I really wanted to show you the story of this day with pictures, but instead, I'm gonna have to put on my big girl pants and use my words so you are going to have to use your imagination.
"Where you lead I will follow. Anywhere, that you you tell me to. When you need, you need me to be with you, I will follow where you lead."
These words are from a song by Carol King, but today, I sang them to Jesus.
I was just headed home...
"You should drive up to Rock Creek Lake. It's really beautiful today."
I pass Tom's place restaurant and slow the truck. Hmmm...
I make the turn.
20 minutes later I sit in a line of traffic behind the flag man.
The road is torn up. It's bumpy and dusty and I am irritated. "Really...and why am I here?"
I pull into "Pie in the Sky" restaurant, let out a big sigh of frustration, and park.
"Go inside and get a piece of pie."
I need a bathroom.
But I go inside and a lady is fussing about the pie menu. She wants peach. It's written right there, she says and points. It's barely 10 oclock. Why is peach crossed out?
A couple behind me complain. I am not the only one who doesn't like the road work.
So I go outside to the bathroom, do my business, and head to the car. I am dreading the drive back down the dusty construction road.
"Go inside and get a piece of pie. Take it down to the lake."
So I sigh, give in, and stand at the counter.
I'm now behind the fussy lady. She is upset t about the peach pie.
The young man behind the counter is trying to be kind so he walks away and comes back. Yeah, I checked with the pie guy again, he said. No more Peach.
I don't really like any of the pie choices either, but its my turn. I step up and ask, Rhubarb or Banana Cream?
Rhubarb. He answers without hesitation.
I order a piece.
20 minutes and $7.50 later I get back in the truck with my pie in the sack and know in my heart that I am just as fussy as the lady who wanted Peach, and I drive to the lake.
I get out of the car carrying my sack of pie and my phone and my keys.
S I walk I catch a sight of the lake and I sigh. It is beautiful.
The young man behind the counter is trying to be kind so he walks away and comes back. Yeah, I checked with the pie guy again, he said. No more Peach.
I don't really like any of the pie choices either, but its my turn. I step up and ask, Rhubarb or Banana Cream?
Rhubarb. He answers without hesitation.
I order a piece.
20 minutes and $7.50 later I get back in the truck with my pie in the sack and know in my heart that I am just as fussy as the lady who wanted Peach, and I drive to the lake.
I get out of the car carrying my sack of pie and my phone and my keys.
S I walk I catch a sight of the lake and I sigh. It is beautiful.
There is a place in the sun right at the waters edge and so I go and I sit and I open my sack.
"Put your feet in."
And so I do. And I take a bite.
It might be the best pie I ever tasted.
"Put your feet in."
And so I do. And I take a bite.
It might be the best pie I ever tasted.
(Here is a pretend picture of my feet in water with a half eaten piece of pie in my lap and a lake glistening like diamonds in the sun.)
I eat most of the pie and flutter my feet back and forth in the water.
I lean back, hold my face in the sun, realize I feel good and know this a good and beautiful thing. A God designed thing.
"Walk with me."
And so I do.
(Here is another pretend picture of the fly fishermen I run into, five of them, thigh deep and arranged perfectly in a geometric pattern in the water by the big rock.)
It stops me and I take a deep breath.
I walk for an hour and it is beautiful and I take lots of pictures.
I am happy and have forgotten about being disappointed. About being discouraged.
Thank you Lord.
I get back in the car and I am the first one at the flagger with the stop sign.
I don't even care and I smile. His beard is long like the Duck Dynasty guys and his smile is just as genuine.
Thank you Lord.
"Stop at the campground."
I choose the lower rather than the upper campground and park near the lodge. The wildflowers are in crazy bloom. Purple like I have never seen. Long grass in shades of green I can't even describe grow around the trees with the light... oh the light. Just so...
And the creek...so loud and foamy and dancing. I close my eyes and listen.
And then I walk.
And I see and I snap...
"Get off the path. Go down by the waters edge."
Really? I look down at my rubber flip flops and too long sweat pants already wet around the bottom. And my foot hurts. I was just headed home.
"You love adventure. So go down to waters edge."
For the next two hours I am off the beaten path. Following a most beautiful creek ducking under branches, climbing over slippery rocks, holding onto tree trunks as I step around and see the most beautiful light and beautiful things and I am smiling.
"Does your foot hurt?"
I eat most of the pie and flutter my feet back and forth in the water.
I lean back, hold my face in the sun, realize I feel good and know this a good and beautiful thing. A God designed thing.
"Walk with me."
And so I do.
(Here is another pretend picture of the fly fishermen I run into, five of them, thigh deep and arranged perfectly in a geometric pattern in the water by the big rock.)
It stops me and I take a deep breath.
I walk for an hour and it is beautiful and I take lots of pictures.
I am happy and have forgotten about being disappointed. About being discouraged.
Thank you Lord.
I get back in the car and I am the first one at the flagger with the stop sign.
I don't even care and I smile. His beard is long like the Duck Dynasty guys and his smile is just as genuine.
Thank you Lord.
"Stop at the campground."
I choose the lower rather than the upper campground and park near the lodge. The wildflowers are in crazy bloom. Purple like I have never seen. Long grass in shades of green I can't even describe grow around the trees with the light... oh the light. Just so...
And the creek...so loud and foamy and dancing. I close my eyes and listen.
And then I walk.
And I see and I snap...
"Get off the path. Go down by the waters edge."
Really? I look down at my rubber flip flops and too long sweat pants already wet around the bottom. And my foot hurts. I was just headed home.
"You love adventure. So go down to waters edge."
For the next two hours I am off the beaten path. Following a most beautiful creek ducking under branches, climbing over slippery rocks, holding onto tree trunks as I step around and see the most beautiful light and beautiful things and I am smiling.
"Does your foot hurt?"
No. It doesn't hurt at all. I am happy. All alone and surrounded by glory. The water is so clear. A huge trout nips and plays chase with little ones. The colors of the creek water go from white to turquoise blue to every shade of green you can imagine and the long green grass has so many shades and the wildflowers and...I pull my Maui Jim sunglasses off my eyes just to make sure...and... I am awestruck.
(I have no words for what these photos looked liked. Just picture the most beautiful creek and grasses that you can imagine)
When I take my next steps in the thigh high grass, the water suddenly hits the middle of my calf and my foot comes out of the sticky mud without a sandal. I hear a swooshing sound and I laugh.
(Here is a pretend picture of my legs in the deep grass, my foot coming up naked, and my hand holding so tight to my phone that I have a cramp. I'm so worried I'm going to drop it.) But I laugh again.
"You want adventure."
Yes, I do. And I smile. But I'm not sure how far I've walked and going forward from here means I might have to wade in waist deep water across the creek. I would be soaked. And so...I turn around.
(I have no words for what these photos looked liked. Just picture the most beautiful creek and grasses that you can imagine)
When I take my next steps in the thigh high grass, the water suddenly hits the middle of my calf and my foot comes out of the sticky mud without a sandal. I hear a swooshing sound and I laugh.
(Here is a pretend picture of my legs in the deep grass, my foot coming up naked, and my hand holding so tight to my phone that I have a cramp. I'm so worried I'm going to drop it.) But I laugh again.
"You want adventure."
Yes, I do. And I smile. But I'm not sure how far I've walked and going forward from here means I might have to wade in waist deep water across the creek. I would be soaked. And so...I turn around.
I get back to the car and eat the rest of the pie. It's almost three-thirty and I'm hungry.
When I get home I eat and sit down with my phone. I can't wait to see the pictures.
There are no pictures.
I spend the next three hours in Bishop at the AT&T store.
My device storage is full although my camera is set to copy to my SD card which holds all my photos and has 3.11 GB of memory left. He is baffled. I am about to cry.
I go home with no pictures. No pictures of my amazing God day.
When I get home I eat and sit down with my phone. I can't wait to see the pictures.
There are no pictures.
I spend the next three hours in Bishop at the AT&T store.
My device storage is full although my camera is set to copy to my SD card which holds all my photos and has 3.11 GB of memory left. He is baffled. I am about to cry.
I go home with no pictures. No pictures of my amazing God day.
But then what I realize as I wrestled around with all of this is his that this day was not about the pictures. It was about God. Who He is. What He does. How He speaks to me. Do I want to show you what He showed me today? Yes. because it was glorious, but I can't. Does that change what God did for me today and what He showed me? No. It does not.
I was just headed home.
But God had a different plan.
Thank you Lord...
I was just headed home.
But God had a different plan.
Thank you Lord...
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