As I write this we are sitting in our vehicle, returning from our nearly 72 hours trip from our daughter’s wedding in Utah.  Thankfully, the wedding is over and everything went off without a hitch as I prayed it would in spite of some near misses.

 For me the trip wasn’t bad as I read a lot, napped and studied the ever-changing scenery, all things which I enjoy. I was made even more aware of the beautiful terrain of our great country.  Our travels made me mindful of the lyrics from God Bless America… “From the mountains, to the prairies, to the ocean white with foam” and this journey really brought it to life.

 Additionally, Mother Nature proved interesting.  We experienced temperatures ranging from 28 to 95 degrees, encountered torrential rain, blizzard conditions, and hurricane force winds which started about three hours after our daughter’s wedding ended and delivered devastating damage to the venue and the surrounding area.  We also experienced the choking smoke from the western wild fires that in their dreadful damage created stunning sunrises and sunsets.

We truly experienced “the land of infinite variety” on this expedition. From the intense beauty to the powerful devastation of Mother Nature, from the peaceful setting of the wedding to the destructive chaos created by the hurricane force winds, we witnessed it all!

This reminded me of our daily lives.  We normally live in a peaceful state of bliss.  All at once we encounter a blinding blizzard, flooding rainfalls, fierce, life-threatening fires, or devastating hurricanes. These occurrences can be either figurative or literal and we are left wondering what happened to our peaceful life. 

We have two choices.  We can either give up or go on.  We mostly choose to go on and of course this can be made bearable with the help of God. This help is promised to us in Psalm 46: 1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. It is such a relief to know that God, in his unconditional love will lift us out of our times of trial to go forth another day.

Patty