Brittany McClure-- Class Reflection

My place can't be narrowed to a single building or tree; rather, it was the woods behind my home when I lived in Jessup, Maryland. What makes those woods so significant is the memories I have associated with it. I lived in that small town cul-de-sac for three years, from age ten to twelve, and that stretch of forest that surrounded the area behind the homes was the stage of many an adventure, both solitary and in the company of friends. Whether it was hot or snowing didn't matter. I'd come home from school, finish my homework, and run out the door, not to be seen again until dinnertime. Those woods hold more memories that I have space to write down. Even a pair of my socks are likely still out in the creek that ran through it... but that's a tale for another time.
Now as to my place's religious value as Lane describes it, I don't know that it fits his outline. It is as spiritual to me as anything can be, though. The childhood love and the freedom I gleaned from that place are near enough to religion, the rush of good feeling that suffused me a form of prayer. It was a transcendent experience (though my ten-year-old self never realized it). It uplifted me and sparked ideas and passions. Yet if I returned to walk through those trees again I know it would be different. The sentimental value would still be there, but the actual feel of the place would be altered somehow.