Reflective Witness

Places of tranquility often lead to inspiration, this is a rule that I believe many people neglect to follow.   Here in Mississippi, just a bit north of Jackson on the

Natchez Trace Parkway

lies what was once a part of the Pearl River.   It is marked as a point of interest, not a historical place as most others are, it is the Cypress Swamp.  The Pearl river changed its course thousands of years ago, leaving behind a swamp where it once flowed.  Over thousands of years Cypress trees majestically grew tall and overtook the swamp, creating a quiet breathtaking place of reflection.  I thought of many things as I explored this amazing place, one thing that grabbed my attention were the size of some of the cypress trees, and the knowledge that they could have bore witness to the first explorers to the region, and to the way of life hundreds of years before Europeans discovered this continent... and yet they are alive, to bear witness to me.     Small in the scheme of things.