No. 7 Abram S. Hewitt State Forest
I think I need to live in Passaic County, Abram Hewitt S.F. is so beautiful! This hike was well worth the hour and half drive, even now when there is very little color in the forest and on an overcast day. I was completely alone, save a few woodpeckers and thankfully no bear sightings. I did a 4.8 mile loop on the Stateline, Ernest Walker and Appalachian Trails, with an elevation gain of 600ft., though with the amount of steep ascents and descents, rock scrambles and climbs, I feel like I earned a couple hundred more! SUPER FUN!! In between the climbing and descending, when I was able to walk steadily along the beautiful glacially-smoothed outcrop of “puddingstone” rock, an unusual reddish-matrix conglomerate rock – studded with pebbles of pink sandstone and white quartz, my prayer time felt especially clear and focused. I have been trying to find a balance between my need for solitude and my calling as a disciple of Christ to be in the midst of people, serving with compassion and humility. When I haven’t had my alone time, the first things to fly from my focus is compassion, patience and humility; ask anyone who has witnessed the angry bear that surfaces when I am hungry! Alone in the woods, on a mountain, with the absence of others it seems I am clear-headed enough to come up with a plan for the week ahead, prayerfully so, with my mind focused on Kingdom living. The trick: to remember all of this through the busyness of the week!
Thanksgiving in Hunlock Creek, PA
Miller and I spent Thanksgiving with his Mom and Dad at their home on Sylvan Lake. It’s a quiet and slow-pace place. My brother-in-law was there too and we had a wonderful time catching up since our last visit. We walked around the family “compound” and relaxed before the drive home on Friday and the start of the Holiday season at the shop.
@ the Shop
Allison (Daisy Lane Design), Samantha (Natural Heart Beeswax), Tara (Knitty Witty Purl), and Lydia (Magpie Jewelry) have the shop filled with their fabulously handmade wares, which I am so excited to peddle to my friends and customers. Jaime and Allison and I are on top of the ever -increasing framing orders, which will balloon to a great many by the time we reach our end date of December 14th. I never feel prepared enough at work around this time of year, there is always something that I forgot or wish I had thought of earlier. I’m sure everyone experiences this too.
Miller and I spent the first Sunday of advent with his Sister Tina and her family and neighbors. Her in-laws, started celebrating Advent again with the family as a way to slow the season down and to remember the gifts that Christ Jesus brings to us with his birth. It was a wonderful way to start the month, and Miller and I are going to continue each Sunday to celebrate Advent with friends and family to help keep us focused on the Hope, Joy, Love and Peace given to us through faith in Christ.
So, now it’s off to work with a focused mind to do what the calendar has scheduled. BUT, I will try to remember the important things; people, compassion, patience and love as I go about my business. And thankfulness, for the time I have been able to spend up on mountains, in the wilderness of NJ!