Chapel in the Woods

My last post talked about my lack of observation in life. Today I went turkey hunting for the first time ever and had to be very observant. It was definitely a challenge but I had so much fun! I've heard Carlos talk about his love of hunting for years. He's always explained it to me to be a very spiritual experience.

Both my grandfather's grew up hunting. I have a 9 point deer head in my basement that my grandfather killed named, Buck. I used to dress him up and hang stuff on his antlers when I was little. Although, I've never really had a desire to kill an animal I really wanted to have the experience of just hunting. If my grandfather was still alive, I'm sure he would have taken me hunting with him but since he is not, Carlos invited me to go with him.

Carlos picked me up about 4 A.M. and we drove out to the property in Ashland City. We met up with his other hunting buddy, Will. Will informed me that it was a really big deal that I was going hunting with them because I was the first girl that either of them had ever taken hunting.  It was so dark and cold and foggy and creepy at first, but the sun started coming up and it turned into a truly glorious day.

We walked alot to try and find where the turkeys were roosting and set up a few decoys to try and bring the turkeys to us, but those didn't really work so we went to plan B: chase and ambush. This was pretty fun and exciting. I got to see a turkey take off and fly. I saw four turkeys strutting their stuff and we saw two coyotes that scared the living daylights out of me. I practiced shooting a shotgun for the first time ever and didn't end up falling over! It was pretty sweet.

BUT... my favorite part of the day was when Carlos and I decided to sit under a tree and watch for turkeys in the field. We had been hunting for 7 hours and needed a little breather too. We leaned up next to a big tree and I took time to just observe my surroundings. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of nature. I was surrounded by God's creations. It was such a beautiful way to spend Palm Sunday. I felt so blessed and spent a little time just praising and praying. I totally got what Carlos was talking about how he feels that hunting is a spiritual experience.

I gained such a respect for nature today. Respect for the land, God's creatures, and for simplicity in life. We charted some rough terrain following deer trails and making trails of our own. It was such a wonderful experience! I can't wait to do it again.