Even with all this longing comes realities. Every time I go back, the towns change. A handful of restaurants and entertainment complexes that brought good memories are gone and all this new pizzazz is magically there. The house that was a second home to me, was also at one point my actual home, and the place where the Church in New Oxford met on Sundays is no more. Well, the house is still there, but the new tenants haven't cared for it properly and the Church in New Oxford as I knew it no longer exists. When you live there, the change happens little by little and you adjust. But when you go away for awhile and come back to everything changed, it's like the child that grew up and didn't see his father until his adult years. It stings a little, but I also realize a child can't remain a child forever.
Going back this time, there were some things I knew I had to do. One was visit the Gettysburg Battlefield. My parents took me here often as a kid, but I never had the full appreciation of the history I was standing on. So this time, I wanted to experience it in that way. This photo says a lot about this trip and who I am.
Photo Credit: Sarah Watkins
I am standing on a boulder as far as I can go on Little Round Top. This was a massive hill that was under Union control, but was very weakly guarded. With the Confederates moving in, Union General Warren realized how crucial it was to defend this hill. He immediately reinforced and defended it, thus saving the Union from a near disaster. Over 150 years later, you can't tell from the naked eye that the bloodiest war in loss of American lives was fought here. The land has recovered and it is so breath-taking. You can see in the background the Pigeon Hills that I saw every day and how beautiful they look. The little history lesson aside, this photo says a lot about me. I was at the highest point and as far as I could go overlooking the wonder of God's creation before me. It depicts my desire for adventure, my will to go as high and far as I can until it is impossible for me to go any further. But here, is not the end. I am looking over a seemingly endless landscape, taking in the view, and thirsting to continue on into the wild blue yonder.
The second of the two things I had to do was go back to Hershey Park. If you haven't heard of it or have never been, it is an amusement park that lies in Hershey, PA. Hershey is the heart and soul of Hershey Bars, Reeses Cups, Twizzlers, and other well known candy brands associated with Hershey. I had been here eight or so times as a kid, but never had the guts to ride a roller coaster. To go back to Hershey park and ride all their major coasters was not only for the thrill of it, but also for me personally to close the book on the fears that robbed me of experiencing such a thrilling joy.
This trip seemed to fly by much faster than years past, and now that I've reached this age, I wish in some sense that time would slow down. Two years goes by quick, but a lot can happen/change within that time. Now that I've given my mind dump for the month, I will say this. Having this heavy nostalgia is one thing, but where I am now and the people who are in my life make up the joys of living each day.There's a saying from the movie Braveheart spoken by the main character William Wallace. "Every man dies, but not every man lives." If one were to live for material things or live for education and wealth, but not experience creation and the world around them, that isn't living. We can latch onto things that once brought us joy or keep to ourselves and never experience what living really is, or we can take that step into the unknown as well as make the most of the time we have with those around us. And remember, not all who wander are lost.
