Changing Seasons

Thanksgiving looked a little different for us this year.

John and I typically spend the day with parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, and outlaws. Seriously, mom's extended family gets together at lunch and dad's in the evening. Around fifty of my favorite people gather at each event. In between, we visit John's mom and any of his family that happen to be around.

Our boys are adults, but still try to come home for holidays. This year, our middle son - Tim - couldn't come home, so we went to him. Along with our youngest son - Andrew - we made the trip from Florida to Arkansas on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, instead of our huge family gatherings, we planned to hike that morning. 

Little Rock, Arkansas is a beautiful area. John and I have enjoyed a few hikes at Pinnacle Mountain State Park in the past. Thursday morning, Tim drove us to an area of the park we had not been before. I got out of the car with my camera - excited to start the day. The trail in front of me looked so peaceful and relaxing.    

Then Tim said, "Mom, that's not where we're going.  Our trail is over there - across the parking lot."

As I turned around, the scene was still beautiful, but peace had been replaced with something else. Our trail seemed to wind straight up the mountain. The West Summit Trail sign says: Length 1½ miles round trip - Please allow 2 hours to complete - Trail is steep and rugged and requires strenuous walking...  

There's more, but I didn't read it. The boys had already started up the slope. It was time to test my endurance.

There were a few level areas.

I did catch up and make them stop for this!

While there were a few level areas, most of the trail - so far - were steps made of stone. Don't get me wrong, I love being outdoors and hiking along beautiful trails with a few obstacles and some climbing. This was not that. Those stone stairs just kept going and going and going!

When I say I was grateful for the well placed benches at scenic lookouts - I mean catching my breath was not an option! Still, the views were so beautiful. My camera does not fully do justice to the fall colors we were blessed to be surrounded by. 

As we continued up, the trail started changing. Instead of stone steps, there were steep inclines and random stacked stones.

Those random stacked stones started multiplying until they were the trail. The stones were large and everywhere. There were no other options. Pick your stone step carefully - some of them move beneath your feet!  At least the sign said we were near the top.

As I struggled to keep my balance and continue up the trail, my mom's voice rang in my mind. She told me more than once to make trips like this a priority. "You aren't getting any younger and one day you won't be able to enjoy those hikes anymore." Health issues stopped mom and dad from enjoying days like this several years ago. 

Twenty years ago, John and I would have been hoping along those rocks with ease - like our boys did on this hike. James 4:14 says - Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 

Our lives truly pass so quickly here on this earth. Suddenly, John and I are in a season of realizing we aren't young anymore. Instead of leaping from one stone to the next, we had to take time to consider every step. 

The boys were at the top long before we finally stepped into this amazing view. 

In an instant, every inevitable ache and pain was worth this scene. 

We stayed and enjoyed peace and relaxation - at 1011' elevation - for quite a while. Who knew when or if we would get to experience such a grand hike again. 

Of course - we had to go back down the same way we came up! At least my camera captured the memory of our top view. The trip down that trail was a hike my aging muscles would rather forget - and yet still worth the pain.

For everything there is a season, 

A time for every purpose under heaven; 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 nkjv