My wife and I just celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary. Yes, that is a long time. No, I can’t quite believe it. Yes, my age tells me it is true whether I want to believe it or not.

For our celebration this year, we took a short trip to the mountains of North Carolina. We revisited some of our favorite places, and then journeyed to a couple of new places which quickly became new favorite places. We have always enjoyed riding along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and once again were amazed at the beauty of this small part of God’s creation.

The overlook at Craggy Gardens has always been a must see for us, and this trip was no exception.

We made several more stops at overlooks along the way, but our destination was one which we had passed by so many times in the past, but had never taken the time to stop. This trip was different: we stopped and enjoyed the magnificence and majesty of Grandfather Mountain. This will now be one of our favorites to revisit in the future.

Another favorite for us is the beauty of the waterfalls in Dupont Forest. Teresa and I have always loved waterfalls, and have been blessed to see quite a number in different parts of our beautiful country. We have seen Niagara, as well as the thunderous falls scattered through Yellowstone National Park, and so many along the stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Each one has its own unique character, and each is breathtaking in its own way. The falls we hiked to in Dupont are gorgeous in their own right.

And then, there was one final stop. We had heard about the beauty of Pretty Place from friends, and we had actually been there once before, but the weather was horrible, and the entire area was saturated with fog, so we were unable to see the unbelievable panorama of this majestic sight.

A picture does not do justice to the view from this pinnacle. We are sitting at the end of the chapel which overlooks the valley below, and the rolling mountainside in the background. As we arrived at the chapel, a group of youth were singing praise choruses, and we were able to enjoy their voices rolling over the side of the mountain. We were blessed beyond measure to be able to see this moving sight, this slice of God’s creation, that created in us the desire to praise Him for His creative genius, and for allowing us to catch just a small glimpse of His creative power.

We were once again reminded of the word of the Psalmist that inform us that God’s creation is a continual testimony to His power, not only of creating, but also of maintaining. He set things in motion, and He oversees the day-to-day operation of His created order. Teresa and I celebrate the life He has allowed us to share for these 43 years, and are so blessed to be able to have traveled many roads together.