Don't Miss This

Hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park truly is one of the most inspiring things you can experience as a person.  As I went along the way down each path that Mary and I hiked it seemed as if everything we saw was something amazing.  I would stop to take a picture and think to myself, “This is the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.”  Then I would take a few steps or go around the next turn or twist in the trail and see something else even more spectacular. 

On the morning we hiked to the three lakes our eyes were treated to a visual feast.  The sunlight piercing over the mountain and through the trees onto the meadows and streams were simply amazing.  There is not enough canvas nor enough paints or available colors to adequately capture the majesty and splendor of all you can see through the human eye as you walk the trail to Dream Lake.  It is said that “a picture is worth a thousand words” and that may well be true.  But I know this, the scenery I saw that day left me speechless.  I had no words.

There have been times in my life I had nothing to say for various reasons, but on this particular morning I had plenty of feelings and emotions and I had plenty of desire to speak….I just could not find the words.  I should have known that something special was coming; it was as if the God’s orchestra was playing the Creation Symphony and the music was building to a crescendo.  Just before we arrived to Dream lake the trail had several switch backs and the elevation climbed swiftly then we hiked around a huge boulder and heard these words from a man leaving the area, “WOW, WOW” Then I took a few more steps and I knew the reason for those words.  WOW!  Mary and I sat there and took several thousand words worth of pictures and we were amazed.  As we left we encountered hikers heading in our directions and all I could say to them was, “Don’t Miss This”.

Sometimes I think it would be good if those who traveled down life’s path before me would stop and say to me, “Don’t miss this” and then tell about what is coming up in life that I need to pay special attention to.  Let me give it a shot:  If you are raising children I would tell you to take it all in and don’t miss anything.  As a parent you only get one shot at raising your children.   There are no do over’s or mulligan’s.  When you children have events – don’t miss them.  When they have significant moments in their life – be there, don’t miss it.  In your marriage, hold your spouse close, gaze into their eyes often, reach out for their hand and be in touch with their heart and their soul.  A life time of marriage goes by more quickly than you think.  Don’t miss a moment. In your walk with Jesus, opportunities will come your way every day – Don’t Miss Them.  The chance to make a difference in the life of someone else may only come to you once and then they will be gone – don’t miss out on opportunity to do good.

As you go along the way – Remember,  Don’t Miss This!  And as always…..

Love God. Go Love Others.

The Path

 

Early one morning with a chance of rain in the air Mary and I headed up the mountain for another day of hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  One of the nice things about hiking in the RMNP is all the path options and signage to help you with your planning.   There is always a sign nearby with a list of destinations and the distance to those locations.  On this particular morning we set out to see three mountain lakes.  Our goal for the day was to hike to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake.

It was a beautiful morning with just a hint of mist in the air, but with the sun still shining through the Aspens and Pine trees.  As we walked along the path we noticed all the pretty wild flower and tall grass that covered the meadows.  Off in the distance we could hear the sound of running water and we hoped to have a chance to see a stream or waterfall.  It was in every way the perfect morning for a hike in the mountains.

As we walked on the path I said to myself, “self, how did they decide where to put this path?”  The paths in the RMNP are truly amazing.  They are well marked and maintained.  For the most part the paths are fairly easy to hike for those of us who are not in “hiking shape”.  There are times when the trail is right on the edge of a cliff that offers you a majestic view of God’s creation.  At times it seems as if you can see beyond the horizon into the heavens.  I wondered if I was walking through the back yard of the Angels. 

Whoever mapped out the paths and trails for the RMNP did a wonderful job.  The scenic views and photo opportunities are endless.  I am thankful for the time and effort it took to prepare and build the various paths that lead to some of the most beautiful locations on earth.  To those who went before me to level the ground and cut the trees and marked the trails for safety and presented me the gift of being in such a wondrous place I say thank you.

That’s the way life is, there are people who have gone before us and they have marked the paths and trails for a life of holiness in the presence of God.  You and I do not have to walk down life’s path in total ignorance.  You and I have the ability to look to other men and women of faith and learn from their journey.  We can see their times of joy and their times of struggle.  We can see how they responded to the challenges of life and how they learned from their victories and their defeats.  We can see how those who walked before us spent time with God in devotion and prayer.  We can see their journey with all the ups and downs and we can see how a good and merciful God loves his children always.

I am thankful for the paths that have been built and marked by those who have gone before me.  I am also mindful that I too am walking a path and marking a trail that others will be using in the future.  Lord, may my steps be your steps, may my words be your words, and may my thoughts be your thoughts.  Help me to walk in your ways to your destinations and may my life be a path worth following.

As you go along the way, remember there is someone right behind you.  Step carefully and as always….

Love God.  God Love Others.

If You See a Bear

On the day that Mary and I hiked at the base of Longs Peak we noticed something different about the signs and warnings.  All of the places we had hiked before had a few signs and warnings about bears, but this location had “If You See a Bear” warnings everywhere.  They were so many warnings it was almost as if the bear union had taken out ads.  In case you are wondering, here is the critical information you need to know about bears:

If you see a bear…

• Stay calm.  Pick up children.
• Do not run, but back away from the bear.
• Never get between a mother bear and her cub.
• Make lots of noise: shout, clap your hands, clang pots and pans together to scare the bear away.
• If possible, slowly store away any exposed food or scented items.
• If attack, Fight Back!

When I first saw this sign I had the following reactions:

• Stay calm – really?  I’m having second thoughts just from reading the sign.
• Pick up children – I’m pretty sure I can out run most small children.
• Make lots of noise – not a problem
• Store away scented items – if I see a bear… I will be a scented item.
• Fight Back – it’s impossible to fight back if you’re passed out

Well despite the warnings we headed up the trail on our away to see the abandon mining shaft.  All along the way the bear warning signs kept popping into our heads and we began looking for signs of a bear being in the area.  We weren’t sure what those signs were, but we were looking for them.  As a matter of fact, that would have been some useful information to include in the signage.  Come to think of it, they only wanted to warn us – not help us.  Maybe I was right about the bears having an ad campaign.  Hmm…

As we went along the way we enjoyed our hike and enjoyed having another day in such a beautiful place.  Except…. Except for the fact that we were both concentrating on the bear warning.  So much so that we convinced ourselves that there were bears in the area and it would probably be a good idea to turn around and head back down the mountain.  After all, we had left our pots and pans back at the condo.  So we turned around.  We had hiked for several miles and were not too far away from our destination and we turned around.

That’s the way life is sometimes.  You and I can get so worried about all the things that could go wrong that we fail to enjoy the journey and at times we fail to reach our goals in life.  We worry about our children, our finances, all the things that could go wrong with cars and houses.  We worry about our health or the health of our loved ones.  We worry about the economy.  We worry about …. You name it and can be worried over.  I even know people that worry when their life is going “to good”. 

When you and I worry we miss out on enjoying all the blessings given to us each day.  When you worry about what you don’t have, you miss out on being thankful for what you do have.  Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

I’m not saying to ignore all the warning signs, but I am encouraging you to not live your life based on warnings.  Rather, live your life based on promises.  Jesus went on to say, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

As you go along the way remember to live according to the promises of God and as always….

Love God.  Go Love Others.

Written in loving memory of my Papa Woodle who used to spend hours and hours telling me bedtime stories about a bear that would come to visit him looking for small children to put in his stew.  He would tell the stories and Granny would get on to him for trying to scare me just before bed.  The next night he would tell another story and we would do it all over again.  I miss those stories and even though it’s been 40 years since his death I still miss him.