8.17.2013

A Girl in the Woods


Here she is. My home sweet home last Wednesday and Thursday.
A tiny house/cabin in the woods.
No toilet. No water. But yes - she did have electricity.

Each year, pastors in the ELCA (we have a new bishop; she's awesome) have an allotment of "Continuing Education" time. It is time that can be used for conferences, spiritual direction, or reading/prayer/devotion.

For a portion of my continuing education time this year, I opted to head to a Minnesota State Park for a couple days to pray and read a few great books (more on those soon).  I was in search of extended quiet nature time.

 I really felt like I needed to do some discerning about life - the present and the future. All parts of life. Vocation. Relationships. Career. Creativity. Hobbies. Church. Authenticity. Love. Healing. Health. Forgiveness.

I prayed that God would guide my heart.

It was a sacred time. And I am thankful.

I'll share more specifics about what I read and pondered in the coming weeks (hint: in the future, this blog will contain more written content in addition to photography and recipes. These content-focused posts will contain my actual thoughts and opinions, not just smiley faces and exclamation marks). 

But for now - a few highlights and some photos. The first set of photos is from my cell phone. The second set is from my camera.
A few things I loved about being a girl in the woods:

-I found out showering is overrated
-Birds sing so beautifully
-No make-up = a kind of heaven
-Early morning hiking is amazing
-I can do things by myself and overcome fears
-Sleeping on a top bunk
-Reading books that really challenged and encouraged me
-Feeling the guidance of the Holy Spirit
-Eating a lot of chips
-Falling back in love with life and letting go of stress
-Realizing the blessing of our State Parks (and camper cabins)

The porch

The bunk and table

Outdoor table and fire thing (I didn't use it)

Gorgeous trails

Ferns

Plains and woodlands























2 comments:

  1. Homesick even though I've been gone for 35 years.

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    Replies
    1. Hey there, Hugh! Yes - it really is a beautiful area! As is southern IL! :)

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