Each place we have been shapes us in some way.  I never really thought about the truth of this statement until going to the birth place of George Washington in Virginia’s lovely northern neck.  George’s great grandfather settled the land and established the plantation in 1657 and generations of Washington’s lived on this beautiful spot at the confluence of the Potomac River and Pope’s Creek.  Historians tell us that while young George did not live there long, he was shaped and formed by the land, returning often in the summers as he grew into adulthood.

I couldn’t help but think how we are all shaped and formed by the land we grew up on, as well as the surroundings and land we encounter each day.  We might take a moment and reflect on the land where our roots were established.  What was it in the land that impressed itself on our personality and character?  And, what do we allow the land to speak to us today?

Being in this amazingly beautiful spot where young George grew up gave me a new appreciation for the lands where I lived growing up.  They were many and varied, as my Dad was in the Army and we moved almost every year.  Perhaps that’s why I love to travel and seek out new sights.  Each new spot is an opportunity to see and take in the wonderful beauty and grace of the universe.  Each new spot invites me to learn more about its history and the people who were nurtured there.  Each place gives me pause and offers me the chance to open myself to new thoughts, insights and reflections.  Each place is a little window into the heart of God.

What spot has shaped and formed you?  What spot holds grace for you?  There may be more than one!