A Mesquite Hugger Focus

 Welcome back, friends!

I see and hear God in nature. Like Elijah, I am fed by ravens - and lots of other local creatures, plants, and skies.

Every action I take to preserve or protect wild things and wild places is an effort to preserve God's grace, God's visibility, and the divine beauty of His creation. On those rare occasions when I have heard His voice, I was in or was observing nature.

Nevertheless, I am male and I am human, fundamentally selfish and lazy. I crave adventure, things, and comfort.

My original goal in Mesquite Hugger was to be a reporter, to share the natural beauty to be found in West Texas, but I did not steward that vision well. Mesquite Hugger became a place to learn how to protect and care for this God-given blessing.

And I did not steward that well either. This became a blog that worshipped the tools used to combat natural and environmental destruction. And even that I distilled into a focus on wheeled things that don't run on petroleum products.

And like any spiritual endeavor divided in focus, I let that worship splinter into another blog where wheeled things are sought are worshipped.

Since that split, Mesquite Hugger has floundered to find its focus but really hasn't done so. In the interim, it has become a place to sporadically find many photos and few words featuring that original West Texas beauty.

(The other blog has floundered as well and hasn't found its footing or an audience, but it has found my adoration for all things pedal-powered - mostly bicycles.)

So, what's next?

This spring I hope to bring Mesquite Hugger home to a place that celebrates natural beauty and its creator. I want it to be a place where you can find words, photos, and videos all focused in that mission.

(I will also endeavor to keep that focus while avoiding the worship of pens and keyboards and cameras, of bikes and cars and batteries.)

I want this to be a place where you can experience that natural beauty and those moments when wonder gives way to joy long before you even know you had an emotion.

As always, thank you for reading. May your winter melt into a glorious and awe-filled spring!