I Can't Even Imagine it....Part 2

The three hikers set off in two trucks with two of the dads (Brad and Barry) along to make this happen. The hike was to start at the beginning of Segment 3 and finish at the end of Segment 4, so the plan was for both trucks to go to the start and drop off the hikers. Barry and Brad would then take the two trucks to the end of Segment 4 and leave Mike's truck there for the hikers to use to come home in, and then Brad would come home with Barry. Trent had carefully printed out computer instructions for them so they would know where to leave Mike's truck.

Great plan! So off they went, and just before he drove off, Trent said, "I'm keeping it open to come back on Monday with them if I need to. (coff-coff-hack)" And I was thankful to have a son who could make a wise decision like that even though he had been planning this extended hike for so long.

Trent was carrying Mike's SPOT Satellite Messenger which has GPS tracking. This nifty little gadget sends out automatic messages to the satellite which in turn show up on a map I can see on my computer, so I can follow their progress. It is able to send out 4 different messages. Besides the autosignals, it can send out 1 preprogrammed message which Mike has set up to say, "God is Great, Life is Good, and I'm OK!" When this message is sent out, it comes to the email of everyone on Mike's list, along with the latitude and longitude coordinates of the SPOT, and they usually send that one out at the beginning and end of each hiking day. I've never seen the other 2 messages (which is a good thing), but one is for nonemergency help and one is for 911 help. This last one goes to the emails of everyone on the list and also to the emergency rescue people in the area closest to the SPOT.

All this is very reassuring, but it can also be a mixed blessing, I've discovered!

In the case of aforementioned worrywarts like me, when the unit doesn't make satellite contact for an extended period of time, or if there is operator error and the unit doesn't send out any signals for a whole day, visions of bears swallowing both SPOT and son have been known to flit through my head!!


Barry and Brad followed the printed instructions and finally found the little cleared area in the middle of wilderness-nowhere that seemed to be the right place to leave the truck. However, they really were not sure, because the directions and the road and the turns did not match up properly. Still, there was an old weathered sign that read, "Colorado Trail, Segment 5"... So with some misgivings, they parked Mike's big white truck, climbed into Barry's little one, and bumpety-bump-bumped their way back to the main road and home.

There will have to be another installment!

Before I go...I've been thinking about this. We make wonderful plans and put all the pieces in place, and that is a very necessary part of counting the cost of what we want to do and of being responsible. But when we have done our part and yet things seem to be going wrong, God sees the whole picture, including the needs of the other people around us. He knows how to work it all out!

(To be continued.... again!)

I Can't Even Imagine It...

I'm a sort of a worrywart! It is one of those things that got faithfully passed down to me from my Mom, and I suppose she got it from hers! Not that I am different from most other moms. I probably fit somewhere in the middle on the worry scale. I worry more than some and not nearly as much as others!

Memorial Day weekend was different this year at our house. Usually we think of our soldiers far away and thank God for them and the enormous sacrifices they make for us every day. In church, members of the military stand and are honored by the congregation. This year, some people from our church took part in a marathon race and wore special T-shirts in honor of a local soldier who recently died. And we think of Barry's Dad who, long before I knew him, served his country overseas.

This year, I thought of the moms of our soldiers. And here's why...

Last Saturday, Trent and two friends left to hike on The Colorado Trail. They planned to do segments 3 and 4, about 30 miles, over the long weekend. Then the two friends were coming home, and Trent was going to hike on for the next two weeks. And lest the word "trail" mislead you, this is not necessarily easy walking. They carry heavy packs, and sometimes the trail goes up and up and up and up. (I'm sure Trent will report on this trip soon.)

Several days before they left, Trent caught from Barry a real nasty respiratory infection that included a bad cough and laryngitis and, as the doc would say, "generalized malaise and fatigue!" He coughed and hacked by the truck at our driveway, took his inhaler with him, and went anyway.

(To be continued...)

Our visit with Renae!

I have a blind spot. It is more of a failing, actually. One of those "I-can-only-do-one-thing-at-a time" kind of shortcomings. I CANNOT REMEMBER MY CAMERA! And yesterday is a perfect example of it.

My blog-friend, Renae, is in Colorado! She is attending the annual Christian writer's conference in Estes Park. This is a mere 1 and 1/2 hour's drive for us as opposed to going all the way to Texas, and I knew I could not pass up this opportunity to meet her in person! So yesterday Barry, Coral, and I buckled down in our van and drove up into the mountains to eat dinner with Renae who had a little free time between conference sessions. I had forgotten how breathtakingly beautiful that drive is! There is no creator like God!

There were lots of things to prepare for that little trip. Coral, for one thing, as she was so excited to meet Renae! Her food, all blended and ready to go, heated to perfection and wrapped in a towel. Her ice cream, the container carefully frozen first and then filled with ice cream and frozen some more so it would last until supper time. I had already finished my medical transcription and sent it off to the doctor so that I wouldn't have that hanging over my head. Success! I even had time for a shower. And into my purse went the camera. I was so excited to take pictures of Renae, maybe even with Coral, to post on here. So off we went!

Big Elmo sat in the seat by Coral so that she would be okay with me sitting in the front with Barry. After the rush of getting off, it was so peaceful to sit in the quiet companionableness of our little family alone in our van. We talked a little bit, and Coral could hardly contain her joyful excitedness over the little gift bag she had to give to Renae!

As we pulled in at the conference center and up to the main building, there was Renae watching for us and waving! And we had such a great time getting to know each other in person and chatting, meeting some of her writer and speaker friends, eating dinner, laughing... It hardly seemed any time at all before we had to start home again.

And not once did I ever remember the camera in my purse! The one I told myself not to forget, the one I carefully put in there to make sure I had it with me, the one that should have had on it lots of great photos to share with you! A mile down the mountain, I suddenly thought of it! Oh, no! Not again! What is my problem? !

But what a blessing yesterday was to me! Such a beautiful and talented lady, with a truly rare gift from God for writing about MY feelings and MY experiences with humor and godly insight, and buried inside these everyday thoughts are faith and hope and lessons from God that I need to learn. I think what amazes me the most is her ability to write new fresh things every day!

Please visit Renae at Morning Coffee! Her first devotional book, Morning Coffee with James, is available for preorder now and will be in the stores later this year.
.

Moms!

Happy Mother's Day!

The biggest job on the face of the earth...

Catch up time!

It's hard to believe that it is over a month now since I went to visit Carol-Ann and her family and my mother. I was in Canada for the last week of March, and it went by so quickly. I don't know why time has to act like that... skipping along when we are having fun, dragging its feet when we're not! It's high time I gave a little report!

Carol-Ann fixed up my bed in her large office area in the basement. This was perfect, as I took my laptop with me, and so down there I could keep up with my medical transcription whenever I wanted to. We settled into a homey routine, and most days I worked in the mornings. Then Bruce came home from work at noon time and shuttled me over to Mum's where I enjoyed the best lunches with her and her friend, Ruth. Then up to Mum's room where we would talk and laugh and catch up. One day I was so tired, I just curled up in her bed and took a nap. When I woke up, she was a bit disappointed that I had not gotten the full two hours of sleep she had hoped I would get! That's my Mum!

At supper time, Bruce would come and pick the two of us up to go back to their house for supper and the evening. I got to watch some of Kinza's favorite shows, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I just had the best time sharing in their everyday life. I even got to help with homework!!

Here's a picture I took on the day I was leaving. Mum was sitting in the big chair in her room.

My Mum

March 31, 2009
She will be 92 in July.

I showed her this picture on my little camera display, and she exclaimed,
"Oh, there's Daddy's picture in the background!"
And so it is.