Oak Mountain

There is something about being on a mountain. Something invigorating. Something exhilarating. It makes me think of heaven.

I am standing on a mountain right now, staring at forever. The trappings of society are miles below me. There is no rank or status up here. No schedule. No spam email. No 24-hour news channels.

The foothills of the Appalachians are before me, sprawled out like a giant green quilt. The whole of Jefferson County is behind me. And my problems seem so small up here. Like itty bitty gnats. Only uglier.

Oak Mountain State Park is the largest park in Alabama, and it’s about the size of a small continent.

This park was supposed to be a national park. That was the original idea. They were going to call it Little Smoky Mountain National Park. It was going to be ridiculously cool. But then Pearl Harbor happened. America went to war instead. And the idea fell through.

But the park turned out ridiculously cool anyway.

So people are always surprised when I take them to Oak Mountain. They always say the same thing: “I didn’t know you had this kind of beauty in Alabama.”

Because most people only know the Alabama they see on TV. I can’t tell you how many outsiders I meet who think Alabama is nothing but hicks and swamp bogs.

Outsiders have some mental image of Alabamians as toothless, barefoot hillbillies sitting on the porches of 42-foot Fleetwood doublewides, cooking squirrel, polishing their Remingtons, watching NASCAR. Which is an unfair stereotype. We also watch football.

Oak Mountain is tucked within the Appalachian foothills. You’re looking at 9,940 acres of oaken woodlands and several mountain lakes. In the 1930s, this place was built with the same hands that built Yosemite. The Civilian Conservation Corps put their heart and soul into this land. And you can tell when you hike these trails.

Although truthfully, I am not a hiker. I am a mosey-er. That’s what I do. I mosey. That’s the extent of my ability as an outdoorsman.

I always wear the wrong pair of shoes. I am out of shape. I don’t use trekking poles or eat freeze-dried nutrition bars made with stevia, hemp and organic corn husks.

I survive on pocketfuls of roasted peanuts. I listen to the Braves game on my portable transistor radio, nestled within my backpack. When I reach an overlook, I turn off the radio and I sit there for a while. Just looking.

I take one step at a time. Steady up the mountain. And whenever I get to a pretty spot, I stop. I try to breathe without puking. I massage my legs and consider turning back early, going back down the mountain. But I never do. Something always pushes me upward. I don’t know what makes me keep going.

Maybe it’s because this has been a hard year for me. A very hard year. It doesn’t matter why. It’s just one of those phases of life you go through. Lots of change. Lots of little problems. Lots of life happening. Maybe that’s what propels me.

There are times when I wake up tired. When I feel like I’ll never have any internal energy again. As though I am 70 years older than I already am. I get sad sometimes.

I think about dead people a lot. I think about people I loved. And how they’ve left me here on earth. And I wonder where they are. Which causes me to wonder where I’m going when I die.

When will it be my turn? When will I kick the oxygen habit? When will some youthful person say the same things about me that I’ve been saying about people who have died?

“I can’t believe they’re gone.” “They broke the mold when they made him.” “Why do people die so young?” “Life is so short.”

But when I am hiking beneath this canopy of green, I don’t think on sad things like that. Instead, I find my face flexing in a mild smile. I don’t know why I’m smiling, or what I’m smiling about. But I am smiling nonetheless.

Maybe I see a flower I’ve never seen before. Or some strange plant that looks like it belongs on Mars. Maybe I sit on a boulder of granite, and mop my sweaty neck with a bandana.

Maybe I think about how this rock beneath my butt is two billion times older than I am. And yet, somehow, we are brothers. The rock and I. Me and the mountains. The trees and yours truly.

I realize this all sounds bizarre, but those are the kinds of things you think up here. You stand on an overlook and you see a convergence of clouds and earth. You see water below you. You see ancient rocks. You realize how small you are. And how loved. And you say “Wow” aloud to yourself.

And you think, hey, if this is what Alabama looks like, heaven must be worth the price of admission.

78 comments

  1. Tom Harmon - August 2, 2022 6:50 am

    Thankyou

    Reply
    • Jules - August 2, 2022 6:56 pm

      Right on man. Right f’in on.

      Reply
      • Todd Pierce - August 2, 2022 11:42 pm

        Oh WOW.
        This is spot-on!!!
        And all so true.
        I see where “In Defense of Alabama” was written on my 55th birthday. That’s so cool!!
        Thank you for this, and for all your blogs.
        The next time we have a big rain, head to Pea Vine Falls at Oak Mountain the next day.
        Preferably during Autumn, but really any time of year. That place has to be a portal to Narnia, it simply has to be.
        🤜🏻🤛🏻

        Reply
  2. PMc - August 2, 2022 6:53 am

    Alabama has Soul and I have always been grateful I was born here. I truly love my home.
    Peace and Love from Birmingham Ya’ll.

    Reply
  3. Debbie g - August 2, 2022 8:00 am

    What precious thoughts
    Some people never have a clue why we were put on this earth
    But we your readers know about you
    You were put here for us 🙂
    Much love to you and Jamie
    And to us all

    Reply
  4. Ruth Ledyard - August 2, 2022 8:10 am

    When I was young, I went to girl scout camp on a lake named Lake Talahi, in the Oak Mountain State Park. You are so right about its beauty. My mother was the camp nurse, and lived in what was called Heaven, because it was on a hill overlooking the camp. We enjoyed this camp for many years, until as teenagers, it was moved to Lake Martin, another beautiful place in Alabama. Our state is full of such beauty if one just looks around and enjoys it.

    Reply
    • Brian - August 3, 2022 4:33 pm

      Wrong park. There is no lake talahi in Oak Mtn State Park

      Reply
  5. Cynthia - August 2, 2022 9:46 am

    Huntsville and Birmingham are so diverse in people. Also, we have plenty of hiking trails and natural beauty. Love living here 40 years.

    Reply
  6. Sharon Chewning - August 2, 2022 9:56 am

    Amen Brother… keep mosey-ering!!!❤️

    Reply
  7. mikec4193 - August 2, 2022 10:01 am

    Having grown up in the foot hills of the Adirondack Mountains…I hear you Sean…awesome words again…

    Reply
  8. Ann Thompson - August 2, 2022 10:20 am

    I used to sit (I’m too old for climbing now) on a mountain top and think it’s so beautiful here, and quiet-too bad more people don’t enjoy this. Then I’d think, if they did it wouldn’t be pretty and peaceful. In my lifetime the trails/parks have been “discovered “ The trash left behind, including human waste, graffiti, and parking lot thefts have ruined it for me. Now you can ride to the top of a mountain on a chair lift, have pizza and Pepsi at the cafe, take a photo and post it on Facebook then buy the tee shirt. I’m glad for you that Alabama still has that place to find the beauty.
    Enjoy your day.

    Reply
  9. Tim Smith - August 2, 2022 10:27 am

    The price of admission has done been paid for you.

    Reply
    • Toni - August 2, 2022 1:41 pm

      Amen, thank you Jesus!

      Reply
  10. Donna - August 2, 2022 10:42 am

    My favorite place to be…on a mountain. The beauty. I could sit on a mountain everyday of my life and see something that I hadn’t seen before. I often look out and think ‘how could anyone look out at the beauty and not believe in God’. All the different shades of green, the fresh air, for miles and miles. Peaceful solitude, nature. There is no place I would rather be.

    Reply
  11. MR - August 2, 2022 11:16 am

    I’m sorry you have had such a hard year, Sean. I have had a hard one too Lost so many loved ones unexpectedly and many changes. It has been the same with many others I know and love. All we can do is exactly what you are doing . . . Appreciate the good things in life while we can, Hang in there, my brother.

    Reply
  12. Te - August 2, 2022 11:33 am

    You got it. Something ancient and timeless about that whole mountain chain. Older than the Rockies. The Appalachians used to be that high, that massive. Now they’re worn down and comfortable like old shoes or a long-time friend. Nothing has ever satisfied my sense of belonging as much as sight of those undulating mountains and valleys, the endless forests. I’m proud to say my people come from there, from so far back in those Tennessee hills, there weren’t any towns. There’s a story they tell there about the soldiers coming home from WWI. People from there wouldn’t send a telegram. Hell, Ma would probably die at the sight of the telegraphy man, thinking it was news of a death. Instead, they waited — and watched. When someone was spotted, walking the dusty road or trekking long worn paths, they would welcome him, feed him, and if he was tired, a place to sleep. If the returning soldier wasn’t kin, he’d move on and the big iron dinner bell would be rung long and hard. It would ring out and echo through the woods and across fields, letting the next farm know somebody was coming. If he weren’t kin, they’d ring their bell when he moved on. And so they rang the soldiers home across the mountains. Yeah, I love those hills. They restoreth my soul.

    Reply
  13. Micki - August 2, 2022 12:05 pm

    You make me miss Alabama again. And help me see that even if I am someplace I don’t really want to be, there’s beauty to be found. I just have to get out of my head and see it.
    Thank you.

    Reply
  14. Paul McCutchen - August 2, 2022 12:09 pm

    I didn’t know that about Alabama and I have family there but I did have to tell them that, being from Arkansas, the same stereotypes comes with the territory. Arkansas has beautiful lakes and mountains. We even have a diamond mine that you can go and hunt diamonds. I am from the delta of Arkansas where it is mostly farm land so it is flat. Now I live south of Atlanta where it seems to be crowded and it is getting more crowded by the day.

    Reply
    • Priscilla Rodgers - August 2, 2022 12:29 pm

      Just about to make the same comment as Paul. Sure wish you would mosey on a little further west across the Mississippi River and visit with us awhile in the Delta and the Ozarks.

      Reply
  15. Regina Vanderneut - August 2, 2022 12:26 pm

    I was reared in Fungo Holler. (Oak Mountain State Park is the result of a bootlegger skirting the taxes he should have paid.). These mountains are in sight of the house I grew up in The Holler was drenched in bootleggers! They’re long since moved out when Shelby County went wet! The church I attended for all while asked my parents weren’t they afraid of “these people”. An emphatic NO to this question!!!! We forged friendships and had BIBLE STUDIES in their homes! (They only were rough with each other). I agree with your description of this place. Only you put words to my thoughts.

    Reply
  16. Brenda Lynch - August 2, 2022 12:26 pm

    Ahhhhhh, Sean you have touched my heart once again!

    Reply
  17. Christine - August 2, 2022 12:26 pm

    And the price of admission is having Jesus as your forever friend and knowing Heaven is your home. Many blessings my friend on your hiking trip. Be safe.
    Alabama is a beautiful state🥰

    Reply
  18. Robin Kay Riley - August 2, 2022 12:31 pm

    I agree, but my place is in WNC. Glad you have one in Alabama.

    Reply
  19. David Britnell - August 2, 2022 12:35 pm

    I haven’t spent much time in Alabama, but what I have seen of it was absolutely beautiful! My dad grew up there and we would go to family reunions when I was young. I was born in Arkansas and there are some beautiful areas here and I happen to live in some of that beauty! People in Arkansas are also looked at like hillbillies and that’s fine with me. We even have our own version of the Bible , dubbed the RSV by our pastor at Highland Assembly of God Church. (By the way he has his doctorate). The RSV is the Redneck Standard Version and it seems to be translated or added to quite often. Just listen to the good folks around here, they have some mighty good words of wisdom for you. God bless you Sean! We love you and look forward to your posts every day!!

    Reply
  20. Sean of the South: Oak Mountain | The Trussville Tribune - August 2, 2022 12:40 pm

    […] By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South […]

    Reply
  21. Judy - August 2, 2022 12:46 pm

    The “price of admission to heaven” was the death of Christ on a cross, His burial and Resurrection. If you repent of your sins He will save you too.

    Reply
  22. Joan Hinton - August 2, 2022 12:57 pm

    And the price was paid on Calvary when Jesus took our sins on Him and died a cruel death. Salvation is free, but we must believe, love and trust Him to obtain our free admission to Heaven.

    Reply
  23. Judy - August 2, 2022 12:58 pm

    It has been a hard year for a lot of us. There have been times when we think we must be getting near the end, or maybe just hoping we are. But then there is God, in the beauty of His world or the beauty of a smile, or the inspiring words of a strange but very wise man and we know we can do this. Thanks

    Reply
  24. Carolyn Majors - August 2, 2022 1:04 pm

    Jesus paid the price for our admission to heaven!!
    Praying you have accepted Him as your Savior!!
    Your writings are a blessing.

    Reply
  25. Marlo Kirkpatrick - August 2, 2022 1:19 pm

    Thank you, Sean. I’m going through one of those tiring “phases of life” right now, too. It’s nothing tragic, just a lot of little problems. You’ve helped me put it in perspective today. Thank you.

    Reply
  26. Jack Marquette - August 2, 2022 1:23 pm

    I am 80 years old so now even little hills are like big mountains. I sit here at the bottom and wonder what I could see from the top. Thank you for helping me remember my youthful days in Alabama, water skiing on Lake Martin and dinner with a wooden Indian. Mostly I remember how I learned to love the South, it’s people and their ways. Never underestimate them, trust them and they will love you like family.
    Sean, you make my mornings so much calmer and nicer.

    Reply
  27. Teresa - August 2, 2022 1:26 pm

    Sean, James Redfield, a Birmingham native and author of the bestseller “The Celestine Prophecy” proposes that the natural world contains energy that can replenish us. That idea explains the lift you got from being on the mountain. I believe it to be true and I feel the need to get out into the “woods” occasionally myself. That’s why I love Oak Mountain so much. It’s a treasure that many people in our area do not appreciate.

    Thank you for writing about your feelings in the honest way you do. There’s so much pretentiousness in media these days.

    So, I think I will mosey on over to Oak Mountain today and refill my energy reservoir.

    Reply
  28. Gayle - August 2, 2022 1:34 pm

    It’s always in the last line that you bring the tears. Thank you Sean.

    Reply
  29. Jackie - August 2, 2022 1:52 pm

    “If Heaven ain’t a lot like Dixie I don’t want to go” not my words but I agree . Hope to see you on the trails one day.

    Reply
  30. Cindy - August 2, 2022 1:54 pm

    Such a gift to enjoy the glorious beauty of God’s creation. It’s perhaps a reminder to take time away from busy schedules, worries, unresolved feelings and pay homage to the one who created it.
    Happy to know you and Jamie are enjoying the beautiful sites Alabama has to offer. ❤️❤️

    Reply
  31. Eva Marie Everson - August 2, 2022 2:14 pm

    “And how they left me here.”
    Yes, I think about those things a lot too, especially as I am the only member of my core family left. But I also love to “hike” without nutrition bars or poles but I do try to wear the right shoes. And I love the scenes that stop me in my tracks.
    Just after my baby brother died, which left me “alone” (even though I have a hubby and children and grandchildren), I trekked across the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge high over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Northern Ireland, then up a rocky path until I reached an amazing overlook. I sat and breathed in and out, thinking how much my brother would LOVE to see this. Then I thought of what he was seeing. WHOM he was seeing. And I heard him whisper, “Just you wait, Big Sister. Just you wait.”

    Reply
  32. Raymond Beck - August 2, 2022 2:37 pm

    I’m there. Thinking about family that have gone before me. My time is short, but I still look forward to each day and ponder about the future. The next great adventure is coming for me soon. I just do not know the day or hour. Will I be ready?

    Reply
  33. Susan - August 2, 2022 2:39 pm

    Thank you. Feeling every one of my 70 plus years this am, and you made me smile and sigh, and say “thank you God”. Please keep writing. Hope is contagious. Thank you

    Reply
  34. Kathy L Paxton - August 2, 2022 2:56 pm

    My family lives in Alabama and I go back often to visit. I have lived in Wyoming at the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains and I completely relate to what you are writing 100% from the out of shape moseyer to the smiling for no reason. Great writing today and every day

    Reply
  35. Patricia Gibson - August 2, 2022 2:58 pm

    I totally get it on all levels! When we focus on the beauty of God’s creation we are in a different space and time. On another note stereotypes are one of the biggest problems we have and my pet peeve next to mainstream media. Love you!❤️

    Reply
  36. Kathy - August 2, 2022 3:05 pm

    Thank you. You’ve reminded me what I do, and I’ve quit looking at what I don’t.

    Reply
  37. Nan - August 2, 2022 3:30 pm

    Thanks for todays column. I’m 73 and have yet to figure out what my purpose on this earth is. Been scared since I was 12 years old. Scared of living – scared of dying and it’s very tiresome. Your day in the park sounds hopeful. I live in the flatlands – no hills in sight. Perhaps I should find a hill to climb.🙂

    Reply
  38. Nancy - August 2, 2022 3:35 pm

    Thank you Sean for a reminder to be in the here and now.
    I too am in my 70’s and this year has been difficult physically and mentally. Will my Covid fog clear up? Do I have to go see another doctor? Do I have to get up today? When will my energy return?

    I am now on my back deck in the peace and (quiet except of one leaf blower) pondering your blog. I look around and see a monarch butterfly hovering near my geranium basket, my dog Biscuit resting at my feet, and a completed crossword puzzle on my lap. The blower has stopped and all is right with the world.

    Reply
  39. LynnB - August 2, 2022 3:39 pm

    God created each of us in His image with eternity set in our hearts, so we aren’t supposed to be comfortable with death or the endings of things. This life is but a wisp of vapor, and Jesus already paid that price of admission for the next. He hates death even more than we do. Repentance and certainty of salvation in Him gets my mind off the miseries we can sometimes feel in this world and makes me excited about eternity!

    Reply
    • RichardC - August 2, 2022 4:34 pm

      Amen.

      Reply
  40. Carol - August 2, 2022 4:13 pm

    Thank you for the Thoughts from the Mountain…..

    Reply
  41. David S Doom - August 2, 2022 4:18 pm

    Do visit Peavine Falls in Oak Mountain State Park on a weekday. It is a steep trip to the bottom of the falls, but the peace and beauty are worth it. Let the rushing water carry away your pain, doubts and fears, relax and let it restore your soul.

    Reply
  42. RichardC - August 2, 2022 4:33 pm

    Indeed. Heaven is worth it. Until we meet “up yonder”, please keep writing. You touch a lot of lives with the words you pen. Praying that the troubles you have experienced this year fall behind you like the trails you trod on oak Mountain.

    Reply
  43. Ann Perry - August 2, 2022 4:39 pm

    Have you ever been to Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountain National Park? Now, I love Oak Mountain, but take a weekend (or longer) trip to East Tennessee and drive the Cades Cove Loop. Then you will know what Heaven on Earth really means. I love to read your stuff. It makes me breathe easier.

    Reply
  44. Suellen - August 2, 2022 4:52 pm

    In a a book I was reading they were talking about studies that show how healing nature is. They said that’s why hospital rooms and nursing homes have windows. If the patient can at least look out and see trees and fields it has a calming effect and the recovery is faster. That must be why I spend most of my time outside and dread the winter months when I’m penned up.

    Reply
  45. Bill Farley - August 2, 2022 5:10 pm

    Thank you, Eric, for another masterpiece on this 8-2-2022 morning .. In 1999 I moved my young family to Alabama to take a position as Associate Athletic Director at the University of Alabama. From the time I saw the big state sign, “Welcome to Alabama the Beautiful”, I was awestruck. I found the signage to be so true and the people to be every bit as beautiful as their state proclamation … God had a great plan for me and my family in Alabama and at 47 years I knelt at the foot of a cross at a small church in Tuscaloosa and I gave my life to the Lord, Jesus. What a team God had aligned for me to find and then follow Him -those beside me in the UA Athletic Department and others in the community. Keep up the beautiful writing, I can’t wait to read each day what our Lord has laid on your heart !

    Reply
  46. LIN ARNOLD - August 2, 2022 5:21 pm

    My parents were born & raised in Montgomery, AL, but since my Dad was career military, I was raised an Army Brat and lived all over the place. In my first 9 years of school, I attended 9 different schools … 3 of those were in my 9th grade year. But what I discovered is that no matter where we were stationed, there was always beauty to be found. From the wide open, far off horizons of Kansas to the mountains that Camp David is perched on to the brussel sprout and cabbage fields outside Paris, France ………. there’s always something amazing to experience if you take the time to slow down and look. I live in North Georgia now, in the foothills of those same Appalachians you described. I look out the window above my computer monitor and see nothing but trees with the summer blue sky and sunshine peeking through. God’s country, for sure.

    Reply
  47. C Donner - August 2, 2022 5:30 pm

    Hi, Sean. Thank you so much for this article. It brought back wonderful memories I hadn’t thought about in many years. Like you, I am originally from North Florida and I went to college in Birmingham. I have some very fond memories of Oak Mountain State Park, especially Pea Vine Falls. It was lovely then, and I’m so glad the state has maintained it. After reading your article, my husband and I are now going to add a day to a trip we have planned for the fall so that we can spend some time enjoying the park and the mountain. Thank you again for sharing your love for the place with your readers.

    Reply
  48. Steve McCaleb - August 2, 2022 6:47 pm

    Will you stop! You’re going to spoil everything ! If you don’t stop telling the world how beautiful and wonderful Alabama is……we’re going to be butt deep with people saying “youse guys” instead of y’all and making Italian roast beef sandwiches (with peppers) instead of barbecued baloney. Aaaargh! Remember…mum’s the word. 🤐

    Reply
  49. MAM - August 2, 2022 7:11 pm

    Oh, no doubt heaven is worth the price of admission. But we must always keep that price in mind as we go about our daily lives. Thank you, Sean, for a wonderful reminder of what’s important today on my 80th birthday.

    Reply
  50. Julianna - August 2, 2022 7:28 pm

    Sean, you should come climb some West Virginia mountains someday—we too have been given a little bit of Heaven on earth! Thank you for writing and God bless you.

    Reply
  51. Bonnie Stewart - August 2, 2022 7:36 pm

    Sean: I love reading your words and am sorry you are having a bad year. All of your fans are here for you.

    Reply
  52. Donna - August 2, 2022 7:38 pm

    If you ever find yourself wondering if anyone is still listening when you write, if your words are still making hearts feel and minds ponder, check yourself Sir. Because they are, always are. And I thank you.

    Reply
  53. Linda Moon - August 2, 2022 7:45 pm

    All this doesn’t sound bizarre, Sean. I see some of that from my front porch every day, and mountains too. You’re welcome to come join me any time, and we can talk or just sit and rock and swing and think while we’re doing that. Most of all, I hope this year is becoming better every day after day after day….into the next year and beyond.

    Reply
  54. Teresa Harrison - August 2, 2022 7:52 pm

    Thanks! Your words are a marvel and nearly always bring a tear to my eyes. 8/2-no exception. I spend quite a bit of time on maps after each homily. Love how you introduce us to heaven on earth. It’s also fun reading the comments you inspire. Don’t feel pressured to perform – the gift you have is Grace and we all give thanks for you each day.

    Reply
  55. Sharon Allemang - August 2, 2022 8:02 pm

    You sound sad today❤️ You are always making others feel better!! I wish I could do that for you!! Here in WI today the sky is blue & it’s a good day because God gave it to me to enjoy!! I wish you some good blue sky days & the joy of climbing another mountain in Alabama !! Know God loves you every day!

    Reply
  56. Terri - August 2, 2022 8:24 pm

    Love it! It’s so true.

    Reply
  57. Buddy Caudill - August 2, 2022 8:43 pm

    Add Mt. Cheaha to the list of the grandeurs of Alabama. As well as, programs like Discovering Alabama, with Doug Phillips. Or, Absolutely Alabama, with Fred Hunter.

    Reply
  58. Slimpicker - August 2, 2022 9:50 pm

    Reminds me of the song, “Mountain Music”, by Alabama.

    Reply
  59. Trent - August 2, 2022 11:25 pm

    Sean – the price of admission has already been paid. All you need to is believe. John 6:28-29. “Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

    Reply
  60. Phillip Walker - August 3, 2022 12:25 am

    What a wonderful story, one of my favorite places to visit as well. It was great to see and hear the great comments from the participants of XTERRA when they were finally able to have an event ( COVID) they were all very impressed with the Park and southern hospitality. Looking forward to spending time there soon. We will be at the superbike races in September and then spending time camping, mountain biking etc. CAN’T WAIT!

    Reply
  61. Debra - August 3, 2022 12:41 am

    I’ve had a rough year too. I think I’ll go to the mountains tomorrow. Thank you, Sean.

    Reply
  62. Chrissy Townsend - August 3, 2022 1:19 am

    I was born in Cuba, Alabama. I didn’t live there for long. I am currently in Mississippi. I had no idea of Oak Mountain and I will for sure check this out. This is a beautifully written post.

    Reply
  63. Mike - August 3, 2022 3:53 am

    Great words Sean this was very well put. I spend a good amount of time mountain biking at Oak Mountain and have for many years. I just lost my best friend who road with me there and he could not get enough time there. When he left this world on Fathers Day he knew his destiny was heaven because of his personal relationship with Christ Jesus. Please reach out to me or others to share with you the love of Christ before your time comes. Keep up the great work.

    Reply
  64. Brian - August 3, 2022 4:29 pm

    I worked at and lived at Oak Mountain in the 80’s as one of the first Naturalist with Alabama State Parks. Our daughter was born while we were there. She loved to go to the farm and feed ducks at the lakes. I loved my time there and love to go back whenever possible. Thank you for promoting our Alabama State Parks.

    Reply
  65. Wendy - August 4, 2022 6:04 pm

    Hi Sean, please don’t wonder any more where you’re going when you die. If you leave this decision for after you’ve died then it is too late. Trust in your Savior and His finished work on the cross that was all for you! John 3:16 and 14:6! I love you, friend.

    Reply
    • Tommy - August 8, 2022 2:37 am

      Amen. Secure that spot immediately!

      Reply
  66. A P - August 5, 2022 5:17 pm

    This moved me. This is exactly why I took my son to Peavine yesterday and showed him the view I grew up with. Thank you, Sean.

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  67. Mike - August 8, 2022 3:22 am

    Amen to the above comments. Use that God give talent for His glory.

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  68. Judy Broussard - August 9, 2022 3:59 am

    I love Oak Mountain State Park. It’s everything you said and more

    Reply
  69. johnallenberry - August 10, 2022 4:37 am

    Yes, my friend. You’ve summed it up perfectly. Couldn’t have said it better m’self.

    Ph.Dude

    Reply
  70. CHARALEEN WRIGHT - August 13, 2022 10:22 pm

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  71. Julie RN - October 17, 2022 1:54 pm

    To be perfectly clear, Sean…Heaven is definitely worth the price of admission!! So continue to keep your eye on the Prize🙏

    Reply

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