i write to you from the mountains

yes

i am indeed in the mountains right now...well not IN them persay but fairly close.

im visiting my friend, Sam, who i know from school.

its very nice to be able to have a week away from life in MN to be able to experience a new state (COLORADO!) and clear my head for the weeks to come. ever notice how when one thing goes wrong/changes everything else either goes wrong/changes too.

its rather annoying and i find myself highly irritating that life tends to work this way, but then i suppose it wouldnt be called life.

i just turned nineteen 4 days ago and it makes me realize how little i know about the world and about myself. i had thrown myself into college a good year and a half earlier than most people so for the past 2 years i have been making choices which i should have just now been

making...major, schools, classes, ect.

sometimes the outlook on life seems very bleak and uncertain as it does now, but all i need to do is stand still and look. when i saw the mountains bike riding today i stopped riding and looked out into the landscape. i was overcome by a few great feelings....freedom, awe and hope.

i felt so free, like i couldnt have a care in the world. the large open space was where i could let my soul roam free and taste the carefree feelings that i so long for. awe at the God who created such a beautiful sight. and this awe led to feeling a little hopeful. surely a God who can inspire such freedom and awe must provide us with hope (as i know He does).

there is hope, it is sometimes just very hard to remember.

while i have many things i need to decide on right now, the mountains help me to remember what i need to do (and wow that sounds extremely cheesy, but oh so true).

tonight i talked with a friend which i had not spoken with for quite awhile. we had a very good talk because both of us are going/have gone through similar situations. he reminded me of how i am not the only one who deals with various problems and hurts. we are all suffering in a way and i am a believer that God puts people in our lives intentionally to help us deal with certain trials. for however brief or long a time they are there or if they come or go, they make the gray outlook we face seem a bit brighter and maybe even inspire hints of color. all i can say is that after a hard past few days, i am finally beginning to feel as though there may be some color in the future after all.

im sure there will be more to write the next few days as the mountains (and God) continue to work their knowing magic.

a picture of the creek on the back of the farm property. also beautiful but pics of the mountains coming soon

feeling a bit restored,

annie em