Pastor Tim’s Newspaper article which appears in the Evening Leader on Oct 15, 2019
You have undoubtedly seen signs around town for an event that is coming up next weekend. The Walk With Nature is coming up this Sunday afternoon and it will give everyone a chance to take a walk up the Tow Path and spend some time outside.
I happen to have a very special connection to this event. I am a runner and I have taken many morning runs out the Tow Path. It was when the campers started showing up prior to this event last year that I got the shock of a lifetime. In the dark out there on the Tow Path early one morning, I ran into a soldier from the Revolutionary War. It was cold that morning and I had on a black mask and a Batman shirt on. We can debate on who scared who more. Have no fear, I will consider myself fairly warned about this even this year and will see if I can avoid putting the fear of God in those poor people out there.
This is a great event. There will be games, live music and a farmers’ market. It will be a time to enjoy some outside fall activities and appreciate this great earth God has given us to enjoy. I hope that the weather holds; as of the writing of this article, we have been enjoying a beautiful fall. With any luck, the trees will be turning a little by then and we can appreciate the show that God puts on every fall.
These opportunities give us more than just the chance to get outside and enjoy the world. It also gives us a chance to interact as a community, which is the most valuable thing we will do. Our world is so horrendously divided and even here in St Marys, there are plenty of issues we all disagree on. But that shouldn’t stop us from getting together. Trees don’t care about politics and vegetables from a farmers’ market can be enjoyed by anyone willing to eat them. What we may find in these kinds of community events is that we are not as far apart as we once suspected. It is very difficult to be divided when we are all having a positive experience that we all agree is great! The Walk with Nature gives us just such an opportunity.
However, this event will not have the desired effect if we don’t attend. The fresh air and the benefits of a brisk walk won’t do anything for anyone who decides they would rather sit inside. I know it is football season, we are all busy, there are 10,000 other excuses not to go. I am only giving you one to attend: it will be good for you. It will be good for your relationships with your community, good for your body to go take a few steps and good for your mind to breath in some fall air. Providing Mother Nature is kind to us, there may very well be no reason not to come out for this event.
I spend more time on the Tow Path than probably anyone else in this community. It really is beautiful. Also, there has been some work done on the trail on the far side of St Rt 33, and it is shaping up nicely. Since I moved to town in July 2018, the Tow Path has had some great improvements and patches and is a great place to run or walk. It should be a source of community pride and on Sunday, we get the chance to go enjoy a local treasure.
So come, make a friend, take a walk and do your heart some good. Join your community and enjoy the Walk with Nature, a wonderful local event.