Rev. Michelle's Message August 27, 2026

I have so enjoyed spending the last three Sundays sharing with all of you some of the adventures Alexander and I have been having on our summer hikes, as well as the deep spiritual lessons I have received from nature. I think you all know, I could talk endlessly about nature and hiking and all things outdoors. However, we are going to switch gears this week.

But before we do that, I have one more adventure to share with you. And I’m sharing it because it was just so beautiful, so moving, so inspirational, and so fun!

Twice now, Alexander and I have done a hike at Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos that goes out to a waterfall called Maple Falls. The hike is almost 4 miles out to the falls, and the last one-half mile or so is quite challenging. As you make your way up the creek bed to the falls, you find yourself scrambling over boulders and fallen logs, grabbing on to tree roots to pull yourself up and over obstacles, and balancing on stones to cross and re-cross the creek itself. It is a full-body experience, to say the least, and we end up muddy, dirty, sweaty, and I with half my fingernails broken.

I have hiked all my life, but I haven’t done that kind of scrambling for many, many years. I didn’t know I still had it in me, to tell the truth, but my body is getting stronger and more agile with every hike. Even more wonderful is that my son, Alexander, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, is able to do it. He has come so far this summer and has improved his agility, his balance, his strength, and his confidence in his own body and his ability to “do hard things.”

I am teaching him that sometimes it’s fun and especially satisfying to do something really hard that has a great reward at the end. Well, this hike has a particularly spectacular reward at the end and that is the falls itself. They’re not the biggest of falls, of course, at about 40-50 feet tall, but it’s secluded and remote, quiet and peaceful. And it’s the fact that you have to work really hard to “earn” it.

There is a pool at the bottom of the falls that you can wade in. It is about 2-3 feet deep. Let me tell you that after that hot, sweaty, dusty hike, there is nothing like the feeling of stripping off your clothes and jumping in that pool (the second time we came prepared with bathing suits under our clothes). It kind of felt like being a kid again. It felt so good, so freeing, so invigorating and revitalizing. The water is quite cool, but not freezing. There are beautiful butterflies all around. I felt so connected to nature, to my own body, and to my sweet son, who is showing such bravery with our hikes this summer and whom I am so incredibly proud of. Below is a picture of us in the falls.

Whatever getting outdoors looks like for you, please do it. Do it while the days are still long and the sun is still warm and nature is so green and vibrant and full of life. Before we know it, fall will be here. Don’t miss the opportunity to forest bathe, bird watch, or just sit on a park bench and breathe fresh air. And remember that everything you see all around you is God’s beautiful Creation, all of it blissfully expressing God’s endless goodness and love.

Late Summer Blessings,

Rev. Michelle