Little River Road, Smokey Mountains National Park - “A Spiritual Forest”

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

JEREMIAH 17:7-8 (NRSV)

The One Who Sees Me

 

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her:  “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Genesis 16:13 NIV

Cades Cove - The Beginning of Wisdom

 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To him belongs eternal praise.

Psalm 111:10 NIV

Little River - Smokey Mountains

 

So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he

neither ate bread nor drank water.  And He wrote on the

tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 34:28 NKJV

Cades Cove - "I am the Way and the Truth"

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

Philip said, "Lord show us the Father and that will be enough for us."

Jesus answered:  "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, 'Show us the Father?'  Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?  The words I say to you are not just my own.  Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.   You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

John 14:9-13 NIV

Listen to the Forest

 

Listen to the Silence of Nature

 Listen to the Silence of Nature and Hear your inner voice.

Let Nature's Peace Flow

 Let nature's peace flow into you like sunshine flows into trees.

Cades Cove Loop

 

Misty Morn Cades Cove Mountains

 

Plants in the Mist

The plant grows in the mist and under clouds as truly as under sunshine." 

--William Ellery Channing

Like the seed that has lain in the ground all winter, in spring it will begin its springtime dance into new life.  One who is higher than I leads me through this dark land.  I am moved along in steady and unseen ways into new life.

Healing After Loss

Martha W. Hickman

Laurel Creek

A Foggy Morning Mountain Valley

New Year's Resolution - Return to Cades Code

My New Year's Resolution is to return to the Smoky Mountains in spring and again in early November.  We may catch the first snow fall of the winter season like we did on this trip.  We also drove in rain and sleet and the main road was closed due to snow and ice.  It was an adventure of breathtaking beauty and I will do it again and again. I consider the Smoky Mountains as my home away from home.  It is were my ancestors  dwell for hundreds of years.  I can feel the spirits of native Americans in these woods, mountains and streams.

Shades of Cades Cove

Nature's Palette

Abrams Creek Serenity

Abrams Creek Waterfall