Americans are blessed with an internal sense of Freedom. We fought hard as a nation to win our National Freedom from a government across the Atlantic. On a personal level, the generation that won our national freedom, carved into law, our personal freedoms which have become the fabric of what defines us uniquely as Americans.
Up until a century ago, Americans could grab their rifle, a few odds and ends, climb up on their horse, and explore every corner of this nation, hunting for their food, but totally at the mercy of nature. Can there be any greater freedom than following the call of your soul wherever it may lead? The roads are straighter, the means faster, but those things that anchor or lives in place have made it impossible for most to explore America on a whim.
What holds us back are the many needs and comforts that surround us in our homes. Indeed, there is great freedom is building a life the way you desire. But there is that trade-off. The more you have here, the less you are free to wander off into the mountains or the lakes. It's the dilemma of "less is more", that is, less possessions becomes more freedom, and vice versa. How can we just take off, who will feed the cat?
Happiness, true inner peace, is different for each of us. For some, it is home and family. For others it's vocation, social involvement, hobby, or church life. I treasure the happiness that has come my way from home, family, friends, church, work, and associations. So often, I have envied those who are happy in the routines of life. There is such an inner peace from being able to trust that tomorrow will be filled with the same gifts that you are enjoying today.
On the other hand, I was cursed with wander lust. If I haven't been down some isolated road, that is reason alone to see where it might lead, often a dead end, sometimes unsettling, but occasionally an entrance way to a magical new adventure. There are many times when I don't know where I'll sleep that night. Some times when I wonder if my car will even make it. But God has always provided for me, and no matter how it all ends, I am content in the knowledge that I am never alone. God is with me always. And as the adventures open to me, I thank God every day for his gift of this great land.
Join me as I meet new people, see new and exciting places, and share my stories and photographs from the back roads of America.
Up until a century ago, Americans could grab their rifle, a few odds and ends, climb up on their horse, and explore every corner of this nation, hunting for their food, but totally at the mercy of nature. Can there be any greater freedom than following the call of your soul wherever it may lead? The roads are straighter, the means faster, but those things that anchor or lives in place have made it impossible for most to explore America on a whim.
What holds us back are the many needs and comforts that surround us in our homes. Indeed, there is great freedom is building a life the way you desire. But there is that trade-off. The more you have here, the less you are free to wander off into the mountains or the lakes. It's the dilemma of "less is more", that is, less possessions becomes more freedom, and vice versa. How can we just take off, who will feed the cat?
Happiness, true inner peace, is different for each of us. For some, it is home and family. For others it's vocation, social involvement, hobby, or church life. I treasure the happiness that has come my way from home, family, friends, church, work, and associations. So often, I have envied those who are happy in the routines of life. There is such an inner peace from being able to trust that tomorrow will be filled with the same gifts that you are enjoying today.
On the other hand, I was cursed with wander lust. If I haven't been down some isolated road, that is reason alone to see where it might lead, often a dead end, sometimes unsettling, but occasionally an entrance way to a magical new adventure. There are many times when I don't know where I'll sleep that night. Some times when I wonder if my car will even make it. But God has always provided for me, and no matter how it all ends, I am content in the knowledge that I am never alone. God is with me always. And as the adventures open to me, I thank God every day for his gift of this great land.
Join me as I meet new people, see new and exciting places, and share my stories and photographs from the back roads of America.
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