One of the things that life has taught me is that we are not promised tomorrow, and that life can change in a moment. So we have frequently said to Zach and Sarah that what is important is the journey and not so much the destination. Live this day...
Our vacation to Yellowstone took us a very long time to get there. And as we encountered road construction delays after delays...the fatigue was rising as well as the frustration until we just had to laugh. The road construction in Yellowstone itself was the most ridiculous - one lane road on the edge of a mountain with no guard rails....and 30 minute delays...so as Mark started to fume, we reminded him that it was about the journey...and to enjoy these moments...little did I know that would become an important theme for our trip.
"This part of the journey is called amazing." As we traveled through the Tetons and on to Yelllowstone we crossed the Continental Divide 7 times! We were at the snow line and we saw so many really amazing sights. We started at Old Faithful and made the round of the geyser pools...such beautiful colors and we even had an elk dining within 20 feet of us. Whew, we made it!
"This part of the journey is called scared to death!" We made it to the campground and found it a little rustic, but there was a fire pit and a picnic table and so we thought we could make it do. Mark and Sarah and I went to the amphitheatre to hear the ranger talk about how Yellowstone was formed (by a gigantic volcano 640 million years ago) and Zach and my mom stayed at the campsite to mind the fire. Upon our return there was a truck parked shining its lights into the campsite and a stranger coming around the corner saying "they've had some troubles." My heart stopped and I rushed to see what was going on. Mom had tripped on a root and fallen flat on her face - more acurately her mouth, bit through her lip and dislocated a tooth. The paramedic was called and after an assessment in the light, it seemed appropriate to go to the hospital for stitches...two hours away in Cody, Wyoming. We left as soon as we could and arrived at the ER at about 1:30 a.m. It took mom 72 years to need stitches, but she got 6 of them in her lip, no other signs of any injuries. We found a parking lot to sleep off the rest of the night (or morning as it was) and then headed back to Yellowstone. Mom was in pain but OK, Zach had done all the right things in getting her help and we were just thankful it wasn't any worse. We went back to the park and asked at the desk if we could upgrade our sight to an electrical hook up with a level pad...they had mercy on us and moved us to a different campsite and things got a little more civilized.
"This part of the journey is called memorable" We saw the Yellowstone Canyon and falls, so beautiful that words cannot describe it. Pictures can't quite do it justice either. Your eyes can hardly take in the whole scene...and we saw Bison, and more elk. We also took a boat ride on the lake and had dinner at one of the lodges that was built in 1937. It was our last night in Yellowstone and we had made the best of difficult days and saw once in a lifetime things.
"This part of the journey is called sad." On our way out of the park we crossed the highest peak and all of a sudden my phone came alive and I had two voice messages and a text message...I had a signal just long enough to hear that our dog Maddie was undergoing emergency surgery and the prognosis was not good. Her stomach had twisted...the next few hours would be critical. By the time we made it down the mountain, Maddie was out of surgery and looking as well as could be expected. The next 24 hours would tell the story, she had been outside and was walking and talking to everyone. We hoped and prayed and made our way to civilization...the next morning we got a call from Dr. Groner that when they left Maddie the night before she was doing well, but sometime around 7:00 she had died. Our beloved Basset Hound, that everyone loved and laughed at had died in her sleep. We had lots of miles to cry and remember and prepare ourselves for the loss.
and now we are home, we buried Maddie thanks to good friends, and we are resting from an exhausting whirlwind of a trip. Mom will see a dentist on Monday and her bruises are already fading and the journey taught us each something.
So if you read this, please don't ask how our vacation was, because it is too difficult to explain and I will probably just say "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
What I Admired About Gary Durk
This world has lost one of its best heroes...but the next world has gained one. God bless you Gary and rest, rest, rest in the peace of God...
When we first arrived in Jefferson City, Gary had just left for Iraq...that was 6 years ago and the war was much younger then than it is now...and I was so very touched to hear that his son Chris was also going to be deployed. I had not known anyone who was in Iraq at that time and I was so concerned...the war was and still is so dangerous!...Gary was the first soldier I prayed for. Not too long into that time, a member of the church wanted to mail out a devotion every week or two including a prayer. I helped her get it in the mail, and within a month or so, I got a note from Gary, thanking "whoever it was" that was sending these devotions. he said they helped him make it through. Gary was never short on "thank yous"
After his return, Gary was one of my greates fans. When times were tough and I was wondering if I was in the right place doing the right thing, it ws Gary who said: "I appreciate every word you say...EVERY word. Thank you" Well, Gary was the voice of God that said, keep going.
As I came to know and love Gary, I mostly came to love his passion of this life. I never had a conversation with Gary that I wasnt' sure he was telling me what was on his heart and mind. No balonie...no hype, no kidding...
That included his love for Marylin. I was scheduled to pick her and Lanie and the rest of the Africa crew up from the airport. Gary called me the night before we were leaving and asked if he could come with me...I said of course. Well Gary met me at the church and followed me in his car, while I drove the bus. The trip to KC airport is long and I didn't stop, and Gary gave me such grief becuase I didn't stop at all on the way up...but all was forgiven when he saw Marylin.
He loved his wife more than anything else I know of.
Truly a hero, truly an unfair loss, and truly one of God's children that has gone home to be with his creator.
Thank you Gary for all you have meant to me and all those who knew you!
When we first arrived in Jefferson City, Gary had just left for Iraq...that was 6 years ago and the war was much younger then than it is now...and I was so very touched to hear that his son Chris was also going to be deployed. I had not known anyone who was in Iraq at that time and I was so concerned...the war was and still is so dangerous!...Gary was the first soldier I prayed for. Not too long into that time, a member of the church wanted to mail out a devotion every week or two including a prayer. I helped her get it in the mail, and within a month or so, I got a note from Gary, thanking "whoever it was" that was sending these devotions. he said they helped him make it through. Gary was never short on "thank yous"
After his return, Gary was one of my greates fans. When times were tough and I was wondering if I was in the right place doing the right thing, it ws Gary who said: "I appreciate every word you say...EVERY word. Thank you" Well, Gary was the voice of God that said, keep going.
As I came to know and love Gary, I mostly came to love his passion of this life. I never had a conversation with Gary that I wasnt' sure he was telling me what was on his heart and mind. No balonie...no hype, no kidding...
That included his love for Marylin. I was scheduled to pick her and Lanie and the rest of the Africa crew up from the airport. Gary called me the night before we were leaving and asked if he could come with me...I said of course. Well Gary met me at the church and followed me in his car, while I drove the bus. The trip to KC airport is long and I didn't stop, and Gary gave me such grief becuase I didn't stop at all on the way up...but all was forgiven when he saw Marylin.
He loved his wife more than anything else I know of.
Truly a hero, truly an unfair loss, and truly one of God's children that has gone home to be with his creator.
Thank you Gary for all you have meant to me and all those who knew you!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Another busy week!
Yet another Summer program element has passed. Vacation Bible School was last week. Rome - Paul and the Underground Church. We had a smaller than usual crowd, probably because it was a good vacation week with the holiday on the other end. BUT we had a great week. This VBS was a little different than others in the past, the kids had more time than usual to spend at their stations and things didn't feel rushed as they sometimes do. And the hightlight for everyone was going to see Paul in his prison room with his Roman guard Brutus. Corey and Gary played their parts to the nth degree and did a great job telling the story about what it was to be a Christian in the days of the Roman Empire. The kids were hooked from day one when Paul was arrested at the pool while sharing the good news that God's love is a gift.
God was there as the kids shared what they learned and Jordyn said that God's love is always there..."kind of like your mom...you do the wrong thing and she still loves you...I don't know why, but she does" Couldn't have said it better....we don't know why, but God still loves us even when we do the wrong thing. If that's all they ever remember - it will be enough.
At the same time, I had many people at my door this week or on my computer. One woman said she recently left the "cult of Mormonism" after 25 years. She had left her compound to escape an abusive relationship and was raped. When she tried to return to her home, the "church elders" met and decided if she hadn't of left in the first place, she wouldn't have been raped, therefore it was her fault and she has been excommunicated. I tried to assure her that God was not the author of her troubles and neither was she, but 25 years of doctrine will be hard to break through.
Another woman is at her wits end in dealing with an ex-landlord who is driving by her new residence and taunting her. He claims she owes him money, she doesn't...she was so very upset by it all that it occured to me that perhaps he had hurt her. I asked and she said he had tried to rape her but she had neighbors watching her door and when he came they knocked on the door after 5 minutes to keep him off balance and run him off. Again, her turmoil is not at the hand of God but of humankind and she is feeling powerless to take on the power structures that bind her.
SO much pain and so much confusion about where God is in their life. I can only hope I helped to point the way to the light of God. Please keep them in your prayers.
Off to vacation! Yellowstone here we come!
God was there as the kids shared what they learned and Jordyn said that God's love is always there..."kind of like your mom...you do the wrong thing and she still loves you...I don't know why, but she does" Couldn't have said it better....we don't know why, but God still loves us even when we do the wrong thing. If that's all they ever remember - it will be enough.
At the same time, I had many people at my door this week or on my computer. One woman said she recently left the "cult of Mormonism" after 25 years. She had left her compound to escape an abusive relationship and was raped. When she tried to return to her home, the "church elders" met and decided if she hadn't of left in the first place, she wouldn't have been raped, therefore it was her fault and she has been excommunicated. I tried to assure her that God was not the author of her troubles and neither was she, but 25 years of doctrine will be hard to break through.
Another woman is at her wits end in dealing with an ex-landlord who is driving by her new residence and taunting her. He claims she owes him money, she doesn't...she was so very upset by it all that it occured to me that perhaps he had hurt her. I asked and she said he had tried to rape her but she had neighbors watching her door and when he came they knocked on the door after 5 minutes to keep him off balance and run him off. Again, her turmoil is not at the hand of God but of humankind and she is feeling powerless to take on the power structures that bind her.
SO much pain and so much confusion about where God is in their life. I can only hope I helped to point the way to the light of God. Please keep them in your prayers.
Off to vacation! Yellowstone here we come!
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