Dancing in the Rain

I'm one of those people that love the rain.  I love the sound of rain.  I love the feel of the rain.  I especially love the smell of rain.

Rain has a calming effect.  It's rhythmic pounding soothes my soul.

Rain refreshes.  It seems to wash away all the troubles of the day.  It gives new life and new hope. Rain replenishes.  When the ground seems so parched and everything is wilting, the rain comes and everything perks up and looks fresher, cleaner.

Just when I think I am all dried up and can't go any more, a rain will wash over me.  I feel like God is watering me and bringing me new life, showing me the newness that comes with the water from above.

Sometimes it's a slow, gentle rain.  It may last the whole day.  The earth needs that steady watering.  I need to see that constant.

Sometimes it's a huge downpour!  It comes in quickly and leaves just as quick.  I needed a wake up call to look around and see that the Lord is God!

My favorite rain is a slow rolling thunderstorm that rolls in at the wee hours of the morning.  I hear the grumbling of the storm as it slowly moves toward me.  And then, as I get comfortable to the sound, a huge bolt of thunder will wake me up!  And then, as I slowly rise from my bed, I sit on the patio and watch the rain come down in buckets.  Washing away the dirt, washing away the muck.  As the lightening strikes it brings energy and strength to me.  It shows the awesome power of my Creator.

And after the storm has passed, things begin to happen.  Birds start chirping. Flowers start to open. And you might just look up in the sky and see a beautiful rainbow.

Camping Memories

My family has always enjoyed the outdoors.  I grew up spending weekends camping with Girl Scouts and my family.  I love spending time outside in nature.  I'm so thankful to have married a guy who grew up with the same love of camping, hiking and all things outdoors.

We raised our kids to love camping in Colorado. There's nothing like camping to cultivate a child's sense of wonder and adventure.  While at the same time teaching them preparedness, safety and survival.  Not to mention relaxing and getting away from the busyness of life and sitting and staring at the fire.

Larry proposed to me while camping in Colorado!  We are at 10,000 feet camping in the mountains with Larry's parents, when he took me aside in his shorts and long johns and popped the question that would change my life forever!  Fun times!

I remember one of the first times we went camping after we had our first daughter.  We lived in Colorado and it was summertime, but I had forgotten how cold it got at night.  I didn't bring any warm clothes for the baby!  So we wrapped her up in all our clothes with sock on her hands and everything!

One time, I surprised Larry with a camping trip.  I had everything packed up in the car and the kids all ready to go, and when he walked in the door from work I told him to get back in the car we were going on a weekend trip!  We went up in the mountains to a cute cabin.  It ended up raining on us the entire weekend but we didn't care.  We hiked around in the rain and had our adventures.  Larry always says this was one of his most fun memories!

Larry came home from work one day and said he had some bad news, he had been laid off of his job.  Well, just the time off we needed for a long camping trip all the way to the Grand Canyon!  We loaded up the kids and the suburban and headed off! We camped along the way in all sorts of byways and highways.  One place was in the middle of nowhere.  There was some sort of business with these concrete tee-pees.  We asked the owners if we could spend the night in one.  He said sure!  So we brought all our stuff in, made a big pallet on the floor.  We stuffed all our bags into the doorway (because there was no door!)  It was so cold that night, but with us all huddled together, we were snug as a bug!

One of the best places we saw the night time sky was in a place in New Mexico called Chaco Canyon.  It was in the boondocks of the boondocks!  I mean, we drove down a dirt road at least an hour to get to this state park.  Middle of absolutely nowhere!  We saw beautiful ancient ruins there.  But the best part was when the sun went down!  We could see stars from the horizon all the way around us!  The most intense and clear depiction of how awesome our God is!

There have been many more camping stories.  We've caught critters, watched wildlife, fished, hiked, slept under the stars, saw meteor showers, ate s'mores, stared at the fire, swam in the lakes and creeks.   And along the way, learned to have fun together, enjoy each other, and explore this beautiful world God has given us.

I encourage you all to go out and enjoy the outdoors!  There's so many great state and national parks!  It's a great time to spend with your family.

Being Still

Sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees.  You get bogged down in life. Life is draining sometimes.
Laundry.  Work. Kids. Launching kids.  Money.  People. Problems.

But there's a saying that I love.  Stop and smell the roses.  This requires you to do three things.

First, Stop.  Breathe.  Relax.  Take a time out.  Stop doing things and just stop.

Next, smell.   This is a sense you may not normally use.  We touch things all the time.  We look at things constantly.  There's no end to the noise coming into our ears.  But smell,  take a moment to take a whiff of the world around you.  And not necessarily in your son's bathroom!  But go outside and smell.  Close your eyes and other senses and use this incredible sense that God has given us.

Next, find a rose.  Find the beauty in the moment.  Sure roses have thorns and you may have to step through the mud to get there but once you get there...there will be a rose!  The rose is an incredibly fragile flower. It is also amazingly beautiful.  It's intricate.  It's delicate.  It's aroma is like none other.

So what are you finding time to stop and do today?

The other night my husband took me out on a walk to a tall bridge so we could see the moon rise!  It was so fun!  We took our camera and hoops (of course!) and took a short walk to the top of an overpass and stood there and watched a beautiful red moon come up over the horizon.  It was stunning.

We took time to stop and enjoy something.

I know there's a million things to do, places to be, stuff to accomplish.  I love accomplishing stuff too!  But next time you see a flower blooming, or a child playing, or any one of a thousand moments that we miss every day....take time to stop and observe.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God..."