12/12/12 the start of a new beginning
It started off like a normal morning of babysitting. Polly's kids came down woke me up at 6am for a diaper change with Avie (my little cousin/niece)...which I think I managed to do fairly well with her upside down and my eyes pretty much closed. She is around two now I think.
My good friend Ruth wrote me a challenge for the day, to celebrate by doing three "Rad"things for a rad date. The morning of babysitting was definitely Rad. But I decided that I would adventure out on a date with God and explore Rad things for He and I to do together and also write.
My first obstacle came with a call from work asking me to come in. Normally I would have but after I prayed about it I felt a sense of peace that I needed to keep the commitment I had made to God and myself on how to spend the day. Hence the blog post about me learning to say no and trusting God as my covering. It is definitely awkward to tell people, even believers that you are going on a date with God and working on your writing. But I did it!!
So off I went with my dog and my awesome little blue car. I rolled the windows down in the back and blasted the heat so Hope could run back and forth sticking her head outside with the wind blowing i n her face. I decided that the first Rad thing would be super simple. Just driving through the Black Hills is awesome and something I often don't take time for. Everything was gorgeous and God even allowed me to get a cup of coffee just before the shop closed down. Soon the idea came into my head to turn on Christmas music as loud as I could and roll all the windows down, with the heat even higher, and just sing! IT was so much fun, and the looks the road crews gave me, Hope and our Christmas car just made it funnier.
Higher we climbed into the hills,past the craggly rocks and beetle kill trees until we made it to one of my favorite lakes. Sylvan. That great little lake that made it into the movie National Treasure 2. There were only three cars in the parking lot when we got there and two when we left. For our second Rad adventure I grabbed my journal and bible and with my hiking boots on we headed up the trail to Harney Peak. Then I saw the sign that said the full hike can take five hours. Seeing as how it was two and sunset was at four we decided to just go to the first look out. My dog is a great conversationalist...super logical ;-)
As I hiked my heart just got so happy and when I reached the first look out I could see the top of the mountain with its old stone firestation top. A building that makes me think of a castle. I sat on the rocks far below looking up and I started to write and read and pray. As the cold from the snow rocks started to seep through my jeans and my desire to go higher and higher and forget about caution grew I felt God speak to my heart that this date was not about a one day adventure, ending an old season but about a new season, a new life, a new journey. A journey with great promise. He wanted me to hold onto this knowledge that He and I would go on other adventures. One day soon we will reach the top of the mountain. I just got so excited I couldn't help myself I jumped up and suddenly another idea to commemorate the date jumped into my head.
I was surrounded by snow. So I set up my camera and made as many snow angels as I possibly could. And if I ever figure out how to post videos I will get them on here!! Then Hope and I skipped down the mountain so happy because we know that soon we will get to come back and finish the hike. When I reached the bottom I was afraid we would have to leave but the sun was still visible in its process of setting so Hope and I took off around the lake wandering new trails I had never seen. There are huge boulders on this ice covered lake. I have many memories of sitting on them and jumping off into Summer waters, but now they all lie still waiting for warmth to melt them to life.
I wandered farther back than I ever had before and there beside the lake in a hidden cove was a perfectly placed green forest service pick nick table just begging me to sit down and write at it. The only problem I discovered with winter writing and hiking is that with cold temperatures ink does not really like to flow so again like the hike I was unable to finish that adventure. This sent me back to exploring and I soon saw a bridge built between two boulders and I knew I had to stand upon it and that would be with final touch of my hike.
The Sun was getting lower and lower as Hope and I jumped up and over boulders getting closer and closer to our destination. I saw a sign that marked "The Sunday Trail" And knew that there again was another adventure I would have to explore. Then I saw it. Far above me. The bridge...only now the sun was to far gone for me to try and figure out how to get to it, so once more on this day I had to put a goal aside for a different future, but a future that I was again excited for. That is the thing about being single and wanting to get married. Often that goal is something you wander down a trail towards only to find out you can't get to it no matter how much you want to. But God kept telling me soon,just not today. And more than that I realized that even if marriage is not in my future I am loving living single. There are many places and adventures out there besides just the one of marriage.
As I turned away and began to hike back I noticed a crack in the rocks. When I looked down there was a tiny little hidden beach, far more special than the old iron bridge. I scaled down the rocks and landed on its damp shore and I thought, "wow! I really really like this." I never would have found this spot if I hadn't gotten thwarted from my bridge and the mountain top. Those were all places I would love to go to again someday, but for this day..., this spot..., was perfect.
My broken heart that I thought would never mend, was happy again. The relationship I had said good bye to with an aching heart was free of me. On 12/12/12 I started journeying life again.
My good friend Ruth wrote me a challenge for the day, to celebrate by doing three "Rad"things for a rad date. The morning of babysitting was definitely Rad. But I decided that I would adventure out on a date with God and explore Rad things for He and I to do together and also write.
My first obstacle came with a call from work asking me to come in. Normally I would have but after I prayed about it I felt a sense of peace that I needed to keep the commitment I had made to God and myself on how to spend the day. Hence the blog post about me learning to say no and trusting God as my covering. It is definitely awkward to tell people, even believers that you are going on a date with God and working on your writing. But I did it!!
So off I went with my dog and my awesome little blue car. I rolled the windows down in the back and blasted the heat so Hope could run back and forth sticking her head outside with the wind blowing i n her face. I decided that the first Rad thing would be super simple. Just driving through the Black Hills is awesome and something I often don't take time for. Everything was gorgeous and God even allowed me to get a cup of coffee just before the shop closed down. Soon the idea came into my head to turn on Christmas music as loud as I could and roll all the windows down, with the heat even higher, and just sing! IT was so much fun, and the looks the road crews gave me, Hope and our Christmas car just made it funnier.
Higher we climbed into the hills,past the craggly rocks and beetle kill trees until we made it to one of my favorite lakes. Sylvan. That great little lake that made it into the movie National Treasure 2. There were only three cars in the parking lot when we got there and two when we left. For our second Rad adventure I grabbed my journal and bible and with my hiking boots on we headed up the trail to Harney Peak. Then I saw the sign that said the full hike can take five hours. Seeing as how it was two and sunset was at four we decided to just go to the first look out. My dog is a great conversationalist...super logical ;-)
As I hiked my heart just got so happy and when I reached the first look out I could see the top of the mountain with its old stone firestation top. A building that makes me think of a castle. I sat on the rocks far below looking up and I started to write and read and pray. As the cold from the snow rocks started to seep through my jeans and my desire to go higher and higher and forget about caution grew I felt God speak to my heart that this date was not about a one day adventure, ending an old season but about a new season, a new life, a new journey. A journey with great promise. He wanted me to hold onto this knowledge that He and I would go on other adventures. One day soon we will reach the top of the mountain. I just got so excited I couldn't help myself I jumped up and suddenly another idea to commemorate the date jumped into my head.
I was surrounded by snow. So I set up my camera and made as many snow angels as I possibly could. And if I ever figure out how to post videos I will get them on here!! Then Hope and I skipped down the mountain so happy because we know that soon we will get to come back and finish the hike. When I reached the bottom I was afraid we would have to leave but the sun was still visible in its process of setting so Hope and I took off around the lake wandering new trails I had never seen. There are huge boulders on this ice covered lake. I have many memories of sitting on them and jumping off into Summer waters, but now they all lie still waiting for warmth to melt them to life.
I wandered farther back than I ever had before and there beside the lake in a hidden cove was a perfectly placed green forest service pick nick table just begging me to sit down and write at it. The only problem I discovered with winter writing and hiking is that with cold temperatures ink does not really like to flow so again like the hike I was unable to finish that adventure. This sent me back to exploring and I soon saw a bridge built between two boulders and I knew I had to stand upon it and that would be with final touch of my hike.
The Sun was getting lower and lower as Hope and I jumped up and over boulders getting closer and closer to our destination. I saw a sign that marked "The Sunday Trail" And knew that there again was another adventure I would have to explore. Then I saw it. Far above me. The bridge...only now the sun was to far gone for me to try and figure out how to get to it, so once more on this day I had to put a goal aside for a different future, but a future that I was again excited for. That is the thing about being single and wanting to get married. Often that goal is something you wander down a trail towards only to find out you can't get to it no matter how much you want to. But God kept telling me soon,just not today. And more than that I realized that even if marriage is not in my future I am loving living single. There are many places and adventures out there besides just the one of marriage.
As I turned away and began to hike back I noticed a crack in the rocks. When I looked down there was a tiny little hidden beach, far more special than the old iron bridge. I scaled down the rocks and landed on its damp shore and I thought, "wow! I really really like this." I never would have found this spot if I hadn't gotten thwarted from my bridge and the mountain top. Those were all places I would love to go to again someday, but for this day..., this spot..., was perfect.
My broken heart that I thought would never mend, was happy again. The relationship I had said good bye to with an aching heart was free of me. On 12/12/12 I started journeying life again.
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