Into the Wild

This was a very busy week following a very busy weekend, so on Saturday morning I went on a relaxing hike with the ward to get into nature. I had not realized previously that people hiked in nature on this side of the country, so this was a pleasant surprise:

 We hiked along the Potomac River at Great Falls, Virginia. I must say, I am thoroughly enjoying the charms of the area thus far. The area is wilder than I expected the East to be, greener than I usually think of anything being, and has more character than I had even hoped!

Lest readers get the idea that I am not working very hard out here, I should report a little on the work-week. I reported on several interesting issues. For one thing, I watched President Obama's commencement address at West Point on Wednesday, as the rumor was that he was outlining his foreign policy going forward. This was exciting because I remembered that Payson's own Isaac Cluff was graduating from West Point, so I watched him receive his diploma and delighted in the fame and dignity coming to my hometown.
I also attended a panel about the impact of India's recent election on religious liberty. It was quite lively because, since the election just happened, no one can say for sure what will happen. Afterward, a man in a Sikh turban, who said he was Indian, pulled me aside. He urged me not to report that religious liberty is threatened in India, because his experience with India's religious diversity had always been positive, in fact, more positive than in America.
Over dinner that night, I described the whole experience to a friend who has studied in India, and she pointed out that India has a population of 1.2 billion and a long history of religious plurality.