2008 REFLECTIONS
SATURDAY – LAKE TAHOE

ENDLESS
by Natalie Ko
As I sit here on the shining sand, I am listening to the endless rhythm of the waves as they crash towards me.  Looking at the clear blue waters, I see the sand and stones beneath the water, and as I look towards the distance, I see where the lake meets the skyline.  Although there is an end to this lake, for now I see the water as stretching for endless miles, until it meets the sky and like a relay team, hands off the baton so that the sky can continue its journey to eternity.  Looking back to where I am sitting, the waves continue to crash on.  The grains of sand sparkle in the sun, I think of the years that have gone by for the water to have eroded all the rocks,and this process will probably continue to go on endlessly.  To my left there are mountains covered with snow, in front of me there are faded blue mountains that nearly blend into the sky, behind me there are trees, towering high, and around me there are students reflecting on their own lives as they sit on the warm sand.  Although I know that the lake in front of me is not endless, sitting here at this moment, the limit to freedom and opportunities I have is endless.
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Calm, Peaceful, Warm, Nice view, Out here reminds me of how great nature could be
by Josif Morar
Lake/Life, As the lake flows, the sky glows; When the ducks float and the kids gloat; All the waves travel lengths to reach the end of the lake. If your life is like a lake, then don’t stop ‘til you’ve reached  your lengths.
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Discover the world of peace with a single look.   Why cannot this serenity exist in all the world.  Every footstep I make is important; every stride you take is meaningful.   Why is the world full of violence, when nature speaks to us to be like them?
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From Elise:
The water is like another world on a smaller scale.  Even though it may be hard for us to comprehend, it allows us to see the beauty of another world with different life and beauty.  Even though the water looks blue and beautiful on the surface, the plants and creatures must face similar adversities to ours in every day life.  We are truly more similar than we believe.
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From Brooke:
Take nothing but pictures;  waste nothing but time and leave nothing but footprints behind.
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We the Gods intrude creating new worlds upon this heaven and hell filled with sounds incessant.
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The lake is gorgeous.   I’ve heard it said many times before that it is well known for being so clear, but to truly understand this, you must see it for yourself.  You can see every little rock rippling under the waves unlike the ocean, where visibility is diluted with swirling sand, salt and a lot of other various debris.  Surrounded by huge snow-capped mountains, Lake Tahoe is truly a site of beauty. 
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Happy times, Happy Days
Ivy Wang
Something clear, natural, blue, this is my favorite part of the trip.  Ducks nearby just wading in the water.  There goes the jet skiers and the paddling from the kayaks.  I like the sand, so many different shades, so many little things stuck in between.  I wish I could run my feet through these crumbs.  People around picking up trash; people around me sunbathing.  I love to hear the waves hitting against the shore. 
There’s snow on the mountains; there’s rocks underneath the water.  They seem to move along with the water.    Lake Tahoe – lake of the sky.  Smells good, not like the ocean salt.
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Lake Tahoe – I cannot believe that I am actually sitting on the shore of one of the most beautiful freshwater lakes on earth.  The azure water is hand in hand with the blue California sky.  This placid sound of the waves seem to carry all my worries away.  I wish my parents could relish this scenery with me. 
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WHAT NATURE BRINGS
South Lake Tahoe
Duck on water makes it seem so natural; water makes it calm; tides roll in relaxing; sailboat in the distance  inspirational.  Sun brings comfortability; mountains on other side with snow make everything much more majestic; footprints make it inspirational as well.  Kayakers and boaters and guy with his dog bring unforgettable sight. Families, Kayakers, Boaters, Guy with his dog make everything more friendly.  Shoes, socks and pants make me uncomfortable on the shore.
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THE LAKE UP CLOSE
A couple of years ago I came to Heavenly Lake Tahoe and I was able to see the lake from atop the mountain peaks.  I did not have the opportunity to see the lake up close.  Thankfully, today I had the opportunity to see and embrace the lake and enjoy its presence.  I love reflecting on life, and today I enjoyed writing a free-verse poem about my feelings while listening and watching the lake.    Whenever I am surrounded by nature I like to think about how beautiful the world we live in actually is.  I love nature…it brings my mind to peace and serenity.  As I listen to your words, the sounds of your movement on the sand, I admire your clarity as you show the depths of your beauty.  I can’t imagine a more beautiful you, bluer than the sky, but still more clear than the meaning of life.  Your image will never escape my memory and your calm presence will forever carry in my mind.  As the waves roll in at the shoreline, the rhythm of the waves sound like a lullaby.  I feel like sleeping on it and floating on the water.
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To begin with the cliché description, it is quiet and peaceful.  There is but one distinct sound: that of the water gracefully  crashing upon the ground, sifting the sand as it migrates multiple colors from one direction to the next.  The water is a pane of glass, for one is exposed to a surreal world, one of which that is estranged from humanity for it is a vast paranoia of the deep unknown.  This tranquil place is a looking glass is a looking glass of the present generation for it is scarce of those superficial needs we cling to as nature dominates earth and sky.  This is a reminder of how it should be.  The most undisturbed is aroused by the conflict of insignificant insects as they struggle their way through the shifting sand.  Sailboats create vast low clouds in the distance while puffs of white air holds their places in the sky above.  The wharf is surrounded by bits of driftwood that penetrates the water, breaking its solitary mission towards the sand.  I have always discovered that “inner harmony” along the shoreline.  It’s surreal surroundings forces one to realize that life’s materialistic needs are but another grain of the hourglass of a wasted life.  One realizes as she is standing amidst the blues and grays and greens that she is only a small aspect of the large picture.  I am allowed to stand here and worry about nothing.  I feel alive and carefree; it is rare that I am succumbed to these feelings.  It allows an optimistic feeling to enrich both body and spirit, for if such a place exists, the place of immense and effortless beauty, then there must be such a thing as hope. There must be  God.  This is the short time I am able to believe that everything will be alright.  That I will make it through the depression and the fear.  Yes, everything will be alright.
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Being here in silence and listening to the waves as they hit the shore is so very tranquil.  I’ve never been to a lake before, not like this.   It’s so majestic in beauty.  The water is clear and I feel as though if I go out into the water and just relax, it can take me to another world.  Coming from a type of place I live in, being in Tahoe seems unreal.  I wouldn’t want to destroy something so magnificent.  It almost feels pure, untouched.   When I first saw the lake I thought wow!.  It almost could look like an ocean.  I love how the blue color of the water fades darker as you look out.  The mountain and the forest kind of help make this a perfect surreal picture.  Something you just can’t help but cherish.  And I love how the sand is like the perfect mixture of sediment.  It’s a beautiful tan color also.  I really didn’t know what to expect.  And in a way I’m glad because it was such a wonderful surprise.  When I’m in my Environmental Science class and we learn about pollutants, trash, fossil fuels, and just dirt and grime, it kind of makes it seem as though the world lost its beauty.  I’m glad I came here because it showed me that there is still hope in the world.  At first I thought this writing assignment would be difficult, but when I began to write, I all became clear and easy to write what I felt.
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WOW!!
I look around, all I see is pure beauty expressed through imagination and creation.  If ever once in my life have I doubted God, now more than ever I am so astonished by this amazing setting that He has made just for us.  I feel so privileged to have been able to come to this conference.  I know that God sent me here for a reason.  It’s simple why He did, to open my eyes to a whole new world of beauty.  He is expanding on my appreciation of this breath-taking earth.  It is mind-blowing to know that my Father loves me so much that He not only sacrificed his one true son for me, but He went beyond and set up this masterpiece for me to experience.  Never in my life have I felt so privileged to be alive, never have I felt so loved.  I feel like God has brought me here in the shadow of His wings, and now is guiding me and releasing me to see this amazing natural art.  The purity and clarity of the water symbolizes to me, the long lost purity that is greatly needed in today’s society.  The bedrocks and sand in the lake are the foundation for the purity.  Just like with a firm foundation of faith in God, we too can be pure.  There is silence, only the sound of the waves of the lake, to me, is God, expressing his love for each and every one of us, and yet some people don’t even acknowledge Him.  I can’t comprehend how or why people don’ t follow Christ.  Beauty like this was no some evolutionary fluke, this moment in time was planned from the very beginning and further back.  He planned all of us to be here, for us to take something away from this.  He doesn’t force us to believe.  He does have a plan, and yes, He is in control, but he gave us free will.  I take that gift and say that I will follow Christ ‘til the day He decides to take me from this earth.  Just think, God created us, loves us so much that he sent His son to be beaten and tortured for us and He gives us this scenery.  People don’t always believe, but He still loves them just as much.  That is more love, and such a pure, unconditional love than I can ever imagine.
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From Allison:
The sea keeps its own rhythm, With  the waves that gasp, And sigh upon the lonesome shore.  It enchants humans with its Eternal sense of time that unlike ours... CAN STOP... When snowy mountain crags and ice grips every ripple in its wake... TO STOP... Nature knows its boundaries. Planting new and destroying old. Giving life to some, While abandoning the weak, Sweeping fires, Infernos unleashed and bold. A tremor reminds us of our utter insignificance and that we must not forget... T0 STOP
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Sly Park, a place to wander, Makes you want to sit and ponder. The gorgeous trees grow so high, The birds above soar and fly, Things all around speak to me, Telling me to just break free. I am so grateful for this place, This precious moment, time and space.
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SUNDAY – THE FOREST TREE
What patience to be rooted upon a changing ground to watch the silly work go by yet never make a sound.  What pleasure to be standing so tall among the rest to know your arms provide a refuge for a sacred nest.  In silence do you tower; In solitude you sleep gathering earth’s wisdom which only you can keep
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A place of constant growth in every direction; they tower above me making me feel small but I  know I will do mightier things.  Complete understanding is like surviving a fall from the heavens.  What’s true and false, real and fake, who’s to judge?   Not you, not me, so don’t act like you know!!  I like how the light hits the forest beyond; it tells me to go further – don’t stop here!!  The bird noises are so relaxing they just take you elsewhere away from a bad world.  Bees buzz; birds fly; we do what we feel.  Pain is temporary but it feels permanent.
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We and trees are similar; we both live, consume, grow, die and we both play a large role upon the earth.  Difference is we are mobile and we joke, socialize and think.  Secrets untold, regrets unforgotten.  Things you want to tell but never know when it’s right. Branch out in every direction possible.  GROW AND FLOW!!
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Sun, warmth, radiant, spread, catch, sock, breathe, live.  Take in golden  honey ribbon of light, of warmth, of life.  Grow, reach, high…higher for the sun, for the sky, for life.  As  sun creatures sleep; moon creatures roam, treading softly without any light, silently sneaking all through the night.
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Stars in the sky; With stories to tell; Paths of nature; With happiness to sell
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Mother Nature is a thing of beauty, and to appreciate Mother Nature one must spend their time with Mother Nature.  Mother Nature takes you away from your complicated city life of pollution and technology, and puts you in a place where one can relax and be at peace.  If people keep ignoring Mother Nature we will lose her and regret not helping her in her time of need.  But, if everyone would just get involved with Mother Nature and keep her living on this, then future generations will also b e allowed to appreciate this thing of beauty.
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From Molly Tunheim:
This is so incredible sitting in the middle of a vast display of  beauty.  We take these forests for granted, not knowing that with one little accident, one match, all the fuel on the ground could light nd set this creation ablaze.  We look at the forest floor, all I used to see was dead stuff.  Now I see gasoline.  Not far from here these same types of fuel caught on fire and out broke the Angora Fire.  With just one person’s misunderstanding of how to put out a  campfire, over 200 people lost their homes.  This huge fire is so close to my heart.  A good friend of mine at the time was in the CCC and he had to help with the fire.  Currently he is my boyfriend.  It scares me to think that if he didn’t make it I would never have found love.  Fires  can steal homes, friends, pets and love.  Fires should definitely be feared, but I have learned that they need to be respected as well.  With every mass power, God, oceans, fires, should come a great deal of fear and respect.  Anything that can take your life within an instant  should hold a huge level of  respect in my book.  Coming up here I have gained a great deal of appreciation, admiration, and most of all, respect for our forests as well as wildland fires.  I never used to think about forests that much, even though I live in one, but now seeing how much was lost in the Angora fire, I can’t wait to go home to the woods.    So, I guess what they say is true: “You don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone”.  It’s sad how we have to lose so much to gain something.  If only there were a better way, but I don’t think any of us will take a forest for granted again, but one can only hope.
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I feel so alone in he woods, surrounded by people.  I wonder what it would be like to visit here by myself.  I’ve never felt so close to nature as I’ve felt this weekend.  I look at the trees, I feel so small in comparison.  I feel young, too.  These trees are more than 100 years old and might keep on living for another 100 years.  Thousands of people could have touched these trees, and now I’m one of them.  I’ve also realized this weekend that I hate people.  It’s so amazingly hypocritical, but it’s true.  It’s people that ruin the earth, and people that can’t get along with each other.  I know I do the same things that I hate people for, but “I’m only human”.  That saying makes no sense because it sounds like you can do all the bad things you want and get away with it because you’re human.  How is that fair?  What makes us so special?  I feel disconnected from my old life.  It’s going to feel weird to go back to recycling and conserving and trying to make a difference while being in a large town with no nature.  The nature where I live is a large patches of grass that they call parks.  It’s so sad to know that a few days after I return home I’m going to forget how the forest feels.
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THE WOODS
by Kenny Skillman
This is the place where I feel most relaxed.  The stress of school and work are stripped away.  The chaos and the noise of the city are dismissed.  Here in the woods is where harmony in its truest form may be heard.  A bird chirps.  A squirrel jumps.  A tree sways.  Here in the woods I can just be myself.  There is no longer a coach to impress or a boss to answer to.  Just me, the clothes on my back, and the earth beneath my feet.  I thank God for this work of beauty and for allowing me to enjoy it.
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From Elise Jackson:
The forest is peaceful; The forest is wild; So full of creatures and plants; Both mellow and mild.  Calm blue flowing streams; With hatred and war underneath; Beautiful birds with sounds so sweet; Striving so hard to overcome their fate.  People always  say “But what can we do?”  Take care of the wildlife however you may; Think of the old and think of the new.  Beautiful trees so bold and true; Being cut down to make ay for new; What reasons do we see all this; It is nature survival, I hope you got the gist.
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Peaceful, Birds, Shade Bugs
by Josif Morar
With a forest so thick and birds so quick; That goes on and on into the beyond; Wildlife lives so free; while trees grow so green; The forest stays so peaceful overcrowded and full; I sit here writing thinking of what’s coming; And maybe one day everything won’t so grey