Once again I find myself pulling into the long, curving driveway that leads to the vast, empty parking lot. A place that is usually hopping with people during the day is now deathly quiet. There is only one light that illuminates the ground that that I now stand on, other than the glorious full moon hovering overhead, and it flickers on and off indicating the lifeless feel of the area around it. As it nears midnight, I sit in my car looking around for any other signs of life, but find nothing but rows of monstrous trees with enumerable branches jutting out from it’s sides, flooding the ground with dark shadows.  The haunting chill I get from looking at them matches the chill of a brisk breeze that blows again and again. I don’t dare step out of my car, until I feel a comfort that assures me of safety. And a few minutes later, I see that comfort from a blaring light that sticks out like a rose in the midst of weeds; my friends have arrived to enjoy this wonderful night with me underneath God’s amazing creation.

They all arrive at once, with loud music roaring from their stereos, and laughter that cuts through the silence of the night, that haunted me just a few seconds ago. But it returned as soon as the car turned off. The five of us quickly began walking to our favorite spot. Alongside the park was train tracks, which stretched farther than the eye, could see, especially in the blackness of night. Hiding our fear we each trudged along slowly, for we could not see where our feet landed. The monstrous trees now engulfed us on both sides, reaching across to block any view we had to seen the night sky. Inside we were all petrified and praying that God would watch over us as we made our way down the tracks. The setting was something out of a horror movie, but none of us wanted to be in one this gloomy night.

About a mile down the road rested three abandoned train cars, that hadn’t been used in all the years of our short lives. But these train cars brought us joy, for we had reached our destination safely, only by the grace of God. On the side of each car were ladders that we used to climb to the top. Once there we sat with our feet dangling over the sides. The next few seconds were filled with the sound of potato chips bags being ripped open and pop cans bubbling from the carbonation that had just hit the air. The laughter returned, and silence took a back seat for awhile as we sat and talked for the next few hours, with our only fear being of cops jumping out at us, for we were in a place we weren’t supposed to be. But even those authority figures couldn’t suppress our happiness and joy we had now achieved.

The walk back was exactly like the walk before, slow and cautious. We didn’t want to ruin this great night with any kind of accident. But when we returned to our cars, we weren’t alone. The girls we had called sometime during the evening had just arrived, and were frightened just like we were when we had gotten here. But seeing our faces brought a jubilant smile to theirs, for they now felt secure as well.

We broke up into groups or pairs and did our own thing. Some laid on the grass that now was moist with dew that had settled in these morning hours. They looked towards the heavens and saw millions of bright, glowing stars that flooded the cloudless sky above, and talked about God’s amazing creation, and how lucky we are to experience such beauty. The rest of us went to the swings, and slightly rocked back and forth, like a mother with her baby. The sway bringing a cool breeze that added to chills of the already cool night. There we spent our time, smiling and talking about problems and cares of this world that seemed light years away, when in reality were only a few steps. And we stayed there, until the arrival of the cop sent us scurrying for our cars, and made us leave. But we left with plans to do this again tomorrow night, and the night after that, and again two night from now, because this relaxing never got old, never got dull. The times we spend here not only keep us entertained but enhance our relationships millions of times over, and this quality time with friends, and God couldn’t be replaced or taken away by anyone or anything.

There is no other place I’d rather go than the park. A place overflowing with children and mothers on Saturday’s weekly soccer games, but also a place inhabited by us teenagers night after night. Parties may be fun, and movies may entertain, but nothing compares to the endless amounts of joy and comfort that you will get at the park.