RS Vacations – Big Bear Lake, CA

When one tugs at a single thing in nature,
he finds it attached to the rest of the world.
–John Muir

Photo by Danny Enger – Big Bear Scenery and Sunsets

While I don’t consider myself a full-fledged “tree-hugger”, I do care about our planet and try to do my part in preserving it. Growing up in Big Bear, I developed a love for nature in all its forms – A sky so blue that it almost seems unreal, towering pine trees and the many critters that make their homes in them, glorious sunsets over the sparkling lake, grand snow-capped mountains… I am sometimes amazed at the beauty all around me.

The world we live in is not always a beautiful place. Natural beauty can be destroyed in many ways – with intent by man, through carelessness and even by nature itself. It can also be an ugly place in other ways. Lately, my hope for mankind seems to be waning. We seem to be surrounded by violence and by those who are intent on fueling hate and destroying the lives of others. But just as I begin to feel that the human race has no redeeming value, I see images of those willing to sacrifice their own safety, and many times even their lives, to help complete strangers. Those who run into the ‘fire’ while everyone else runs out. There is still beauty in the world – both the kind you can see and the kind you can feel.

It is my hope that we can strive to keep not only our planet healthy and beautiful but also the human race. Both things take sacrifice and dedication, but both things are worth it. Live beautifully…..

Photo by Danny Enger – Big Bear Scenery and Sunsets

–Laurel