let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
Let the trees of the forest sing for joy – Psalm 96

Where to begin? It turns out I had a lot more than a few great pictures on my Nikon, so my choice is to either share them just a few at a time over the next few days… or include a forty-image slide show at the end of this post?

I’m leaning toward sharing all the photographs today because – in the meanwhile – life is moving on right here in Wake Forest. The whole idea of this blog has always been for me to share day-by-day reflections based on real life – the epic Great Adventure that each and every day presents!

My daily posts won’t always include photos quite like these – but they will always comment on how amazing this journey is, and how faith and life constantly intersect.

Today’s images cover two categories: people, and place. Both, it turns out, were looking their best over the New Year.

The place where we were all staying was The Burge Nest, in what’s known as the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, and Caesar’s Head State Park, located in north-eastern South Carolina. The views you will see include the beautiful sunshine of December 31, and the magical vistas of low cloud cover in the early morning of January 2.

Family People:

As for the people, you can read more about them in yesterday’s post – Alexanders Galore – and New Year’s Eve – A Time For Gathering Stones. The bottom line for Alexanders is intentionality, the idea that we have to want to be a family, and make it happen regardless.

The word “regardless” is key in my estimation. Because the idea of family may be born in blood, but it is played out in a thousand small decisions, and ultimately rests in choice.

the idea of family may be born in blood, but it is played out in a thousand small decisions, and ultimately rests in choice.

So here are the photos. Take your time and enjoy. If you want any of these photographs, shoot me an email and I’ll send you the full-sized version – these are not dense enough to work with or print.

Over the New Year, both the trees and the forests and the extended Alexander family were “singing for joy.”

Peace, love, promise, and blessings – DEREK