Bushwacking.......Today Starbuck ( my yellow lab) and I went for a walk up to the water holding tank in Marble. Of course it was an uphill endeavor as is most walks in Marble. Once we reached the water tank my intended destination, I got this little urge to bushwack my way up to the road (most people would debate the label road) that I call the Mike Lane Road. Why that name? Well, of course Mike Lane lives on that road thus my renaming of it.

Now when hiking there are a few rules. 1. Try to hike with a buddy in case something happens. 2. Always tell someone where you are going so if you do not come back they can try to find you. 3. Stick to the path if at all possible. I sort of broke all three rules. I say sort of because it was only a walk and not a hike. Rule number 1, I thought I could count Starbuck. Rule 2, I was on a walk and not hiking. Rule number 3, there was not a path where I wanted to go.

So I figured I was justified in bushwacking my way up to the road. Mother, before you panic, I was not going all that far and I knew that my destination was to the left and up. So Starbuck and I started our little adventure. It was not long before I remembered why it was called bushwacking. The bushes and the brambles and the small trees and the thorns keep you from going in the most direct direction to obtain your goal. Then it also occurred to me that a machete would have been a handy little tool to have. Oh well......

I do not know why once you begin these impromtu adventures you suddenly remember that bears begin to come out of hibernation this time of year and generally stay hidden in so called bush. Oh well....my destination was not far and if they were just coming out of hibernation they should be really sluggish and sleepy, right? After all since I was on a walk and not a hike I had not broken the rules previously mentioned and should not run into any bears. Good reasoning I thought.

Starbuck and I tore our way through the brush redirecting ourselves when neccessary, me climbing over felled trees, her crawling under. We avoided what bramble we could, turned back from thorns (did I mention a machete would have been nice) shoved our way through other obstacles and reached our destination!!!! Yea!!!! We were on the Mike Lane road! We were now headed down hill and the views were spectacular as are all Marble's views!

As we were headed down, it occurred to me that bushwacking can be a lot like life. There are those difficult times when none of life's rules seem to apply. There are those times when there is no choice but to push through the thorns and bramble. The way forward does not seem clear. But as in our case today, we must keep looking up. For the clear way may just be through the next obstacle. When we break through to the clear path we are flooded with the knowledge that God is calling us forward and wooing us with His unfailing love. We were never alone. He was always there.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6