Sabbatical Week 11

After two weeks of wedding preparation and celebration, I needed time for solitude.  Tom left early to visit family in Oregon while I stayed home to make preparations for joining him mid-week for 2 weeks with our Oregon families.  I practiced morning and evening prayers, finished two books (The Celtic Way of Prayer, and The Help), took daily walks, and cleaned the house.  My times of solitude allowed me to focus on seeing God’s presence close by and in ordinary tasks of daily life.  One area of Celtic Spirituality that was very poignant for me was the realistic awareness of harshness in nature.  There is death, there are enemies that kill and devour, there are times of scarcity, and there are times of illness.  This is true in our human condition as well.  The cross speaks clearly of hope in times of challenge.  In this week of solitude I also received news concerning Neil Bolkcom’s battle for life, and the approaching death of Shirley Shannon.  I prayed for them daily and know that the presence of God is with them in this time of need.  The cross speaks powerfully of the hope that Christ defeated the darkness of sin and death.  So that is still our HOPE today when we don’t see it before us.  Sin and death do not have the last say.

Before Tom left for Oregon we went on a 5-mile hike on Tiger Mountain off Highway 18- -only a 15 minute drive from our home.  The pictures reveal the diverse beauty of the area from rainforest-like moss covered trees to abundant colorful flowers.  As we hiked we made way for trail bikers every 5-10 minutes.  They were so polite and it was great to enjoy this space with others.   

The weekend included visits with my step-daughter’s family in Albany Oregon and my in-laws in Eugene Oregon.  It was great to spend time enjoying the company of our 8 grandchildren, the Robert’s family; having a relaxing dinner to celebrate the birthdays of Tom’s brothers at Kings Estate, a beautiful winery near Eugene; taking a 3-mile ridge-top hike near Eugene; playing games, feasting on fresh-caught Alaska silver salmon, and enjoying home movies with one of Tom’s brothers, sisters-in-law, and niece; and then worshipping and picnicking with Tom’s other Eugene brother and sister-in-law.

Next week we head to Odell Lake for a week with family in the Oregon Cascades, then return home the following week to ready ourselves for re-entry of my ministry at KFP.

Blessing to you all and enjoy the pictures!!!