My love of nature began when my mother kicked me and my brothers out of the house so she could get some peace and quiet. From exploring the field and woods just beyond our backyard, to hiking trails across the United States and Europe as a boy scout, a campus minister leading students and as a solo hiker. Water has also competed for my attention, canoeing, fishing, teaching swimming lessons, standing watch as a lifeguard, scuba diving and swimming on a college swim team. Wet or dry the outdoors has always beckoned. Sometimes, I carry a camera and engage in contemplative photography. As a seven on the enneagram, adventure pulls me out to travel in location and mind. Some of my best times are talking a walk in the woods with my three grandchildren. The focus of my spiritual direction practice involves hiking, forest bathing and contemplation of nature.
After attending Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN as engineering major, I transferred to Lambuth University in Jackson,