One Final Goodbye

"Oh it was glorious! :) Our Pathfinders had been scheduled to speak at the Taos Church. We got up early and met at our local church to drive the 2 1/2 hours up north. Grandma was able to make it too, which was an added blessing! :) I set up all my equipment - still and video cameras - and enjoyed recording their message. They did such a superb job! After a meager lunch and saying 'goodbye' to Grandma, the seven PFs plus myself piled into the van. Destination: Tres Piedras. My parents stayed behind to spend time with Grandma.
We took a minor lengthy detour when we reached the Taos Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. A steep 652' to the “raging” rapids below. We had lots of fun and overcame our fears of heights. Ned found a wood chip in the road and when he threw it we were able to follow it all the way till it splashed into the river. That was cool! :)
When we got to Tres Piedras, where Ned grew up, we eagerly exited the stuffy car and the six of us girls went on a hike. On Ned's parents' property there are three ponds. Now, if you're from anywhere else you'd call them ponds or maybe even puddles. But since I've grown up in New Mexico and to stick with context I will call them lakes. Natural lakes of this size are hard to come by in the desert! It's up in the mountains, so though it may be summer in the city, up there spring has just arrived. The trees are a fresh green, the grass vibrant, the tadpoles just morphed, crickets hatched, and the water cool. It was so beautiful! I'm almost at a loss for words, knowing I could never truly describe it for how it really is. We enjoyed our time out in nature, skipping along the shore, careful not to brush up against any 'StingWeed,' which has similar repercussions as poison ivy. Dodging barbed-wire, exploring an abandoned campsite and old ruins, climbing on the rocks over the lake, and spending a moment of silence at the family cemetery filled our afternoon. When our stomachs began to growl we knew it was time for dinner. We walked back through the green field of oats.
We reached the house and found there was company. Some of their relatives with a new baby girl had stopped by for a visit. :) How cute! Shania is such a doll and so precious! We enjoyed visiting and when they left we went out to the lovely yard for a photo shoot.
The girls all laid out on the grass, creating a wagon wheel effect. Next the limbs of the aspen trees within the yard called their names! What merriment to swing upside down from sturdy white branches of wood. It was totally pleasurable! What I would give to return to such a jovial scene!
For dinner we ate burgers and watermelon; food perfect for summer picnic weather. We savored each bite as we sat out on the back deck, watching storm clouds roll in. My parents drove up just in time to eat and afterwards the men-folk and the six of us girls went out for another hike.
The sun was dipping lower into the sky and the reflections on the lake became so pronounced; each detail perfectly copied in the water, only disrupted when a pebble splashed its surface. I managed to snag my sister's camera (I forgetfully left mine in the car) and took tons of pictures, not being able to capture enough of the simple beauty of the woods. I can't even explain how happy I was! But the time kept ticking away and the storm moved in closer so we had to return back to the house. Not only that, but we had a long three hour drive ahead of us and it was already past 8:00 P.M. We ended up getting home a little before midnight. Though it was a terribly long day it was so pleasant, so peaceful, so perfect! I really had a grand ol' time!"]
[(added September 22, 2009) “Looking back now I can totally see more of what made the day so perfect.
Who knew it would be the last time I'd see my Grandma? And her doing so well on top of that?
Who knew it would be her last "best" good day here on earth?
Who knew how much it would mean to me to kiss my Grandma one last goodbye?
Who knew that perfect afternoon in the woods, ended with a marvelous setting reflection on the lake would be a beautiful memory for more than one reason?
God knew.
Yes, He knew.
He planned that happy day.
He painted the picturesque scenery that special day in Tres Piedras.
He knew just how to touch my heart.
He knew.”