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I’m sitting atop a precipice 5,000 feet higher than Houston.

A sweet blanket of green velvets the valley below me. A ‘blue true dream of sky’ as E.E. Cummings penned it, is showing off up above. A happy chipmunk is scurrying rock to rock. A bright yellow bird that I can’t identify is flying from fir to fir, and faithful Mt. Hood is standing sure and strong right in front of my awed face.

There it all is… the green, the blue, the yellow, the peak. I feel like I need to pinch myself.

The ascent up this way was well worth the steep journey. And the wild walk itself provided much fodder for my heart to digest. My mind was able to clear and fill from what it offered me.

You might guess that the green hills and mountain valleys turned up reminiscent images of England. My heart wonders there no matter where I find myself. Even still.

And all kinds of stories I’ve read with the kids kept creeping up in my mind as I took in all the forest had to offer. The last few pages of Prince Caspian in the Chronicles of Narnia series were devoured right before I headed out this way, so the moss covered trees in certain spots looked as if they might come to life and take on personalities as they do in those chapters. Funny how stories come with us, how fantasy flavors real life. I wish I had always known this. I’m now richer for the reading.

The steady incline on the way also provided occasional lookout spots to stop, turn round, and consider how far we had come. This should always lead to thanksgiving. If the act of looking back doesn’t yet conjure up praise, skip the pause for a while. Walk farther. Hash out and hike up and heave the lungs a little more. Then you’ll be able.

The top here satisfies me.

It’s made me remember my words. When I finally come to the moment where they can flow again freely – I feel fulfilled, like I have a purpose.

Did I have to fly 2,000 miles across the country, and climb 5,000 feet up to find my way with words again?

Probably not.

But I’m glad I did.

The husband is officiating a wedding out in these parts in a few days, and the couple that he is marrying offered for me to fly out too.

My ‘yes’ to this has made a world of difference. In a way, I knew my dire need for an escape. At this point in the journey, we don’t really get to vacation, and I have mourned this fact, so I did recognize a longing fulfilled in this trip. But in another way, I did not realize how seriously I needed rest. The weight of my current life had overflowed out of my mind and had made it’s way to my body, and it was alerting me in a few alarming ways that I indeed needed an interlude.

Thank you Jesus for the very necessary respite.

As the days unfold here this weekend, and as the roads wind strong, as we trek up mountain sides, as we watch a wedding and wedded life commence….I’m trusting for more kind pauses, more revelation, more healing, more peace.

Before I even push publish on this post here, I’m praying that those things come your way this weekend, too.

I know that we could all use a good calm lull and boost.

More from these hills and bluffs soon, I hope. Hugs to you until then.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Jan Thompson

    Thank you for the scenic tour of one of God’s masterpieces. Take it all in and be refreshed. I love you both. ~♡~

  2. Kate

    Thank you MawMaw! So much! Love you!

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