State number 23 (I think). We are asked the question all the time “what has been your favorite?” Or the like. I can never answer. I had the same problem after our honeymoon. They were all so different. Now, not so different, but each a unique experience. 

I had a very nice sabbath at church. Kieran had to stay out of nursery with a cold (picked up from church last week), and he was ticked off about it, but Deon kindly chased him around so I could go to class. The members were welcoming and the lesson on faith was very well presented. 

After lunch and a change of clothes at the rv, we headed back over to great smoky mountains np. Kids finished up their junior ranger badges and we hiked a short (ish) nature trail. It was a beautiful walk in the woods, and the focus was on change. The area we walked through had been cleared for farmland less than 100 years ago. There were houses and other buildings, cattle and crops. Now it is returning to nature. To my unpracticed eye, it would seem humans were never there, but the brochure pointed out the subtle differences. A flat area that used to be a road, stones in low piles, non-native plants that would be cultivated at a homestead, and both smaller trees and a variety that would flourish in open sunlight. And even these signs are disappearing. The stones used to be walls. The trees will be replaced by the shade loving saplings that are starting to take root. Nature takes back her own. Which leaves me thoughtful. There is one cabin left, restored really, to remind us of the humans that have come and gone, as we will. Our time here is so short here, both as individuals and as a species. All traces of us will be wiped away. Unless…we ruin everything?  Is Mother Nature capable of restoring herself? I have a feeling the answer is yes, but we may not be around to see it. We would be wise to take her lead, stop trying to conquer the land and try to live in harmony with it. Our descendants lives may depend on it.