Day #1: The Journey Has Begun!
The journey, which we are calling "The Crazy Cousin Reunion . . . and More!" has begun! This long-awaited event which will take us many miles to visit many wonderful family members and friends, is actually becoming a reality.
Day #1 saw us leaving Pasadena and heading down the freeway and across the desert. Oh, my! How I struggled as I drove the stretch from Barstow to Needles early Monday afternoon. Was it because I was so tired from the remodel/repaint/recarpet? Including the preparation for that, which meant sorting and packing 70-80% of all we owned, taking it to storage, moving into our own guest room for 3 weeks, moving out of our condo for a month and staying in 5 different places, moving back into the condo and trying in one week to haul everything back, unpack, and put things away, in addition to preparing for the trip and for being gone for 2 months . . . OK, the past 3 months have been chaotic, and we are weary.
Could that be why I could not find beauty in my surroundings as I drove on Monday afternoon? Mile after mile, I drove through the parched and barren land . . . a desperately dry desert that showed me gray and barren landscape as far as my eye could see with tufts of tiny plants, wispy bushes no taller than a couple of feet, and stunted cactus. How my soul longed for beauty! How my eyes and heart sought beauty, even in the devastating dryness that surrounded me. But beauty was something that evaded my eyes that afternoon.
Until . . . up ahead, a swath of brilliant green cut by a wide ribbon of bright blue! Surrounded by the gray/beige monotony through which I'd been driving was an agricultural oasis and the Colorado River, bright spots in the bland landscape. But they were soon gone.
As Neil began to drive, I took a much-needed nap, and when I awoke, I could see blue sky to our right with fluffy white clouds, and green beside the road . . . tall pine trees, smaller bushes, wild flowers. Then ahead -- straight ahead, there were thunderclouds, drops of rain hitting our windshield, and a rainbow!
I couldn't help thinking about our souls . . . our spiritual selves. Sometimes, for whatever reasons, we go through a dry spell where our souls are parched, but God in His faithfulness always brings us through those dry times and provides balm to our souls, in this case in the form of beautiful green trees, blue sky, cloudy sky, raindrops, and . . . a lovely rainbow, reminding me of His love and promises. Refreshed, my soul soared!
Day #1 saw us leaving Pasadena and heading down the freeway and across the desert. Oh, my! How I struggled as I drove the stretch from Barstow to Needles early Monday afternoon. Was it because I was so tired from the remodel/repaint/recarpet? Including the preparation for that, which meant sorting and packing 70-80% of all we owned, taking it to storage, moving into our own guest room for 3 weeks, moving out of our condo for a month and staying in 5 different places, moving back into the condo and trying in one week to haul everything back, unpack, and put things away, in addition to preparing for the trip and for being gone for 2 months . . . OK, the past 3 months have been chaotic, and we are weary.
Could that be why I could not find beauty in my surroundings as I drove on Monday afternoon? Mile after mile, I drove through the parched and barren land . . . a desperately dry desert that showed me gray and barren landscape as far as my eye could see with tufts of tiny plants, wispy bushes no taller than a couple of feet, and stunted cactus. How my soul longed for beauty! How my eyes and heart sought beauty, even in the devastating dryness that surrounded me. But beauty was something that evaded my eyes that afternoon.
Until . . . up ahead, a swath of brilliant green cut by a wide ribbon of bright blue! Surrounded by the gray/beige monotony through which I'd been driving was an agricultural oasis and the Colorado River, bright spots in the bland landscape. But they were soon gone.
As Neil began to drive, I took a much-needed nap, and when I awoke, I could see blue sky to our right with fluffy white clouds, and green beside the road . . . tall pine trees, smaller bushes, wild flowers. Then ahead -- straight ahead, there were thunderclouds, drops of rain hitting our windshield, and a rainbow!
I couldn't help thinking about our souls . . . our spiritual selves. Sometimes, for whatever reasons, we go through a dry spell where our souls are parched, but God in His faithfulness always brings us through those dry times and provides balm to our souls, in this case in the form of beautiful green trees, blue sky, cloudy sky, raindrops, and . . . a lovely rainbow, reminding me of His love and promises. Refreshed, my soul soared!
posted by Patty @ 8:28 PM
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