The moment you begin to delight in beauty,
your heart and mind are raised.
Basil Hume
Great are the works of the LORD,
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Psalm 111:2 NIV
(Please click to enlarge photos.)
This spot has been my first glimpse of Seneca Lake,
coming from Barnesville,
since I was a child.
During one particularly difficult time in my senior year of high school,
I skipped art class and headed to Seneca Lake in my cherished 69 Mustang.
I was deeply troubled.
I pulled over at this spot, got out, and breathed in the lake and feasted on its beauty.
I was contemplating suicide,
though not at that specific moment--
more of a way out in the near future.
But God spoke to me through that lake
and the lush countryside
of my beloved southeastern Ohio hills.
I sensed that I too was one of His works
and to destroy me was to dishonor Him.
I went back to school for the rest of the afternoon
and back to making sense of my life.
And the art teacher?
Bless her heart! She never told on me!
I really didn't need getting in trouble
at that point.
(She knew I was having a tough time.)
I was 17.
I am now 58
and I still love that spot.
There is something so peaceful about water. These pictures are gorgeous Beth.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a restful and happy Memorial Day!
so glad ... so glad ... good story.
ReplyDeleteso much beauty ... grateful for your decision way back then.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos, gorgeous heart, gorgeous Father [and teacher] who filled your life with Guidance and protection.
ReplyDeletewow...17 is a really hard age for some, my own teen years a series of trauma after trauma, isn't it wonderful that God heals us and protects our hearts? I am 57 and enjoying this 'mid life' too.
ReplyDeleteOh Beth...what a difficult time that must have been. I am very thankful you found some sense of peace in that beautiful place. Don't you think the Lord spoke to you through the beauty you found there?
ReplyDeleteOur Pastor spoke this weekend about just such a time in our lives. He said we must always keep going forward, no matter how dark things look, because they could change in a moment beyond anything we would imagine.
I am very thankful you made it through that time. What I would have missed if you hadn't.
Sending you love.
Don't start about the teens... Yes, suicide notions where in there as well...
ReplyDeleteI used to go for long bicycle outings, all by my lonesome self. Or I'd go hiking.
(I still do that to find my calm. Never fails.)
Nicki
this is, indeed, a beautiful place (and i'm so glad you didn't listen to that dark voice as a teenager.)
ReplyDeletei know i haven't been around as much... but i'm doing okay - just really tired a lot and trying to recover from the grad stuff - taking the blogging a bit slower these days. hoping you are finding moments to rest as you near the end of your school year, as well...