Go on, take a hike!

Thanks Ian McTaggart-Cowan!
Thanks Ian McTaggart-Cowan!

I saw something today that inspired me to write a note of thanks to some people I’ve never met.   People who obviously had vision and wanted to leave something for generations to come.  Generations of people they likely will never meet but still this gift touched their lives.   People like Ian McTaggart-Cowan a founding director of Nature Trust of BC.  They gave me a path to follow today.

This “thank you” rant started forming when I saw this plaque on my way out for another fantastic hike minutes south of Penticton.  And the gratefulness grew as I walked up the trail with my grand kids and daughter.  I felt grateful because someone they have never met had chosen to give them a path in the wilderness to refresh their spirits and exercise their limbs.  A place to discover birds and animals and yes Hudson that green moss sure is soft.  And yes those views are fantastic!

It took a while to get there but the view from the top was spectacular…but then again how can it not be in Beautiful British Columbia?

I’ll tell you how…it could be littered or polluted, laid barren, or paved over.  The animals and birds could be gone because no one cared enough to think about anyone but themselves.  Instead some very nice people helped preserve this beautiful spot for your next selfie!  

Preserved for my grandchildren’s children’s, children…

I’m thankful for people of vision who look ahead and say someday they’ll thank us for this…maybe not today but someday!

I know you like pictures!  So here’s a few before I finish my Earth Day thanks giving rant.

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As I thought about the legacy I walked upon this day, I remembered yet another similar legacy.  Churches.

The physical places as well as the people who maintain them. Churches too are built by people that, unlike Ian McTaggart-Cowan, are not as likely to be known.  People who seldom get a plaque or the praise they deserve for being faithful caretakers of what God has given them.  People who see the vision for that next generation and plan for those who follow, who will need spaces where they can go and be spiritually refreshed, perhaps find inspiration and the courage to face another day.   Those church people too sacrificed what they could to leave our world a better place.  I’m grateful for those who carry on the legacy and hope that someones children’s, children will someday recognise the gift they received.

Blessings!

Pastor Blake