. Our friends quickly explained that we would be camping with a group of people who would be running a 50k through the Appalachian mountains the following morning (they would be working the aid stations along the way). So we said ok and headed out the next day. No... we did not run the 50k. That would be a little ambitious for someone who maxes out at 3 miles currently. I will say that seeing those runners cross the finish line is an inspiration all it's own. It looks and sounds impossible, but you'll never know until you try.

Aside from the running... one of my favorite parts of this little overnight trip was being able to see the sun rise. Horns and loud voices over the speakers alerted the runners of the time remaining before the start at about 4:30am. I wasn't excited to be woken up that early but without it we would have missed the start, and wouldn't have seen the sun peak over the mountains that morning. Whenever I look at a sunrise or sunset, I always remember a poem my mom used to read to me when I was little. The poem was written as though it was from God and it would say, "I gave you a beautiful sunset to close your day..." From then on whenever I'd see the sky light up in the morning or go down before evening, it felt personal. It felt like a gift just for me. I never get tired of seeing them and they'll never stop whispering "I love you."

Nature screams His glory, and its why I love it so much.