Brazos Bend State Park…I would say it’s one of my all-time
favorite places to camp. It’s a great place; very quaint and serene; very well
cared for and clean considering it’s a state park. There are no fancy modern day waterslides,
zip lines, cave tours, or even swimming pools, but BBSP brings back lots of
memories for me. My grandparents (whom I
cherish and love to the ends of the Earth) would take us camping there
often. We would ride our bikes around
the park for hours on end (I had a pink bike with a white banana seat and
handlebar streamers, oh yeah) and have campfires at night with s’mores and my
Meme’s homemade vanilla ice cream. Those
were the days, and surprisingly not much has changed at the park. It’s always such a refreshing flashback to
the past when life was simple.
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On our most recent family day trip to BBSP we had the joy of
marveling at the curiosity of our two and a half year old daughter. We would lean over the edge of the pond in
hopes to catch a glimpse of a turtle, or a blue egret, or better yet (what BBSP
is known for) an ALLIGATOR! We walked
the mossy oak lined park trails for hours without a care in the world;
skipping, laughing, and just enjoying each other’s company. We saved the best trail for last – 40 Acre
Lake - the main walking trail around the lake known to have the most alligators. I knew what to expect; alligators in the lake,
lying in the marsh or under the pier but about one quarter of the way into our
hike we were startled to see a large alligator sun bathing about 3 feet from
the trail. I would have never given it a
second thought before but suddenly my motherly instincts kicked in and we
devised a plan to dash by the gator. For
the remainder of the trail I was consumed with the idea of protecting my daughter;
what had been a blissful carefree day suddenly turned into a finale of a fear-filled
mother.
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Not that the fear of a gator eating your child isn’t
realistic, I do have a God-given right to protect my child, but for me to let
it consume me and steal my joy is a parallel to my life. I wonder how often we go through the motions
of life so fearful and consumed by what may be; what could be; what should be
that we forget to enjoy the hike? I
wonder how often we have missed the blessing of a brightly colored butterfly landing
on our shoulder or the joy of our child discovering rolly pollies for the first
time because all that we can focus on is the unknown lurking gator ready to
devour us?
I am famous for being a worry wart; for letting fear consume
me. I learned a hard lesson four and
half years ago that changed me forever. We
have to do our part, of course, but there are ten thousand plus “parts” out of
our control; parts that are in God’s hands. Though I have not shaken completely
potential anxiety or fears that can invade my life, I know without a shadow of
a doubt that giving validity to my fears renders me useless. When I am blinded by the “what if’s” of the
future I can’t enjoy the here and now.
Whatever the “gator” in your life may be – do your part but
then leave it to God.
Can any one of you by worrying add a single
hour to your life? Matthew 6:27
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The wording on the plaque in the photo above:
In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love
only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.
1 comment:
Beautiful, Gina. Love you girl.
jane
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