Restored My Soul

 

I didn't want to go today. (Wed 26 Aug) 

I woke up feeling out of sorts. Feeling so very thirsty for the Living Water. 

Physically, I felt great.

Emotionally and spiritually speaking? I felt empty with longing to be filled up. 

How  does one live fully surrendered to the point where these empty feelings are no longer?

 Is it normal to have those feelings where you feel empty, needing to be filled? Even after a "Spiritual high" ? I know it's not lack of faith. What was this?? 

I almost texted the group saying I wasn't going to go but that they should still go.  I wasn't the driver so I figured they could just go themselves. 

I texted my friend J who also was the driver for the day asking if we could listen to worship music on the way to the mountains. Told her I was having a rough morning. She replied she was sorry I wasn't joyful at the moment.  I had to tell her it wasn't that I wasn't feeling joyful. It was hard to explain but that I was feeling like I needed to drink of the Living Water...needed to be filled up. In true J fashion she sent a beautiful photo of Jesus knocking on a door and  reminded me Jesus wants to come in and is the Living Water. (of course I know this!) 

I read Psalm 42 which is just beautiful when you take the time to internalize the metaphors in it. 

And this verse popped out, which to me, is just as important as the first 2, in recognizing why I was feeling "out of sorts". 

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God"  (Psalm 42:11) 

I was putting my hope into the day.....into the things He created vs He Himself. 

I had been looking forward to getting on that small mountain summit, since I haven't stood on a summit since late June. The hikes I have completed have been wonderful and the weather has cooperated, but they were all far into the woods, to beautiful marshes or ponds or lakes, and I was craving time on a summit. So I was putting my hope into "the perfect day": weather, mountain top experience, being with experienced hikers who don't need guidance in following a trail, all of them sisters in Christ and whom I consider good friends. My tribe. 

But my hope? It needs to be in God.  I listened to this song 3 times while getting ready for the day: 

My heart's desire? To hike mountains. But my true desire? God/Jesus. To know Him intimately...more than I ever have.....to walk daily with Him...to really know He is my Strength and Shield. My protector. My Father. And to fully trust as I fully surrender to fully live. 

Have I often worshipped His creation more than Him? If I'm honest, yes.

So I gave the day to Him. I asked Him to meet me on that mountain top and to simply be with Him. 

And guess what? 

Just like God, He gave me some alone time on the trail as I was fairly goal oriented in keeping a fast pace for a good cardio workout. Although I could glimpse my friends behind me at times, and hear them, I felt alone with Him like I had been craving. He is so good to us! 

When we submit to His ways and focus on His plan for the day, He has this way of giving us our hearts' desires. 

On that mountain summit, we all sat a bit apart. I was at one of the highest points and my heart was content. I was quietly thanking Him, not just for the beauty of the Siamese Pond Wilderness area and the amazing lake below us......

but thanking Him that I get to do this......

........and thanking Him for these friends......

..........and thanking Him for HIM. For His Mercy, His Grace, His Patience, His Everlasting Love.   Love broke through to me again on that mountain top. 

And when I was reflecting on the name of the mountain: Balm of Gilead

I realized.....

........my soul felt restored. 

..........my mind felt at peace. 

It's more than being in the mountains which are so restorative physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

I know the next few months will be hard. I've been told this by my counselor as well as my pastor's wife. Emotional and spiritual healing is a process. But when I remember to place all of my Hope in God and fix my eyes on Him...and drink of that Living Water (Jesus!) daily...............I will be able to walk through these days. When I let go of my independent spirit and my pride and allow friends to speak into my life, I will have the "safe" feeling I have longed for. God has recently shown me who are the safe people in my life. 

Do I tell my story to just anyone? No. Do I even share all of the details? Only when He leads. But fear is replaced by peace because......

It's God......He restores the soul. 

WEEK-END WRAP UP

 

Tirrell Pond
in the Blue Mountain Wild Forest Area
north-central Adirondack Mountains

It's been a good weekend of some rest and relaxation, the 18th SoulSteps Hike for 2026, and time at church and talking with good friends. Also getting stuff done around the house and yard. 

 I'm here to share my weekend wrap up. 

FRIDAY EVENING:  Dave and I decided to have a late dinner of just left overs.  We had 3 different meals in the fridge that really needed to be eaten before today.  So it was a "help yourself" kind of evening and then we  just relaxed with books and went to bed early. I had to get up at 5:15 to drive 2 hours and 20 minutes to lead a hike that 3 people had signed up for. 

SATURDAY:  Dave opted out of the hike as our other friend Dave had an ankle injury so had to cancel.  My Dave has hiked the trail with me before so he stayed home to do some errands and mow and trim the yards. I headed out with the other woman who had signed up.  She arrive at my home around 7:15 and we were off to the Blue Mountain Lake area of the north-central Adiondack Mountains. Our destination was Tirrell Pond (pictured above) in the Blue Mt Wild Forest Area. I hiked Blue Mt (Elevation 3750') which is 67th highest mt in the ADK/NYS tied with Wakely Mt.  My husband and daughers and I climbed it in the summer of 2006.  It's spectacular and on the trail to the Pond you have a glimpse of the side of it. I've also hiked up Wakely which was a tough climb involving rock scrambles but so worth it. It's a "one and done" for me though.  Blue is one I'd like to attempt again.   

Anyways, we started hiking at about 9:45 AM and were at the pond by noon.  It was wonderful.  Here are some fave pics from the day: 

The easy part of the trail 

Hard part of trail....this incline went on and on
and all of these rocks were loose with branches poking up
Just so much devastation from a spring storm 

a gorgeous view of Tirrell Mt and the left side of Tirrell Pond
and this beach was where we  sat and had lunch
We even waded in the water up to our thighs (me) 
or knees (Evelyn)...the water was heavenly
The air was only 74 but the water felt so good

Evelyn and I (She was making me laugh so hard about something)
Evelyn is our oldest daughter's future mother in law
and although Courtney and Tyler aren't officially engaged, it sure seems
that they are heading in that direction..........!!

After the hike, which we wrapped up at 7.2 miles RT and at 3 pm,  we changed our  footwear, got in the car, stopped at a local mini mart to grab cold iced teas and headed over to 13th Lake as I will be swimming here after a hike on Wednesday I'm leading and I wanted to see exactly where the beach is. I've been to 13th Lake 3 other times but at none of those times was I able to find the beach.  We had luck!  We found the beach, saw 6 loons which of course didn't come out well on our pictures, and then drove home to arrive around 6 pm. 

Dave was in the shower when I got home, after having spent the afternoon doing all the yardwork, moving the grill and chairs by himself and also running around town on errands.  He just wanted leftover sloppy joes (I had them with vegan "beef" on Thursday) so we had those plus cucumber salad and tortilla chips/salsa.  That was dinner and it was nice to use up the leftovers. He fell asleep early and I spent the night uploading pics to my laptop from my camera, pushing some onto facebook (I don't use the app on my phone any longer) and then my laptop needed an update so while that was happening, I did some reading in a good fiction book I'm enjoying. 

SUNDAY:  Dave had to work production this morning at both services and I had an interview to conduct at 10:30 for a potential member of the hiking group.   After a breakfast of avocado on toast and coffee, I got ready for the interview.  Meeting Addie was a delight. She is my youngest daughter's age, studying to be an OT and is super excited to learn about hiking. She has limited experience so I filled her in on where to go to buy moisture wicking hiking clothing and boots (LLBean, REI, Sierra are the 3 best options in our area). The interview went really well...she filled out all the paper work correctly and I was able to contact our Spiritual Formations Director and get her added into the church center app.   Then I sat with my friend Maggie and her husband Bill for the 11 AM service since Dave was working backstage.  The worship was very powerful today as was Pastor Rex's message.  

Sunday dinner was around 2 pm and we made Rice and Beans.  I love Dave's recipe so he did the bulk of the cooking.  Since my Sabbath rest was yesterday (Saturday), I decided to clean the bathrooms, do a load of laundry, get caught up on emails and answered a bunch of texts. I also had to run over to my oldest daughter's apartment to pick something up that her friend Nathaniel had bought for me from his trip to Ikea.  Nate and Courtney have been bff's since their first year at Gordon College and thankfully he and Tyler get along great.   

When I got home, I finished up some hiking group paperwork I needed to do, practiced some piano, and did some general tidying up around the house. 

Dave took a nap and then did his gaming after reading a bit.  He had a real Sabbath today. 

Tonight  I will read until I'm sleepy enough to go to bed. 

It's been a great weekend!!

Mid-August Faves

 

I truly can't believe we are already into mid-August!

I love Summer and am happy it lingers into mid-September even though at church, we are gearing up for our Autumn semester of groups, Bible studies, classes and large group ministries.  We will be promoting our groups and ministries on Sept 6 and 13 and the ones I'm leading will begin Sept 21 and 22.  But for now? I'm pausing to give thanks to God for the past week and the many blessings He has brought into my life.....I appreciate this community of believers who give thanks and share FIVE of our FAVE blessings each week. We do this by linking up at Susanne's site.....join in!

Beginning of Stony Pond trail
1.8 miles to the pond

A nice bridge through a boggy area 

our backcountry destination: Stony Pond
it's so big...it's more like a lake....
it also goes off towards the right where the lean-to

• SOULSTEPS HIKE:  Last Saturday, I had scheduled a hike for my group and originally there were 4 of us signed up but 2 had last minute things happen so it ended up just being my friend Jill and I.  Jill is also a member of my Tuesday book group.  She's a lot of fun and a new Believer so sharing Scripture often happens on our hikes. We were the only people on the trail although a dad and his 2 young adult sons were staying in the lean-to for the weekend to hike and fish. But they stayed up at the lean-to the whole time we were down at the pond having lunch and meditating and enjoying the solitude.  The pond is in the Vanderwhacker Wild Forest Area of the central Adirondacks.   It was my 2nd time hiking in to this beautiful spot.  I took off my boots and socks for a bit and cooled off my feet and even hiked over to the edge of the lean to area with barefeet. There's just something about barefeet and pine needles coating the ground. It was heavenly and I'm thankful we had a great hike. This was the 18th trail I've hiked/led my group this year and my 21st hike (I've hiked 3 solo hikes this spring and summer). I'm thankful I live so close to the Adirondack Mountains. This hike was just an hour and 35 min to get to. 

Jill and me
total miles of hike: 3.6 
so we had time to pop up to Schroon Lake 
for a swim and rest in the sun before
driving back to our homes. 

• CHURCH WORSHIP: Sunday was amazing. Dave was in MA dealing with his mom so I went to the 9 AM service and sat with my pastor's wife.  I was able to freely worship and felt like a load had been lifted. The music was very touching and we both just cried through some of one song because it was just so powerful to think of God and His mercy and grace. We had an awesome conversation afterwards and I was able to also conduct an interview with a young lady who is joining the hiking group!  It was a pleasure to meet her and she had all the paperwork  filled out and is eager to start.  I'm thankful that we are in a wonderful church with supportive, encouraging friends. 

my church:  Grace Fellowship  (Latham site)

• SALE!  A couple of weeks ago, one of my fave online stores was having a good sale on clothing so I ordered a new skirt for autumn/spring/summer and a blouse and a cozy sweatshirt for winter.  On Tuesday they arrived, and everything fit perfect.  I'm so thankful for good quality  clothing that's on sale.  Here's what I bought (yes, I'm totally into the bohemian/casual look). 

• SPECIAL EMAIL:  I had a very touching email from our senior pastor. It totally made me get choked up, made me say "Thank You, God for Pastor RK" and showed me we have a trustworthy, safe senior pastor who is Biblically sound, wise and caring.  I'm thankful I received this personal email.  

• PERFECT TIMING TEXT:  While I was on the road yesterday to my childhood hometown to check my parents' graves, have lunch with an old friend, and do some antique shopping, I  was overcome with emotion after driving past an old haunt where I have some very bad memories...although the memories have faded...just seeing the spot really made me get choked up and I had to pull over on the side of the road. Just as I did, a text came through from my friend Joan and it was all about her devotional that morning and this song was featured.  She sent me a you tube version (Click on video above) and it just made me weep with gratitude for our loving Heavenly Father.  I honestly don't know how people get through life with out faith in Jesus/God.  I'm so thankful this text came through at the perfect time. 

That wraps up my week of things that made me smile and/or say "Thank You, God". 

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Monday Musings

 

Stony Pond 
north-central Adirondack Mountains
Saturday 15 August

It's been a while since I did one of the "Monday Musings" meme. I'm waiting for my oldest daughter to call me tonight, so thought I'd reflect on my Monday. 

For Today Monday 17 August

Outside our windows: it was cloudy in the morning with light rain and very high humidity and then this afternoon, the sun came out, the temp was about 80 and the humidity level when I checked my weather app around 4 pm said 77% humidity.  So of  course the central air has been on all day. 

I'm thinking about: a text conversation I had with one of my former members of my book group.  

I'm thankful for: new friendships

In the kitchen: I didn't follow a recipe tonight.  I decided to get creative. I made ramen noodles and while they stayed hot, I sauteed sweet potato, carrot, red onion, yellow pepper, roasted red peppers, zucchini, black beans, broccoli.  I added a drizzle of Tuscan Italian dressing and cracked black pepper and served this over the ramen noodles. On the side I had roasted kale with a drizzle of the Tuscan dressing and nutritional yeast (in place of parmesan).  Dinner was so good!  The protein is from the black beans although some of those veggies also have protein. Americans eat far too much protein (the wrong kinds as in animal products).  Since I gave up beef and pork in 2014 and 2015 respectively, I've had to be intentional about getting some protein each day other than in nuts. 

I am wearing:  grey cotton cargo shorts; a black "law and order Svu" tee shirt (I changed in to these clothes after my very hot, sweaty power walk at 5 pm); my Apple watch, my wedding and engagement rings, my birthstone, my silver-larimar thumb ring, and my blue/gold earrings from Venice. 

I am creating: a spreadsheet for my hiking group to make sign-ups easier come Connect Weekend at church in early September. 

I am going: to one of my fave Adirondack lakes tomorrow and in the evening, we have our church picnic for all volunteers/ministry leaders. My husband will go as he is in the choir and on the production team; I will go as a choir member and as a small group leader of an upcoming class, a Bible study/book group, and the Hiking leader. We usually have about 350 volunteers at our picnic.  They are getting it catered from Chick Fil A. 

I am wondering: how my cousin is doing and my Uncle Bruce.  My aunt Ruth (Bruce's wife) just passed away this last week. She was one of my mom's younger sisters. 

I am reading:  the latest Alex Cross book by Patterson and it's awesome; I just started the Gideon book I'll be leading for my Tuesday evening Bible study on Tuesdays starting in Sept, and I am reading various Scriptures on the topic of Hope. 

I am hoping: that my friend Joan and I can find a day in September to hike up Rooster Comb Mt together. 

I am looking forward to: the next SoulSteps hike on Saturday.  There were supposed to be 4 of us going and now it's down to 2 of us. 

I am learning: that sometimes keeping a slower pace is perfectly ok.

Around the house: I did a load of laundry, changed the bed sheets, cleaned the kitchen, went food shopping for the week, did a half hour of power walking, did my yoga stretches, dusted our bedroom and the guest room,  paid the cellphone bill, printed out needed materials for Connect Weekend, texted back 2 friends, organized the fridge and freezer, organized the basement pantry shelves, returned a book to the library, and cleaned the half bathroom. 

A favorite quote for today: 

One of my favorite things:  the scent of rain on a warm August night

A few plans for the rest of the week: tomorrow is the lake day followed by church picnic; Wednesday is possbily a solo hike up a mountain or going to the Philadelphia Orchestra Concert to hear Vivaldi's Four Seasons in the evening; Thursday is a trip out to Northville; Friday is a possible coffee date with my friend Lynn, and Saturday is a long hike into a remote pond up in the west-central ADK 

Have a great week, everyone!