Moving Forward

Growing up my family taught me a large appreciation for the Great Outdoors. Hiking with my father and grandmother early in life formed a spirit of adventure and love for nature.  I feel like we have passed on to my two sons. Growing up in rural Texas, I spent a lot of time hiking around the Colorado River, exploring caves, playing hide and seek with friends in the hill country. In fact, graduation night I will never forget our Glen Rose M&W Ranch adventure. As a college student, I backpacked, canoed, and explored the Great American West.  As young adult hiked the Grand Canyon in 1999, parts of the AT in 1999, 5 trips in a tent across Europe from 1998-2009, Ontario in 2010 and 2012, and have camped in over 33 states. During the last 5 years, like so many became preoccupied with other things and haven't backpacked. I know I haven't backpacked  alone in over 20 years. This last weekend I was fortunate to connect with the North Texas Outdoors Meetup Group and took a le...

This morning I was reminded by an author, Abdu Murray, about the power of one during a talk about his book Grand Central Station at a church in Keller, Texas. He is a law student, author, converted Muslim to Christianity, and does offer some compelling questions and ideas considering historical perspectives, philosophies, and scientific understanding of world religions and ideas.  We are valuable. We are intelligent human beings with an intelligent, individualized, or unique cognitive design. Known as the "design interface", much research and advances in science and technology have been made through projects like the The Human Genome Project. What does it mean to be human? Why do we have value? It is important to remember that a great architect and artist designed and engineered our universe for life. It is beautiful to be reminded that our bodies are knitted or weaved together in a marvelous and unique way. Each of us have a gift and cognitive ability to leave a po...