No snakes, No bees, No falls....

I am currently staying at David and Susie Herrera's house, for a 4 day retreat in the Jemez, about an hour drive north of Albuquerque. Today I decided to go for a walk, Susie pointed out an area where I could follow a road for a good hike. After 10 minutes, I came upon a gate across the road...decided to not find a way to open it and turned around to go back to the house. Then I had a "spontaneous" thought to climb the hill that was along side of the road. (For those of you that know me, spontaneity is often planned)


My prayer was..."no snakes Lord, no bees Lord, and don't let me fall..."

It took me 40 minutes to get to the top, the view was amazing. (next time I will take my camera with me) I wasn't sure I was strong enough to make it all the way. My feet kept slipping, until I would find a large solid rock to keep my footing. My hamstrings and gluts were screaming at me on the way up...my quads on the way back down, but I felt so good. I am not sure if going up or coming back down was harder...

I couldn't help but think that climbing this "mountain" today was a lesson for me, maybe more of a reminder. God directs my path, gives me solid rocks to step on to keep from falling, He blesses me at the top with a spectacular view and reminds me of His power in creation, and at the bottom of the mountain is a path that is more level. It isn't always about "going up or coming down"...sometimes it is about just "going"...

PS...no snakes, no bees, and no falls. Thank you Lord!

Day in the Jemez...

Yesterday I was able to spend the day with my daughters, Nicole and Elissa, in the Jemez mountains. It was their gift to me for Mother's Day. We packed a lunch of roast beef sandwhiches, veggies/dip, homemade cookies and left Albuquerque with an adventure before us. We stopped first to get our traditional "on-the-road" breakfast of Einstein bagels and Starbucks. Our first stop was at the Gilman Tunnels, and then we continued on to an area in the Jemez Mountains where the hiking was not too difficult. We hiked for about a mile, found a great place to have our lunch, then we hiked back to the car. With Elissa driving, we took the scenic route to Las Alamos, Santa Fe and finally back to Albuquerque.

It was a special time for me to be able to spend the day with Nicole and Elissa. We remembered other "adventures" of camping or other day trips to the mountains. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and I will hold the memories of this "Mother's Day" in my heart.

Therapy...

It has been 4 weeks now since my surgery. I am doing very well, and today I was able to do something that has always been so therapeutic for me...getting my hands in some dirt and planting something. At Jane's house, she has this most amazing backyard, lots of clay pots with plants, grass, trees...it is just a place that invites you to sit down and just enjoy. I saw an idea for a stack of clay pots that would fit right into Jane's backyard. Jane agreed to let me take on this project as a gift for her.

I had so much fun buying the pots, going to the plant greenhouse to plan and purchase the plants that would work for this creation. It was a little tricky getting the pots to stay "tipped over" while I planted them, but Elissa stopped by to offer an extra set of hands.

I am sure that there are those of you that know the joy of having your hands in soil and watching as your labor grows and blooms.