dotty!

"When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!"

This verse really stood out at me this weekend as i spent it at Jasper, the Canadian Rockies. I really loved it there. In fact, i was pretty depressed when I headed back to Edmonton.

Yeah, the mountains and the lakes are soooo splendid. They were really very majestic. Driving down the highways, listening to various hymns and contemporaries, it was amazing. I could identify with the Psalmist who wrote Psalms 148 then.

We had our own fair share of adventure too. Walking thru the forest towards buck lake, fearing black bears! (at least I was) Our hike up to the Valley of Five Lakes was memorable too. We were just across the lake from our destination when three hikers came towards us to tell us there were black bears along that particular trail, about 10-15 minutes away. heh. and boy, I was scared. OK, maybe a mix of fear and curiosity. I wanted to venture further, but something else inside me said "no" and "it'd be better to see a bear from the car than on a hike without bear spray" haha.. and those guys were so animated, it was hilarious really.

This past weekend was like a mini-retreat with God. At some points, it felt like I was in heaven. Sitting in front of a quiet, peaceful lake with a view of the mountains and hearing the sound of the trees rustling, simply awesome. Away from the computer, tv, etc. The only tv shows i remember watching in Jasper Town were uh.. Bugs Bunny and Shrek. Heh.

I definitely wanna go back there again. Maybe on my honeymoon. Me, my future partner and God! Heh.. 2 weeks in the Rocky Mountains, and it won't just be Jasper the next time! :)