Bringing God Joy and A Lesson From My Boy

I have always felt being a parent gives me a considerable advantage to understanding God's heart. My understanding increases as I think on the similarities of my feelings and His. This week of vacation held several parallels, but the one that stands out is our bike trip yesterday...

My husband Dale has been planning for this adventure for several months. If his computer is open, there is a tab that says, "Craig's List". Our baby boy Ethan {I know he loves that title} turned 20 this month. We wanted to give him and his friend a trip to Florida. Dale has been working for nearly four months on having all we needed at a good price. Cheap. :) 

He brought our two bikes down in December anticipating me joining him several times during his time in the South, but he wanted the boys to have bikes, and found a pair on Craig's List. Very basic bikes, not like our mountain bikes. At all. 

After a 40 minute drive to the trail head, we unloaded our bikes and were tooling around the truck before heading onto the trail. In his amuse-me boyish manner, Ethan said, "Look Mom, Dad got me a freestyle bike!" To model this, he jumped up with both wheels airborne, and upon landing, his rear wheel instantly disfigured. 

Similar to this photo... 

My immediate mom-response was, "take my bike, I will go find something to do in town." {Gainesville has a plethora of shops!}. Never in a million years would I have thought to try to straighten the wheel, nor did I think he would be able to do it. But that is what he did. Honestly. He somehow "untwisted" it and we proceeded to navigate our way through the mountain-bike trail. Every time we hit a large root, I anticipated his "weak" wheel collapsing. But it never did. Eight miles of bumps, twists, ruts and roots and the bike made it all the way.

How can I express the "wonder" I held in my heart at how enterprising my boy was? {And all the moms are with me on that, I know!} Seeing both of the boys navigate the single-track trail on inferior bikes made a lasting impression on me. They were NOT mountain bikes. They were like the bikes I learned on 'eons' ago and would never have attempted to ride in the meadow much less the mountain. {Not that there are mountains in Florida, but when you are biking up an incline, it feels like a mountain .} 

On our way back home, I was thanking God for this miracle of being able to participate in this adventure, and that I have a son who is not deterred by a mangled bike tire . 

And I got yet another glimpse of His love for our acts prompted by faith. The "press on" attitude and creativity that we use gives Him pleasure. Don't you love that?

Afterward photo...My amusing boy on the left...his amusing friend on the right.  

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

We can know that God takes pleasure in us when we take steps of faith in our adventure with Him, and not let a "twisted wheel" deter or determine the ground we take. 

Upon Returning

Vacation is good. Coming home is good.

But being the "type A" that I am, I get overwhelmed by the unpacking and getting things back in order. It was compounded this time because as we drove in the driveway, my flowers looked so sad from no rain the entire week we were gone. They were in full glory when we left-I guess I thought they'd stay that way!

I also came home to boxes of fall merchandise for the store to unpack. I had promised customers I would have some fall items out the end of August, which didn't leave me much time when I was returning on the 25th! (I don't get why some want to push fall forward for the life of me-summer here is so short-but I love 'em so I accomodate!)

I set about unpacking, laundry, watering, opening boxes, pricing, and rearranging the shop a bit before Wed (my hours are Wed-Sat 10-5).

Tonight I feel a bit back to normal, and clear-minded (sigh).

Usually when one returns from vacation that is what they talk about...Sorry, I had to dump the uglies first.

For vacation, we went to the U.P. of Michigan. For those who have no idea what that is, it stands for the Upper Penninsula. It actually is an extension of Wisconsin. We rented a cabin for a week on the Menomonie River. The Lord gave us perfect weather & lotsa fun!

We have friends in Marquette, which is on Lake Superior. They are wonderful hosts. They took us along the coast and told some local stories and history, then we hiked up Sugar Loaf Mtn to get a panoramic view of the city and the giant blue lake. It was breathtaking. I haven't loaded my photos yet-coming soon!

We then drove out a long, windy, narrow road for several miles to a little cabin on the Dead River, where she insisted we stay for the night so we didn't have to drive back to our resort. There was a beautiful beach on which I became a whale (laid out in the sun I mean) and watched my children-all three of them dig ditches in the sand and fill them with water. I LOVE that, when they are just like 8 years old. It was heart-warming.

We took a pontoon ride, sat in the sauna, visited, and nodded off. The next morning we had to visit a coffee shop that Dale's co-worker owns. We then headed back for Iron Mountain, where we fished, (well, I just laid in the boat) and ate and lounged and ate and slept and ate and toured and ate........and yes, I felt like a slug-you know how that is?

Then we went ORVing or ATVing or four wheeling-whatever you call it. I have read Wild at Heart-you know, the book about men and their thirst for adventure...how they love their women to love it too...so I put myself at the mercy of the Lord, strapped on my husband's too-large-for-my-head helmet, his gloves, and goggles, and off we went. I think I will post just on this adventure another time. Let's just leave it with WE ARE ALL STILL ALIVE-okay?

And I did get my romance (the other book, which I was reading on our trip: Captivating-the one about women and their thirst for romance or beauty). Mornings on the river were beautiful. When I woke before everyone else, the Lord beckoned me out to the swing that was on a little connected island, right near the river so I could admire the sunshine dancing in the water as I drank deep from the River of Life.

It's good to end a story with the sweet stuff. Actually, it's all good (I love that saying), even the return challenges- because I appreciate God's mercy and patience all the more when He continues to love His "type A".