On a cool crisp autumn day the family and I took a Sunday drive
to
one of our favorite places called the Devil's Hopyard Now don't let the name fool you
It is the most wonderful piece of nature I have ever had the pleasure to
see.
Nestled within is a waterfall that hums a tune. One only nature could make.
The falls produce a frothy foam that looks like clouds from the heavens above.
You just have to touch it make sure it is real. As I looked at it....I asked
myself How can something with so much beauty... Have so much power... That an
Artist has to paint it, and a poet has to write it's story.
As I wandered through the Hopyard ... I came upon a covered
bridge leading to a path carpeted by pine needles ,that lost their luster in the trees. But... still
they serve a purpose protecting the earth below
from the many feet that walk upon the path that is shielded by the mighty
pines that loom far above. A path leading to a beautiful haven under the trees
where only peace and quiet live. A place I have revisited many times. A place
to search your soul...A place where lovers fall in love. A place to escape the
troubles of the ever changing world.
On my way over the covered bridge... I paused to look up and down the
brook, Which flows ever so steadfastly under the bridge . I leaned out
the window to have a look at the brook babbling below my feet, I watched the icy cool ripples of water flow gently by...
Singing yet
a different song of nature. Another precious gift from God. I wondered where it
was going...Where would it lead. I guess now that I think about it.The brook is kind of like life you never know where it is going but something tells you
to follow wherever it may lead .
Looking at my reflection in the crystal clear brook...my mind began
to wander to a time When I was a small child... My family would visit the same
waterfall That seemed so much larger then and, walked the same path that was
then sparse with God's Nature. A time when the pine trees were smaller but
still they stood tall and proud. It sent a thrill through me to remember those
long ago days when the only troubles I had were worrying about what to wear to
school. It was a good time...A precious time.
I then looked at the names carved within the covered bridge, I thought
of the memories that were left there by the people who visited the very same
place. I began to look and almost hope I would find my name which I had carved many
years ago. It saddened me to realized that pieces had been replaced and my
name was no more. I watched a family walk by ...a man playing catch with his dog
and his child. A Mother who sat on a blanket reading a novel, while her children ran
around her playfully. A couple walk by hand in hand ,and so much in love
. All the while yearning for the time
when I was younger .A time long ago. A time that I can never have again.
Suddenly I heard a child's voice calling
for her Mom. It brought me back from what seemed like another world ...And it was at that moment .... I
realized through the voice of a child... Although the place around me had
changed...The memories were unchanged...I could still revisit
that time. I could create new memories with my children ...I could walk the
same path...touch the same waterfall...and once again return to a day when
life was free from worry... If only for a little while.
So you see...The covered bridge memories really do still remain.
And that is one
thing that... will never change.
Author...Mary E. White
