Riding Through the Storm

Cache Valley Century August 23, 2014

Rich is doing LOTOJA in two weeks and needs miles.  The Cache Valley Century is perfect.  I can do 60 miles in the time it takes him to do 100.  Our anniversary is on the 24^th – there is not a better place to be than Logan, Ut where we met over 43 years ago.  The night before was stormy and I was hesitating about riding.  But the morning turned out beautiful.  Cool enough for long sleeves and a jacket that could be put away if it warmed up. 

I love that ride.  I love the smell of the farmland.  It is fun to see the difference between the crops from Little Red in June to maturity in August.  I love the smell of the dairies. (odd, I know but it reminds me of my youth). 

Imagine an Arrow far away where there are no trees

My garmin had said 58 miles and since I thought I was only going 60 – I am excited thinking that I am only 2 miles from the end and then I see a sign that says 5 miles.  I was bummed to say the least.   But I really had no choice.   Then it started to hail.  At first I thought it was rain because I couldn’t see hail on the road.  How come this rain hurts so badly?  Those must be huge drops to hurt like that.  Then I realized it was hail.  I stopped and put on my jacket.  I knew it wouldn’t keep me dry, but at that point I was just hoping to ease the pain.  I have a very low pain tolerance and I know that.  So be it.   Anyhow as I am looking up the road – there is not a tree in sight.  That beautiful farmland that I love so much was now barren of any protection.   I looked for anything that would give me respite from the hail, but there was nothing.  I even saw a combine and the thought went through my head – could I get some shelter – but it was too far off the road.  The only choice was to keep riding.  I couldn’t go back – there was no turning around.  I thought I need to ride faster – but I was afraid of all the water on the road, afraid I might slip.  I slowed down.  I had had a time goal in mind and now I was missing that and my only thought was to get to the end where I knew there was shelter from the storm.   When I got to the end I got in the truck and warmed up a bit, then I waited for Rich – worried about his ride.  Worried about the thunder and lightning I saw, worried for his safety.  After my time of self-pity, I could then turn my attention to someone else and forget my misery for a brief time.  I went back out into the rain to watch and wait.  What started as a beautiful ride quickly turned into a torrential storm

It was such a good lesson for me.  Many of my friends have serious trials.  They are on that barren stretch of land.  There is no turning back.   What starts out pleasant turns into pain.  There doesn’t seem to be any shelter within reach.  The only way is to keep going.  Those people are who I think about when I am riding.  Those are the ones I think about when I want to give up.  Their journeys are so much harder than mine, that I think – I can’t give up – so and so wouldn’t.  Heavenly Father helps me to understand my mortal journey. He helps me to see the rainbows of life after the torrential storm. 

Monday, May 12, 2014

Continuous Living Water 

I went to Moab this past weekend to run a relay race with Daija.    I had bought some flowers during the week intending to plant them and ran out of time.  I left them sitting in the shade hoping that the rain that was forecast would keep them alive while I was gone.  I watered them heartily Friday before I left.  Rain was in the forecast for the weekend.  I didn’t have time to worry about them on Saturday because I was running (another post later).  But Saturday evening it started to rain HARD in Moab and I was reminded that my flowers needed water and I started to worry if there had been enough rain in Draper.  And then as if Heavenly Father was helping me learn a very important lesson the thought entered my mind that the vessel that these flowers were in was not big enough to store water.  They not only needed rain, but they needed it daily and on a regular basis.  I wondered.  I realized that prayer and scripture study were the living water for my soul and for a brief moment I felt the intense need of those on a daily basis.   No amount of extra rain would have helped them the next day.  One spiritual experience like Time out for Women is not helpful on a continuous basis unless I take those drops of knowledge and use them daily.  Fervent prayer and scripture study on one day a week in not sufficient.  It helps that day, but I could wilt the next day if I don’t get another dose of spiritual rain. 

The following scriptures remind me that I need Christ’s living water but these flowers remind me that I need them on a daily and regular basis. 

By living the gospel of Jesus Christ, we develop within ourselves a living spring that will quench eternally our thirst for happiness, peace, and everlasting life. The Lord explains clearly in the Doctrine and Covenants that only faithful obedience can tap the well of living water that refreshes and enlivens our souls: “But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life.” ⁷D&C 63:23 (Joseph B. Wirthlin April 1995)

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” ⁴ John 4:13-14

There's Still Daylight

There’s still daylight

April 24-26, 2014
I had the privilege of taking my Dad to a 10^th Armored Division reunion in Phoenix, Arizona.  There are not that many WW2 veterans left.  I was planning on dividing the driving day into two equal days, meaning a stop in Henderson just outside of Las Vegas.  My dad traveled well.  We had to make more stops for me than for him.  I had gotten off one hour later than I anticipated.  When we got to Henderson we were looking for a motel.  I remember Dad looking back at the sunset and saying those memorable words:  “There’s still daylight”, let’s keep going.  I was tired, but he is my dad.  We made it to Kingman, Arizona and even though it was one of their busiest weekends of the year, we found a motel with a handicapped room with a room next to it.  We ate dinner and got to bed around 10:00 that night.  He said I will see you in the morning.  He’s 94 so he sleeps in – he was up and ready to go around 7:00.  You see there is daylight.  And it doesn’t matter which end of the day.  If there is daylight – you get going and you keep going.   I told my brother about this and we laughed.  It was our childhood mantra – if there was daylight – you should be working.  Not just working, but working hard.  I remember the summer that Josh went to work on the farm.  I went out to the field he was in and I saw him “resting” on his shovel and I was frantic.  I remember so vividly thinking that he had to get shoveling quickly or else he would be in trouble for “leaning” on his shovel.   I believe my brothers and I had worked out a warning system and would let each other know when Dad was coming so we could get back to work if we were “loafing”.   We were not overworked, but we learned to work and work hard.  We learned that if there was daylight – there was work to be done.  My dad at 94 still has more energy than I do.  We were at the meetings of which they said – he can take a break and come back if he needs to rest.  Rich and I kept saying – do you want to rest?  Nope he kept going and never took a break.  I wanted to go back to the room and rest – but he is like the energizer bunny.  As long as there is daylight………………