A replenishing place

Hi, Friends,

Do you have a place where you go to renew your spirit or rejuvenate physically and mentally? For my husband and me, that place is the NC mountains. Even this time of year, when there's still snow and ice on the ground -- not to mention salt and sand on the roads -- we love being there. How I feel when we're there and when we've just come back is like the tree in this verse from Jeremiah:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord ... For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes.
-- Jeremiah 17:7-8

Now, you may find it strange to have a verse about the heat in the middle of February, but I'll tell you, my garden already knows that the heat is on its way. Two little crocuses have poked their heads up in my garden here at home, and when we were in the mountains over the weekend, I noticed that there are some bulbs there already eagerly forcing their way up through the thawing earth.

The mountains recharge me because I am so completely surrounded by God's beauty while I'm there, whether I'm out for a run, hiking up the side of a mountain, or simply walking by a peaceful lake. My roots soak up that blessing, and I come back to the daily grind refreshed and ready to meet whatever challenges are coming my way.

And this is the time of year that I always seem to need recharging. Our trip there this weekend made me feel like one of those bulbs -- ready to grow a little stronger and reach a little harder for the sunlight.

My husband renews his energy there, too, and is answering God's calling in a tangible way through our trips to the mountains by combining his love of running and his engineer's mind. Check out his new web site, all about running in and near Blowing Rock, NC. For those of you who love to run, we think this is a fantastic area for running. Come see for yourself!

You, too, may find that this beautiful part of God's country renews and replenishes you. 

And whether you're near or far, I'd love to hear about the places that replenish you.