"PICKLE MOUNTAIN"

PINNACLE MOUNTAIN STATE PARK

What better way to spend a beautiful October day in Arkansas than at Pinnacle Mountain State Park?  While my two daughters are out hiking the mountain trails, and since I no longer have the legs, balance, energy, or breathe to join them; I can still enjoy the sights and sounds.  As an avid admirer of unique jewelry, Pinnacle Mountain is a jewel nestled just outside Little Rock, Arkansas and believe it or not, this is my first trip, but definitely not my last!

                                    

In an earlier blog, I mentioned my love for Cades Cove in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee.  Pinnacle Mountain also has a lot to offer in the way of natural beauty, and outdoor entertainment, and I am encouraged by the number of people that I see out enjoying the beauty and benefits of God’s nature.  There are joggers, dogs walking their owners, children playing on the equipment, baby and older strollers, and in this case bloggers. 

 A child strolling by just told me, “I love Pickle Mountain,” a memory has been captured for both of us.  Perhaps when you are younger, or older, the ability to share your joy with others is easier.  Or maybe some of us like to visit with complete strangers, possibly to live vicariously through their activities, or perhaps to view the world through their eyes or learn more about people outside of our circle of acquaintances.  Whatever the reasons, sharing our happiness with others is a part of the magic of life and I hope that none of us fail to take the opportunity of verbal communication.  The ability to communicate and share our spiritual happiness can also make wonderful memories as well.

This is a shot of the trees along the path I was able to negotiate.  Aren’t they magnificent? 

              

They come in different sizes, some lived and survived while others of their counterparts didn’t endure, though some are bent from the force of the wind, they have lived to provide shade and comfort to those of us who walk beneath their arms. 

 
Just have to put in the poem because it says it so much better than any attempt that I could make.

                                                     Joyce Kilmer, 1886-1918

I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain,
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Dear Lord, help me to bend to your will, to understand that I need the rain and even the storms to develop into what you want of me.  Help me to bend my knees in prayer, and depend upon your sustenance for survival, and remind me to give back to the earth and its peoples the joy of living to magnify your wondrous beauty and grace.