Road of Life

Each of our lives is a journey—we're on the road to somewhere! The road in these pictures, the Iron Mt. Road in the Black Hills, looks a little like my life. Being alive is good, incredibly beautiful, winding, fun, perplexing, rewarding, dark, light. On this pictured road there are 3 tunnels hollowed out of the rock. Through each one, if you are headed north, you can see Mt. Rushmore framed in the exiting end of the tunnel. The architect of this road, former Senator Peter Norbeck, planned it that way. In my life I've entered some dark tunnels, not knowing where I was headed or how long it would take me to get to the other end. For me, the "light at the end of the tunnel" is not Mt. Rushmore, but it is Jesus, and His will for me. I've seen that light often enough to know it will always be there. I will come out on the other side!

Another fascinating section of this road goes in a complete circle. It does that a couple of times for no apparent reason. It looks intriguing and requires a complex, artful arrangement of logs to support it. Again, the architect of the road planned it that way. It's as though he tried to tie the road in a knot and then thought better of it. It straightens right out and goes on its way. I have often felt that my life was going 'round and 'round and for no apparent reason. But my great Architect always has a plan and He will make the crooked places straight in His good time.

I will continue on my life's road, knowing that it will always be a combination of beautiful, fresh, twisting, exciting, puzzling, fulfilling, loving, giving, exceeding abundantly all I could imagine in Jesus.

A Morning at Mt. Rushmore

It's a beautiful morning at Mt. Rushmore. The air is cooler than it has been for the last few days. We love coming here early in the day, before the crowds arrive. Our reason is...church in the amphitheater, a service held by A Christian Ministry in the National Parks. This ministry sends college students to most of the National Parks in the U.S. The kids have regular jobs in the parks and then on Sundays they host a service for the tourists. That usually means they have a new congregation every Sunday, unless it's people like us who also work in the area and like attending there.

I love this photo of Mt. Rushmore, with the clouds streaming out above the 4 presidents.

This photo is of the 3 young men, all college students, who are serving at Mt. Rushmore. They didn't know each other before they arrived—all are from a different part of the country. They work well together and seem to enjoy their ministry. It's a great opportunity for the volunteers to practice serving and to get to experience a beautiful part of the country at the same time. It will be a lasting memory for them.

Simplify

This is a picture of our home in the repair shop this past spring. Looks small, doesn't it? It's a funny feeling to put your "home" in the garage. We were in the shop for 2 weeks while parts were being ordered and work done on the rig, and the good folks at All Seasons let us live there on site. We had to put in the slides if they were going to use the sides and back of the garage, or disconnect our water hose if they needed the spigot. 

This leads me to some thoughts on simplicity. This virtue became a strong desire of mine in the last years of living in our big, 4 bedroom house. We took in a few relatives, a few mission volunteers, and a few homeless people over the years. (Not all at once!) That was God's will for us those first years of our marriage. When Keith's job came to an end we decided to launch out into the full-time RVer lifestyle. It was difficult but very freeing to dispose of the vast majority of our belongings in order to move into our 5th wheel (a gift from God!) We tried to figure out the minimum of what we needed and that would not violate the weight restrictions of our trailer. Being complete amateurs at RVing, it was all a challenge. 

The first time we set out on the road with Keith driving BigTruk and pulling the 5th wheel, me driving the Focus behind him, my startling thought was, "All my earthly possessions are traveling down the highway!" I have found I do not miss anything I sold or gave away nearly 4 years ago. What I have left is important to me but is not anything I couldn't live without. Every time we set out for a new location I find myself going through the trailer and picking out more things to give or throw away, especially if I haven't used it. Our rule is that if we get something new we have to get rid of something else. I got a new, pretty South Dakota t-shirt so I put an old t-shirt in the give-away pile. We got a new blanket for the bed, with bears all over it, so I parted with other blankets I no longer needed. And so on. Not only does that keep our weight down for traveling, but it also keeps us from becoming attached to "things". Our earthly stuff is all a gift from God, but is never to be a substitute for seeking first His Kingdom. I'll be putting down more of my thoughts on simplicity in my next post.

Girls on Vacation!

The highlight of our summer here at Bear Country was the visit of our 2 daughters and 2 grand daughters from Washington. We waited eagerly for weeks, sent brochures, gave travel advice and talked about what we'd do. The girls finally arrived, pitched their tent beside our RV, and our fun began. The best part was just visiting, but we also saw Mt. Rushmore and attended a church service there just under the noses of the 4 presidents. We toured Custer State Park where we were treated to the fascinating sight of about 200 buffalo on the road. Traffic was nearly at a standstill while we waited for these huge, majestic creatures to meander on their way. I noticed some very nervous motorcyclists ahead of us trying to keep out of the path of the giants! Crazy Horse Monument was next. It's amazing to see what has been done there and what will be done before the monument is completed. The 4 heads on Mt. Rushmore would completely fit into just the head of Crazy Horse. During the girls' stay we also went to Bear Country twice, Old MacDonald's Farm, Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper and Show, Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns, and Storybook Island. Boy, were we tired! That was a lot of "going" for 2 old coots like us! It all came to an end after 5 days. We parted sadly, the girls setting out on the trip home, and Keith and I back to work. The blessings of happy times with family are about the best treats we can have. Thanks be to God Who invented families!

Our home on wheels!

This is our home on wheels! In this photo we are parked at Happy Holiday RV Park near Rapid City SD. The month is May, hence no leaves on the trees. Right now, in July, we have lots of shade. The park is beautiful and quite full of other RVs. In about 2 weeks we will be overrun with motorcyclists who are attending the huge Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. There will be a loud roar constantly while the cyclists tour through the Black Hills, getting their fill of each other and of the awesome sights in this area. The Rally is quite a phenomenon! There is not much room for regular tourists at this time. Bear Country has 2 or 3 large buses for transporting the cyclists through the park, since they can't ride through the bears and wolves and other animals on their motorcycles! It is a very fascinating time, watching the folks, checking out their rigs and learning where they are from. Some have even come from overseas.