It is hard to believe that today is July 1st and I am now two days shy of another birthday. We are also three days shy of celebrating the America's birthday. Happy Four of July! The years are slipping by quickly and sometimes I feel like I am running out of time for living.
My husband and I spent the first part of last week camping. It is a good stress buster if you want to get back to enjoying nature. Camping in the woods takes you away from cell phones, TV, and internet. You are in touch with the person you are camping with and the forest animals. We were hiking, bike riding, and fishing. The sound of the birds waking you up is like a chorus. It did get a little chilly in our tent as the lows were 50 degrees. I was buried under a sleeping bag and a heavy down comforter. The days however were perfect with a low 70 degrees. It is always good to get away from our high technology world and rat race.
After camping we took a few days and visited Amish country. I always refer to it as God's little heaven. The beautiful rolling green hills and beautiful flowers along with wonderful home cooked food is a definite way to relax. The Amish people are very gracious and they bring us back to a simpler life of peace and tranquility. They remind us to get in touch with our spirituality and faith. There were a lot of beautiful smiles from God everywhere.
We met some older people in Amish country that were great historians and they were a delight to talk to. They were of the Mennonite religion as well as Amish religion. My father's early ancestors from Germany and Austria were Mennonites and had settled in Pennsylvania and eventually migrated to Ohio. It was exciting to learn the differences of these two prominent religions. The Mennonites are of a more modern culture and allow modern way of living and dressing. My dad's family does not follow the Mennonite religion, but it was interesting to learn the values of our ancestors.
It was a relaxing week and I would recommend both camping and Amish country to everyone. We live in such a stressful world and we need to remember where we came from. I personally did not miss any of our fast paced technology world. The simpler way of living is way less stressful. Connecting with people face to face is much more exciting and comforting to our souls. We need to teach everyone to live a bit more simple.
Life is beautiful !!
Flowers are smiling all around you !
Elizabeth:)
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