I totally forgot to blog last week! Since I have a signal, I’m going to blog a day early this week! Yikes! Let me quickly catch you up… we left south eastern Wyoming and traversed the state on our way to Cody for the Wyoming State Historical Society awards luncheon. On our way, we got a ‘hot tip’ from my friend Judy and spent one night outside of Lander, Wyoming at a place called Sinks Canyon State Park. The next day we drove to Cody – to stay at Buffalo Bill State Park. We had a great time being tourists in Cody and the area, very much enjoyed the awards luncheon, then got up on Sunday and pointed ourselves toward the east. Sunday we made great time and made it to Ocana, South Dakota, on the Missouri River. Monday was a marathon. We drove for about 15 hours…wait! I drove for 75 miles, Karl drove all the rest, and we ended up at a Walmart in Michigan City, Indiana. I know that sounds pretty lame, but actually, staying in Walmart parking lots is a pretty good gig when you are traveling.
Tuesday, we got up and drove about 3 hours to Albion, Michigan and spent a couple of really precious hours with our oldest grandson, Kody, who is a sophomore there. He’s terrific, and we got a tour of campus and a nice lunch before he had to go to class. We left Albion and drove a couple of hours to Dundee, Michigan and the beautiful home of our daughter Amy and son-in-law Bret. Their home always seems like a refuge – it is calm and peaceful and beautiful. We timed it just right so that we got to see Kyle, our 13-year-old grandson, play his first football game of the season.
We left Michigan on our way to the Adirondacks to spend a couple of days with neighbors of ours, John and Bonnie. They live just down the hill from us in St. Croix, and spend their summers in a wonderful house (they call it a camp) by Lake Kayuga, New York. We got an added bonus and surprise when another couple, Linda and Henry, our very first friends when we moved to St. Croix, came to join the party. Yesterday we took a boat ride on the lake, enjoyed a great day together, and ended it with a huge bonfire. Wow!
Now, we will get ready and drive to our son’s house in Virginia and prepare to fly home to St. Croix next week. We hope… there’s another hurricane heading towards our island – Maria, and this time she’s aiming straight at St. Croix. On top of that there’s ANOTHER storm building to the east that could also turn into a hurricane and come our way.
We’re praying for the people on St. Croix who, after 16 days still have not got their electricity back on from Irma (which means no water, no lights…) who are now facing another onslaught. We are praying for the people of St. John and St. Thomas who are living in tents and under tarps because their houses are unlivable who are now facing another storm. There’s a saying I’ve read that says sometimes God chooses not to calm the storm, but instead holds and calms His children instead. We’ve had an amazing summer, and I cherish the friends and family we’ve seen and the absolute beauty we’ve been gifted with. I am, right this minute, sitting under a canopy of hemlock and balsam trees in a thick forest in upstate New York, surrounded by friends and standing beside the man who is the love of my life on this world. I am blessed beyond measure. I am one of the disciples standing in the boat during the storm. I’m watching my Saviour walk on the water toward me, reminding me that His power is greater than any other, hurricanes included. Peace to you, and to me!
