It is All About the Climb!

Hello Friends!


    This morning during my devotion time, I found a note in my Bible that I had written to myself about 2 years ago.  It was written on a napkin from a restaurant near the Grand Canyon.  Two summers ago, My husband and I took our family on a 3 week camping trip out west.  We had been saving and planning for this trip for years.  We had every detail, camping site and tourist spot mapped out on the road atlas.  I had spent six months planning every detail.  It was a trip of of a lifetime....camping across our great nation.  I will never forget the morning that we left and how excited we all were at the adventure that lay ahead for our family.  I never dreamed that God would change my heart and prepare our lives for the journey our family would eventually take. My note read "Never forget how grand and mighty the Lord is and how vast his love can be......never forget the sight of this canyon and how with one stroke of his precious hand he created this beautiful valley."  I stood at the rim of the canyon and I will never forget the first thought that came to my mind.....How could anyone deny our Creator!  The beauty of that sight is amazing...breathtaking. We visited many different national parks and monuments including Four Corners!  My children laid down on the squares and put a bodily limb in each of the four states.  If you are not from America, we have a monument in the west called Four Corners National Park.  It is the area in which four of the 50 states meet at one point. During this trip, we spent long hours traveling in the car.  We played games, sang songs, viewed beautiful scenery and grew closer as a family.  I believe that was the best vacation that I have ever been able to experience.  God showed his mighty power through His creations to me.  We traveled through the mountains, over hills, through the Painted Desert and the along the plains.  It was a journey.  It was during the long rides that we all took turns listening to our favorite music.  Each one of us was able to play a CD of our choice.  Of course having preteen daughters we had to listen to Miley Cyrus.  It was funny because one of her songs after many replays began to be my favorite.  I think it was driving through the Painted Forest on our way to Flagstaff, Arizona that the words of her song, "The Climb" began to be our travel theme song. I had been thinking about the turns in the road and the winding of each curve in relation to life.  Life has many curves and quick turns.  The song talks about the journey being the adventure.  Its not always about what is at the end of the road, but the road traveled. The bumps in the road, the long wait for something we desire, the hurts and disappointments and the unanswered prayers that truly are answered.  These moments my sweet friend are the journey.  It is what we gain from these experiences that leave the imprint and mark on our lives.  The "climb"....the journey......keep the faith and enjoy the ride.
    I look forward to this new journey that God has given us and I cannot wait to take my boys on their first family camping adventure.  


Love, 
Penny