As most of you know, the North Georgia Mountains were consumed by very large and dragged out wildfires. As a Truett student who loves to hike and see all the views that the mountains can give, it was very difficult to not be able to go out and enjoy all that the area had to offer. All I wanted to do was star gaze on top of a mountain, climb to the peak of a trail and stare out at the amazing beauty my Creator made, and go adventure. So that's exactly what I did.

As me and my gal pals would go out and climb to these peaks and "views," I realized that I didn't need the perfect scenery or starry night to see the absolute beauty God made. That beauty was in the people I was with. When God made the universe and everything in it, the mountains and sunsets weren't good enough. He made man and that was good. Humans were His best creation. That really resonated with me while I was looking out at smokey views and foggy skies.

I am so thankful for the people I am surrounded by. As Thanksgiving approaches and the holiday season quickly comes close, I'm reminded how blessed we all truly are. To have people who care about us and to have people who we can count on is simply incredible.

My prayer is that everyone can have someone to lay on a picnic table with in 40 degree weather and just look at the sky and talk about the deepest thoughts and dreams they have. Someone to drive over an hour with to go to the top of a mountain to only see smoke and still feel like they have had the most amazing adventure yet, simply because of the company surrounding them.

My point in all of this isn't that the actual views or the sky full of stars isn't amazing. Believe me, I'm a sucker for a good starry night or sunset hike. I just think that if we all truly see the beauty in the people around us and the company we have, our outlook on things will change drastically. Don't let a wildfire stop you from enjoying all that God has to offer. We can still see beauty in the midst of all the smoke and flames brought to us in bad circumstances.

An adventure isn't just a hike or long drive. An adventure is the process of growing and finding things about yourself you never knew. The greatest adventure you can go on is learning how to love everything. Learning to look at every single person and mountain view as if they were the same.

I hope your Thanksgiving is full of family, love, warmth, and good food! I know that mine will be.