Rainy, Cold, and Happy

The clock ticked slowly towards 3:00 and my leg bounced anxiously along with it. Only a few more minutes until school was over. Only a few more minutes until the girls of the Outdoor Leadership class would change into warm clothes, shoulder our backpacks, and head out. We'd be spending the night in the woods of our teacher's farm, alone.

The bell rang and I jumped out of my chair and gathered my books, heading to my locker. The excited energy in the hallway was palpable as Catherine and I quickly got our things together and began our walk to the parking lot. Our friends hugged us along the way and wished us luck (though some of them bid us farewell as if they didn't think we'd last the night). We joined the 11 other girls of the school's small bus, adding to the din of packs being thrown into the back, laughter, and talking.

The night before had been a figurative nightmare of packing and repacking, trying to figure out what I needed that I didn't have and how to fit it all into my pack. The moment the bus rumbled down our teacher's driveway and we stepped out onto the dirt, all the fear and nervousness was gone as if the forest itself had absorbed them. All that remained was the joy and excitement brought about by going out into nature with a group of wonderful people.

We walked over a bridge into the forest with the sound of joy echoing all around us. After finding a campsite we delegated jobs so that we could get everything we needed to get done finished before the sun set.

By 6:00 it was pitch black.

We'd finished our tasks and had begun to cook dinner over our camp stoves, when I began to look around at the people I was with. Some were my dearest friends, while others I had barely spoken to before tonight, and yet there was a strong sense of fellowship. A comradery that, paired with the crackling spell of firewood, the sounds of nature all around us, and the mac'n'cheese I was eating made me happier than I had felt in a while. Later that night, as we climbed into tents and our sleeping bags, I laid in silence and thought about these things.

Nature shows us the almighty beauty of God. We are so small and helpless compared to the awe-inspiring world that God created. And yet He put us in dominion over it. He created the world for us to live in on our journey home to Him. Nature is the place I feel closest to God, excepting at Mass in the reception of the Eucharist.

I woke at 3 am, to the crowing of the rooster and smiled as I rolled over and went back to sleep (which is crazy because if you know me, you know I'm NOT a morning person). Then at 5:15 the camp woke up for real as we began packing up to head back to the bus.

At 6:15 we emerged from the forest to the cheers of our teacher and the more than welcome sight of the already-warmed up-bus.

When we arrived back at school, no one was complaining about being tired or cold. The joy that the night prior had us talking only of how much fun we'd had and how we couldn't wait to go back out again.

“We need to find God and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees and flowers and grass—grow in silence..."

Mother Teresa

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By Sarah Catherine