“The wilderness holds answers to questions man has not yet learned to ask.” – Nancy Newhall

As I mentioned earlier in a post about our trip to the Texas panhandle, my cousin took my sister and I on a “heritage tour” that included places our parents and grandparents grew up. As we drove around I wondered what it was like to live in this area. There was no running water, electricity, paved roads, grocery stores, smart phones or the internet :-). I questioned in my mind how they survived. I think it was because they accepted and lived life as if they were a part of nature and not separate from it.

Some people will be inclined to think this part of the country is desolate, uninhabitable, harsh and lacking any beauty. Yet, to me there is so much beauty. It is wilderness, even though man has tried to change it to meet his ways. Too see the beauty in all things, we must look and see with more than just our eyes. Nature is at work: creating it’s own beauty, surviving in harsh environments, evolving to ensure the existence of another generation.  It seems so much of us are distant from nature, separated by our buildings, pavement, malls, televisions. The wilderness is all around us, inviting us to ask questions, if we venture into it, something I feel the need to do more often.