Gift of the Moment

[(.W.10.28.9.) It's a snowy evening in late December. Father has finished reading the glorious Christmas story from the book of Matthew. What good tidings of One who came to redeem us from our sins. Everyone else has retreated to their warm beds. I am left, sitting on the sofa with a fading fire in the hearth. My new kitten is curled up on my lap, purring with contentment. All is quiet and still, except for the hum of the Christmas lights, an occasional crackle from the fire, and the faint voices of carolers down the lane. I hold a steamy cup of cocoa between my hands. A light shawl is wrapped my shoulders to block out the cold that is beginning to set in for the night. The house is dark, the classic white Christmas lights create a calm glow and soft shadows across the room. The front curtains are drawn to display our humble tree. As I look out the window, the amber street lights illuminate the sparkling flakes as they gently fall from the sky and gather in clusters on the pavement. It has been a wonderful day and a truly white Christmas. I remind there, deep in thought. Little do I know how much this simple memory will mean when the stress and busy days of yonder Christmases loose their specialness. I thank God for this beautiful gift of the moment and climb the creaky stairs to my loft.]

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.”

Powdery White Flakes

I'm on a ski-lift, ascending to a higher altitude, up the mountainside.  Snow banks of powdery white flakes lie beneath my dangling feet and more gently falls from the sky above.  Tall uniform pine trees tower above the horizon and distant blue skies and the sun's glowing beams of light send sparkling diamonds across the reflecting ground.  At the end of the lift, I brace myself.  I turn and being to descend down the pure slopes.  It is so picturesque, I think to myself.  So beautiful that words can't describe it.  As my skis plow a path, a dust of snow sprays up on either side of me as I weave around the trees and follow the trail.  :)  The rush of adrenaline and the overwhelming scenery fills my soul and all too soon I've reached the bottom, ready to conquer all.

Imagination Run Wild

My friends and I lay on our backs out on the trampoline, watching clouds float across a bright blue, clear sky.  One looks like Snoopy, then reshapes to appear as a pig, and eventually becomes a fluffy sheep.  We lay outside, loosing all sense of time.  Oh to have time, sweet time to enjoy the simple things in life.  To kick back on the grass, barefoot, sunglasses, and pick dandelions, letting your imagination run wild.

An Eternal Promise

As I drive down the road through a rainstorm, I see a full rainbow up ahead.  Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, all stretched out across the sky in a giant arch.  When I look closely, I can see a faint double rainbow that goes from one side of my window shield to the opposite.  It's amazing how light can hit water-droplets in the air just so that white rays of light fragment into beautiful shining stripes of colors.  I remember the story of the flood, how God placed the very first rainbow in the sky.  A sign of His enduring love.  An eternal promise.  Through He may lead you through a storm, refining us, He will always be there by your side, every step of the way.  And at the end He reveals a glorious rainbow.  Though there isn't a pot of gold on the other side, His love and the promise of eternal life is worth way beyond worldly riches; it's incomprehensible.  Let us follow His golden brick road to Heaven!

A Bid Farewell

A cowboy herding his longhorn rides off to the west, into the setting sun.  His cattle are grown and it's market time.  He has left behind his shanty and the few friends he has.  The town consists of a sheriff's office, a hotel, a half-dozen hand built shacks, and a stage coach station, the post office, and a mercantile all rolled into one.  There also was a white-washed church that served as a school when a teacher could be found.  Not many people passed through.  On the outskirts of the town sat a fancy home which used to belong to a wealthy family.  It used to be a jolly place.  But ever since the man of that house, the mayor, died of a rattlesnake bite it began to dwindle and dust began to settle on the shingles.  His family returned to the big city, typical for the likes of them.  Now the house remained empty, possibly to never see inhabitants again.  The stage only made its rounds every few months if you were lucky.  Moisture is non-existent and crops dutifully failed.  Another story of the great American West returned to the dust.  A coyote howls, a sign of desolation.  The cowboy turns, tipping the brim of his hat in a bid farewell.

Rustling Leaves

I sit quietly in the middle of a classroom.  The big test day has arrived and I'm nervous and excited all at once.  Once I finish answering questions and filling in the bubble sheet with time to spare, I gently place my pencil on the desk before me and look up from my paper.  In front of me is a large window, which covers the entire width of the room. Autumn is upon the world outside.  A long field is stretched out, with a row of cottonwoods looming on either side.  Their leaves are changing colors, ranging from summer green, to faded yellow, to shimmering gold, to sunset orange, to a deep crimson.  My mind wanders away and I imagine a deep breeze that comes along and the leaves rustle in the cool morning air.  A drying brook rushes past.  I picture myself skipping down the corridor, the grove on my left and my right.  The fallen leaves crinkle beneath my feet.  I hear a bird chirp sweetly, but then awake to realize it's only the alarm, dismissing our class.  But that picture of fall never fades from my memory.