Among the Redwoods

Last week I had the great privilege of attending the Mt. Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference, and I’m still recovering. It was a great week—the quality of the writing was great, and I met some wonderful people, and heard about several books I’d be honored to publish. Christian book publishing is a small world, and it was great to connect with old friends and meet some new ones.

It was also wonderful to get out of the city and visit one of the most beautiful places I can imagine. Mt. Hermon is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, about half an hour south of San Jose, California, where I grew up. It’s dazzling there—stunning mountain vistas, ancient and peaceful groves of trees, rocky coastline, achingly blue sky. One of my favorite parts of the whole conference was getting away from the conference center and out onto the trails that wind through the woods. I passed enormous trees, crossed rickety bridges, and drank in the sweet silence of undisturbed nature. Sometimes I forget how much my soul craves the quiet.

I also had the chance to visit a nearby park full of ancient redwood trees. These trees are some of the tallest in the world, and many have been growing for thousands of years. Some of them have been around since before Jesus walked the earth. These things are huge.

Here’s a photo of me at the base of one, though the picture doesn’t really do justice to how enormous these things really are. I felt tiny standing there. But it’s nice to feel small sometimes. It helps me remember how much bigger the world is than my problems and my experiences. Standing there next to a tangible reminder of the power and the beauty of nature, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for the opportunity.

Beth Adams is the creator and editor of GUIDEPOSTS’ Home to Heather Creek fiction series.