so much imagery in a simple hike. I could also understand why so many famous writers got away to nature for inspiration. It was amazing. I felt enlightened, to say the least, and it had nothing to do with the abundance of beautiful sunshine. When I hike, I take the longest path. At the lake, it is the blue path and is not clearly marked. I found my way by keeping my eye on the lake and knowing where it was at all times. I also followed in I start every day with the same thought regardless of what I am going through in life.

Even when I have been confined to a hospital bed, in a serious car accident, jobless, hurting, and scared, I have started the day the same way:

Psalm 118: 24: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Today started like every other day. The sky was clear and bluer than I have ever seen it. I went to church this morning and heard a lesson about the giants we face in life and felt better than ever when I left.

My kids were with their dad today and I got some time to myself. One of my favorite things to do is hike around Lake Crabtree, and this was the perfect day for it.

Time without my kids gives me is time to think. That can sometimes be a dangerous thing, but not today. When I got to Lake Crabtree, I was in awe of the beauty. I consider myself more spiritual than religious.

I have a strong faith in God and experience Him daily, and am glad to share my perception of God with people if they ask. My simple hike around the lake became a spiritual experience for me. One quote from Theodore Roosevelt mentioned in church still stuck in my mind:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.

“So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

As I walked, I compared the hike to my journey through life. I recognized the footsteps of many who went down the same path before me.

God is my lake. When I don’t keep my eye on Him, I feel lost. Even though the lake was contained in one place, no matter where I was on the path, I could see the lake. Sometimes I had to look harder to see the lake through the trees, but it was still there.

As we go down our path in life, God is always there and is not contained in one place unless we put Him in only one place of our lives.

We may not always have a clear path to go down in life. If we look hard enough for the signs, we will see them. I know I have missed signs in my life.

Instead of worrying about the signs I have missed, I focus on not missing the ones ahead.

When I have kept my focus on God, I have triumphed over even the biggest of stumbling blocks.