Posted on August 24, 2024 by Jenn Zatopek
Although Texas is home, I don’t always feel safe or supported here. Growing up in the country afforded me lots of time outdoors on long summer days, where I’d run along the white gravel roads, passing acres of tall oak and hackberry trees, picking blackberries with my best friend J, swimming at the local lake bordered by low limestone walls amid shrubby juniper trees. I found safety and security in the friendly trees, the cool waters, the open sky where I’d fling prayers upwards when I was scared, which was often. One of the best gifts my parents gave me was their love of the outdoors, and if I had to pick a place called home, I’d say it’s wherever I can go outside and slip into the landscape, remembering my true belonging.
