North Carolina, a spiritual autobiography

(A work in progress by K. S. Evans,©️ 2025 by K. S. Evans.)

INTRODUCTION

Nature has become a friend of mine.

People often refer to it as Mother Nature, but that doesn’t quite sum it up for me. Its presence is strong and masculine at times, but subtle and motherly at other times. It is a teacher, a spirit, and a friend if we decide to walk with it.

My understanding of “God”, of power outside our own earthly limits, is interwoven with Nature. It is not an enemy of my own acquired theology. A theology that includes much study, prayer, reflection, and application of spiritual principles learned thus far.

And my home state of North Carolina has helped feed my soul through the beauty of its geography. From the coastal plains to the Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina embodies an amazing diversity of nature. My affection has only deepened since my bare feet first sank into the hot summer sand along the Southeastern coast in the 1970’s. Since then, I’ve hiked mountain trails blazing with Autumn or buried in snow; I’ve shared paths with deer, squirrels, and snakes. And I’ve paused to listen to the treetop choirs.

In Spring, I’ve detoured into the parking lot of many bustling southern restaurants on my way to explore a new trail, or simply enjoy a quiet drive on a curvy country road. I sought summer sanctuaries near rivers, streams, and waterfalls.

In Rocky Mountain High, John Denver sings “You can talk to God…”

I believe it. I believe the “God” of nature is a/the “God” we can know.

And this “God” is a lover of beauty.

This little book is dedicated to my home state, where I have discovered, as author Thomas Dubay wrote in The Evidential Power of Beauty, that

“…every experience of beauty points to infinity,” ( Hans Urs von Balthazar).