Category: Potpourri

30 Favourite Things #6

teacuppamela.pngOf all the things I’ve done in the last year, I think climbing Mt. Pilchuck was probably my favourite personal accomplishment — or, at least it’s something I’m most glad I did.  Through all the years of pregnancies and nursing babies, tending the home, homeschooling the children and church related commitments, I didn’t even consider a lot of outside activities — well, at least not outside of my small realm, anyway.  And I certainly never even considered hiking.  Probably not even once.  Really.

I would have said that I am just not the “outdoorsy” type and that the only reason to walk somewhere would be to get something or put something away.  Walking for the sake of walking or hiking just to hike would never have been in the realm of possibility for me.  I never considered hiking to be… well, wait… I just never considered hiking.

But year after year I would see that mountain in the distance… its jagged peaks covered in snow and on winter afternoons, the sun shining on it at sunset made it sort of glow. I knew different people who climbed Mt. Pilchuck and raved about how beautiful it was there.  I remember some time after we moved to this house I would say: I’m going to climb that mountain when I am 40.  Okay… so that never happened.  Then a couple of years ago I recalled that I had said that.  I’d occasionally heard people talking about hikes and favourite destinations — one being Heather Lake and another, Mt. Pilchuck. Some of our children had even hiked there.

My husband, wise man that he is, set a time for us to hike to Heather Lake… and as we were hiking, I thought to myself… why would people do this over and over?  Then we rounded a point on the trail that brought Heather Lake into view and I realized for the first time in my life that there are just some things for which there is no reason but for the beauty of a scene or the experience of seeing — simply seeing — God’s marvelous creation.  And that hike was one such experience.

After that, I knew I just must get to the top of Mt. Pilchuck — and that nothing would deter me. ;o)  And so I set the date in my mind and our whole family made the hike on my half-birthday.  I knew they could do it… but I never thought I could — mostly bcz I hadn’t ever tested myself to see what I had in me, if you know what I mean.  I love to work – and I love to work hard – but I don’t hike… ride bikes… skate… play sports or anything like that. But I thought… am I never going to do tough things again in my life?  Am I never going to do ‘athletic’ things?  Wow… that was shocking – bcz I adamantly determined that that wasn’t going to be the case — I was going to do things — lots of things!  And climbing that mountain was one of them!!  It’s sort of like I realized that until I die I am going to live – and do so intentionally!

As I look out today — those beautiful snow-capped  peaks gleaming in the sun — I have an anxious feeling:  I gotta get back to the top of that mountain.  I can’t wait.

mt pilchuck

I was crying when I reached the summit and climbed that ladder to the look-out tower.  I had made it!  My sweet family was with me!  The next thing to do was to go inside to document the event in the guestbook.  Next time I go I’m going to bring back a rock from the top — I forgot to do that last time!

mt pilchuck

mt pilchuck

Actually, my bigger goal was to walk out and stand on the rock… it was totally worth the whole hike!  In the photo below, because of the extreme wind, I had stepped down to the lower rock of the ridge… it was quite a thrill.  I loved seeing for miles and miles and looking out at all the cities below… I loved the totally out in the open feeling and the blessing of standing on the mountaintop as a living picture of lessons I’ve learned in life walking with the LORD through valleys and mountaintops.

All the way up the mountain I had been singing over and over again the chorus:  “When the morning comes on the farthest hill, I will sing His Name, I will praise Him still; When dark trials come and my heart is filled with the weight of doubt I will praise Him still…. For the Lord our God He is strong to save, from the arms of death to the deepest grave, and He gave us life in His perfect will and by His good grace I will praise Him still…”

Standing on that mountaintop… I remembered I had determined to live! before I die.

Praise, praise the Lord.

summit

As I look out at the peak today… I smile thinking: I’ve been there!  I can’t wait to go again!!

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encouragement & geography today…

 teacuppamela.pngI’m thinking of how our children learn, what motivates them the most and what creates the greatest results in homeschooling?  Yes! it’s enthusiasm and love — it’s saying to our children: I am so for you!!  I love you!!

Maybe at home today we need to give a little more attention to what’s most important and, remember, we all need a little more enthusiastic encouragement for whatever we’re teaching (or learning).

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The Mothers Act

teacuppamela.pngThe MOTHERS ACT has been reintroduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 20 introduced Jan 6th 2009) and the U.S. Senate (S. 324 introduced Jan 26 2009).

Messages to members of Congress should be gracious, direct and to the point.

“The Mothers Act is a bill which will increase mental health screening of pregnant women and new mothers,despite the fact that the widely accepted treatment for women diagnosed with postpartum depression is antidepressant drugs — documented by the U.S. FDA to cause worsening depression, mania, psychosis, suicidal and homicidal ideation and birth defects. There is no language in the bill that would assure mothers are given non-drug options or accurate information about the subjectivity of the diagnoses (a checklist of questions) or the documented risks of psychiatric drugs. This violates informed consent and puts new mothers and their infants at risk.”

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cream puffs.

teacuppamela.pngBlind trust is a dangerous thing sometimes.  It’s what makes us vulnerable to accepting things we’d not ordinarily accept and makes us do things we’d not ordinarily do.  Hope’s like that sometimes too.  We sometimes want something so badly that we’ll believe just about anything for that need to be met or filled.  Some will sacrifice just about anything to have deep seated longings fulfilled.

When I was six years old my mother was dating a man she would eventually marry. I so wanted to call him daddy.  We took a train to his home and we visited him.  While we were there I noticed that in one of the bedrooms of his home was a beautiful white bed with a pink canopy — the bedspread was white and the pillow had a ruffle and lace around the edge… the curtains in that room were ruffled.  I didn’t know my mother was poor until I saw that room and I didn’t know I was born to be a princess until I saw that bed.  I didn’t know we had a very limited food budget until he brought great food to our home.  I wanted him to be our daddy.  So badly.

I will never forget the great disappointment of discovering that that beautiful princess bed would not become mine, but belonged to his daughter and when my mother married him and we moved into his home that bed was no longer in the room that was to be my room.  One of my first intense brushes with reality.   It would be the first of many.  I would learn along the way that oftentimes, posers immoral men who marry a second wife have a paved road they continue to travel and that road has many intersections.  But that’s a story for another time.   (O, and about that little would-be princess? Don’t worry, I’m fine.  I’m over it. I have a canopy bed now.)

Hope will lead people to make decisions they’d not ordinarily make.  Wine or smooth speech will, too.  Infatuated women bed down with total strangers because they think in the heat of a moment that someone will love them, provide whatever they need and care for them forever — believing the lies and promises of the smooth talker.  Never giving one thought to the fact that that ‘lover’ will forget their name, not recall the night and will never fulfill the promises or remember the lies. Never giving one thought to the potential for deadly harm or physical disease.  Never giving one thought to the lifelong consequences of giving in to someone whose seductive smile lured them into the bed of future sorrow. Never giving one thought to the fact that nothing is known of the history, track-record or actual accomplishments of the one who would use and abuse and leave behind as a discarded toy.  Blind trust is a very dangerous thing… infatuation is, too.  So is hope in a poser or smooth speech fool.

What seems and what is are two very different things.

So, tomorrow’s the Inauguration ceremony for the 44th President of the United States.  I think many are looking for a daddy to believe in… a lover to romance them… a hero to save them.  Many in our land who have been seduced by the enticing words, see the beautiful canopy bed or whatever else the mirage contains and believe the king will make them princes and princesses, too.
More later.  And cream puffs?  I couldn’t think of another entry title today.

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more paul washer

teacuppamela.pngStill sick… but not with the same thing – this is a new week, so I have a new bug… now the flu has come through our home and I, a gracious hostess, somehow seemed willing to host this unwelcome guest for the last couple of days.  I’m really surprised to have sickness linger… so, yeah… sick again.

Cool to have the laptop here beside the bed so I can listen to tremendous sermons while I rest.  Gotta say… Paul Washer is probably my favourite to listen to.  But some of you knew that already.  With all the religious foolishness being “preached” and all the godless movies being embraced by “believers” it’s refreshing to listen to someone who is *willing* to tell the Truth.

I’ll attempt to answer letters tomorrow – for now, have a listen: