Cedarbrake

Today I'm thankful for Cedarbrake, a retreat center near me which is located on over 60 acres of beautiful, wooded land. Yesterday I was able to attend Mass in the Cedarbrake chapel (above). After Mass I walked around the outdoor Stations of the Cross near the chapel. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the serene surroundings were very conducive to prayer and meditation.

After I did the Stations of the Cross, I went in search of the "Trails of the Good Shepherd," which were marked on a map of the facility. Before long I came across the entrance to the 3 trails.

"Which trail should I choose?" I wondered. Beside this sign was a box on a pole. A sign on the box said, "Trail Maps." That sounded helpful, so I pulled out one of the "maps" from the box:

Hmm...Interesting "map," but at least it helped me choose which trail to explore. When I was at Cedarbrake last week for the Ash Wednesday retreat, I had sensed the words, "It is good, Lord, to be here." When I saw almost the exact words in the description of the Mt. Tabor trail, I knew that was where I was meant to go.

The "map" did not exaggerate when it described the "beautiful view" on the Mt. Tabor trail. The path ran along a steep cliff. At the bottom of the cliff was Miller Springs Creek. Although I couldn't see all the way down to the creek, I could hear it bubbling along as I walked. The picture below doesn't give it justice, but at least it will give you an idea of the view from the trail:

After I made it back to the entrance of the Mt. Tabor trail, I decided to check out one of the other trails. This time I chose the Psalm XXIII trail:

This trail was shorter and more open. The words of Psalm 23 are on signs along the trail, one verse for each sign.

One of my resolutions for Lent is to get more regular exercise, so I hope to make it back to Cedarbrake at least once a week. The next time I go, I hope to check out the Santa Cruz trail.