because of this .......

 

As a little girl.....and then a teen....and then an adult........this Scripture has been one of my top 10 faves

I've always been drawn to the mountains........

my childhood home was in the foothills of the Adirondacks...the largest publicly protected park in the lower 48 states....larger than Yellowstone,  Glacier, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon combined. Let that sink in for a moment. 

my childhood family camp, until I was about 17, was in the southern Adirondack region.....close to many amazing mountain lakes and trails.....

for 10 days every July, from age 7-18, I was at our church's conference camp.....outside of Saratoga Springs....it was where I became a Christ follower (during the end of the  Jesus Revolution movement) and in my last year of church camp, I climbed my first ADK High Peak: Giant Mt.  That's really when I fell in love with this Scripture and with climbing. Even though we only had sneakers on and nothing but one water bottle each (what were our youth group leaders thinking??) we scaled that mountain and had a praise service on top......it's where I felt safe.....

Giant Mountain,  the ADK's 12th highest peak
elevation 4627"
I climbed that in 1978
this photo is one I took from the summit of Rooster Comb in 2020...
.....where is a fantastic view of Giant Mt and other high peaks
Since then, I have climbed to Giant's Nubble which i think is the 2nd point from the summit, 
going towards the right in the pic. 

Now? 

People ask me all the time why I get up at the crack of dawn (typically) and drive 2 hours to hike a 6 mile mountain. 

this is one reason: 

.....i like challenges....most of the peaks I summit are not like this one pictured..... I just happen to connect with the quote......

they are most like this one.......and it's because of this, I hike......

summit of Cascade Mt High Peak at 4098' elevation
August 2020

the views........the challenge.......

yup.....you have to climb up this and there's no ladder! 
Cascade Mt the "easiest" High Peak to climb in the ADK
this is where I have to walk sideways down so the discs
and the knees and the toes are not injured  
(of course I didn't know this until about 10 yrs ago) 

you must scramble up this 

or when you are on Rooster Comb Mt, which is one of my favorite mountains in the entire ADK High Peaks region, although it isn't  a peak that is over 4000' high, you actually get a bit of help before the final ascent: 

heading up Rooster Comb Mt

Is it worth it, people ask me? even my hiking group friends who only feel comfortable hiking on flat trails (which by the way is perfectly fine....any trail is an adventure!) cannot understand the pull of the mountain summit to me.......

is it worth it? 

Well...yes.......look: 

my niece Mady and I on the edge of Rooster Comb summit 

Mady and I on the summit of Hopkins Mountain, 3156' high
High Peaks region of the ADK 

I mean...look at the beauty!  That's God's art work! and I feel safe on a summit.....

it's because of this......seeing Him in the world He created.....it's where I feel closest to God.......and I feel safe.......

.........and honestly.....this past month, there's been a disconnect.......I've only hiked 4 mountains so far this year and I'm feeling antsy about getting on a summit again......And out of those 4, only one was over 3000' high (Haystack in Vermont). 

I have hiked 17 different trails since March with the SoulSteps group, or solo. 

But the mountains are calling to me, because God is calling me and I know there's this thing ...this obstacle in my life that I have to face......and in the mountains, I feel safe.......

..........and maybe with the hike that's coming up this week in the deep wilderness surrounded by my beloved mountains, I can finally release this to the One who made it all......

......maybe, because of this, I will "feel" that deep connection again......

because of this, maybe I will feel safe again........

on Rooster Comb Mt
looking at Marcy, our state's highest peak
because of this............i find God.........

AUGUST FAVES

 

The first Friday of August! August starts my fave hiking weather....I love August through mid-December....so many changes come with these months.  

I also love that it's still Summer and time to look for the blessings from the week.  I link up with Susanne's blog to participate in the FFF each week, intentionally looking  for the things God blessed us with. 

FIVE FAVES

from one of his oldest friends

from back to front: Hannah and her hubby Scot
Prem and Anita; Dave D

backyard ice cream bash
in photo:  starting on left:  Claire
our nephew Luke, Tyler and Courtney, Dave
not shown: my 2 sisters Joy and Jill and Jill's hubby Mike
Nathaniel and Peter D.  

• PARTY!  Last Friday evening was the party the girls and I planned for Dave's 60th birthday.  He wanted to keep it small and said he just wanted his closest guy friends plus our nephew (my sister Joy's son) and Courtney's college friend Nathaniel.  Dave's closest friends are Peter,  Brian Q, Dave D, Prem, Scot, Nathaniel. Because we've spent a lot of time with my youngest sister Jill and her husband Mike (who helped build our deck!), we invited them too. We all had a blast making our own ice cream sundaes (I had 6 different flavors including 3 that were non-dairy).  It was far too humid to have a bonfire going but between the ice cream and the cold drinks, we kept cool. Dave was thrilled to receive cards and  one gift (even though I wrote on the invites "Your presence is preferred over your presents).  The girls also got him gifts as did I.  I'm thankful we had a fun evening to celebrate my husband. 

• ORANGE CREAM COLD BREW:  All of my friends know I'm over the top obsessed with coffee, orange flavor, and cherry lime flavor.  I was at Target this past week and we have a *$ in ours and I happened to see a sign that said new flavors.  Orange Cream for cold brew was one of them!  I of course had to get one.  I got mine with almond milk and OMGOSH it was like sipping coffee heaven....the orange cream cold foam tasted just like a creamsicle.  Without the  sugar and calories. I had them do just one pump of the vanilla syrup. I'm thankful I had money on my *$ app and that it was so refreshing on a hot, humid day. 

• WORDS OF WISDOM:  My counselor-friend Cheryl had texted and emailed me this week and her words of wisdom really helped and encouraged me. And then our pastor's wife also sent me an encouraging text and I'm just so thankful for friends who tell you they're praying for you and have words of wisdom from God's Word to help. The thing I most appreciate? They both know and have experienced what I'm walking through.  

• MOVIE:  Dave was away all weekend into Monday morning to visit his mom in MA and I couldn't go as I had a commitment on Sunday morning. In the late afternoon, I decided to see what was new on Netflix and found this movie. Oh my.  It's SO very good. A nice, clean, family drama based on a true story!  Hillary Swank was marvelous in this movie. It's a bit of a tear-jerker but it isn't sappy at all.  It was refreshing to see a good clean movie and I'm thankful Netflix is offering more of this type of thing. 

Black Lake at Cherry Plain State Park
eastern NYS

sand, sunshine, and solitude 

• SOLITUDE:  The plans I had with my sister Hope and youngest daughter Claire for Thursday fell through due to Hope's area of the state experiencing thunderstorms.  Our storms weren't expected until about 5 pm so on the spur of the moment, around 9 AM, I decided to drive 40 minutes east to a state park I like because during the week there's hardly anyone ever there. Sure enough, after I swiped my Empire Pass, I drove to the beach lot and I was the only one there besides one of the park rangers who was doing yard work. I passed by 2 campsites that were occupied and in the distance I saw a woman swimming from the other side of the lake. I was the only one on the beach for about 45 minutes and I was so thankful.  I had time to do some journaling, praying, reading and then just 1 mom walked over from their campsite with her 2 elementary aged children who played quietly in the sand and shallows of the lake. It was what my body and soul needed....some sand, some sun, the fresh cold mountain water (I went in 3 times cause the heat and humidity felt like 90 degrees F) and solitude. I'm thankful for our NYS parks and for the beauty God has made. I'm thankful I could spend the morning at the lake. 

Those are the special blessings that made me smile and say "Thank You, God". 

What about you? What good things did God bring into your week? 

The Driftwood Lesson

 

Moreau Lake State Park 

It was just lying there..........

..................stuck on the sand with the waves gently rocking it but not going anywhere........

..............bark stripped bare...........

A smaller piece next to my chair and I pick it up because it's rare to see driftwood at this state park lake. I was alone with my thoughts after hiking a small mountain by myself, asking God to reveal some things.....things that remain a mystery to me but ones that also are such a part of me........

and when I saw the driftwood, I wondered about it.........

I was not at a natural lake.........it's man made and the only time there are waves is when the wind is blowing strong......because no power boats are allowed on the lake........or jet skis.............................

How did it get to the more private side of the lake? 

Away from children playing marco polo and lifeguards blowing whistles and parents cooking on grills smoking hot and fragrant from charcoal...........

Why was there only one piece? Where was the tree it dropped from? 

Is it birch, beech, oak or maple? I know it isn't pine.

and I thought back to childhood when we would collect driftwood from the rugged shore of the Great Sacandaga and my mother would create artful pieces from the bits and have them all around the camp and on the coffee table at home.......lovingly crafted by hands that worked hard. 

and I thought about how I learned about driftwood.....and what love is and isn't. 

Driftwood happens when pieces of a tree are blown off due to storms and are then tossed and turned over and under the waves of a  lake or the ocean. 

The bark is stripped bare.....exposed to sunlight and fades slowly over time......

.......like my soul is stripped bare after being exposed to abuse and betrayals and it will slowly fade.........the memories......over time. 

Some already have. 

That's God. That's Love. He reaches down to break my heart into fragments and they're tossed and turned by all the emotions of grieving a loss.....loss of innocence and loss of trust. 

And when those emotions are all twisted up? 

He loves anyway.

Scripture says God is Love.

Victor Hugo (in Les Miserables c.1862) says "to love another person, is to see the face of God". 

But love doesn't hurt, doesn't abuse, doesn't lie, doesn't betray

Love, instead, is patient. Is kind. Is not rude, jealous or prideful. 

Love doesn't fail.

And it endures forever.......the gift of Love. 

And I am beginning to realize that God still loves me even with the distance I feel in my heart. And I know....I just know one day soon, He will take those twisted thoughts and emotions and straighten them out, bundle them up, and set them afloat......

to become like driftwood.

and the friends He's placed in my path this summer? 

They may say hard things to me.......Truth......but they're doing so out of a place of Love. ........and when I see them........their faces.......I see God in them. When I read their emails, or texts, I sense God in them. 

While my soul is stripped bare.......

..........and I struggle between survival and surrender......

they are patient. they are praying. 

and I can see the face of God in them......

.............because that's Love. 

Please note: the above sculpture pieces are from an exhibit at MASS MoCa this summer that I was fortunate to get to with my husband and oldest daughter. This particular exhibit is titled Spatial Poems by the artist Cecilia Vicuna, Sam Fresquez, Lola Ayisha Ogbara (Scars Insist on Being Remembered) 

2026 Book Review #26:Theo of Golden

 

What a lovely novel with a lovely premise. 

This is the author's book debut and it's a hit. 

STORY SUMMARY

The man's name is Theo. He doesn't reveal his last name. He asks people lots of questions about themselves yet rarely  talks about himself. He appears in the small town of Golden, Georgia one Spring day. 

Theo likes to visit the local coffeehouse called The Chalice and likes to visit Tony at the Verbivore book store.  

It's in the Chalice that he discovers 92 portraits done in pencil by a local artist named Asher Glisson. The portraits are of various Golden residents. 

Theo begins to buy them, one at a time, and then gives them to the people the portrait is depicting. When these exchanges occur, stories are told, friendships are birthed, and lives change. 

What is  Theo trying to teach the people of Golden? What does this book teach us? 

MY THOUGHTS

I loved this book the moment I opened it. First of all, there were 298 people ahead of me on the waiting list when I first signed up for this book from our towne library. 

Finally 12 days ago, it was my turn.  

The book is one to be savored. It's not a page turner meaning it's not like a thriller or mystery or family drama. It's kind of like an experience. It's the kind of book where I would read a chapter, think about it, set it aside and pick it up again later in the day. 

The characters are very well developed as is the setting.  I just love the descriptions of each character and the various establishments around Golden. 

But more than that, I love the story of Jesus entwined in these pages....this mainly comes out in the end but like I originally thought...Theo is  an example of how Jesus wants us to live.......

the themes of kindness, compassion, gentleness and self control are apparent in this story....the intentional generosity of Theo.....the connection between art/music and redemptive joy. 

The ending is simply exquisite. I cannot reveal what it is because it would totally ruin it for you.  But it's just beautiful and this story will resonate with me for days to come. 

There are many great quotes throughout the story and I'll share a few of my favorites: 

 "For anything to be good, truly good there must be love in it. Whether the art is sculpture, farming, teaching, law-making, medicine, music, or raising a child----nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core." (pg 119 Theo of Golden by Allen Levi, c2023)

"What does it mean that we place permanent boundaries around transient moments? what it it say of humankind that we take such trouble to freeze specific memories, that we devote such energy to capturing and preserving the "minute particulars' of our lives?" (pg 123) 

"...the best portion of a good person's life is "the little, namelss, unremembered acts of kindness and love." (Theo speaking of Wordsworth on pg 207)

"God gave us faces so we can see each other better." (pg 259)

"They are also told that faith, hope, and love endure, but the greatest of these is love." (pg 384)

If you only read one book this summer, make it Theo of Golden.

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.  It's exquisite.