We are counting down the days to our walk and training is ongoing. It's hard to believe that we are down to 80 days already.
Jo Anne came out to visit this week and in addition to joining me for my daily 5-mile walks, we took a longer walk (orange trail) in the LBJ National Grasslands.
Arrived at the grasslands as the sun came up. I love this quote from Alfred Wainwright:
"Morning is the best part of the day for walking. The air is freshest then, the earth sweetest. The flowers preen themselves after their bath of dew, and stand erect with rare self-assurance, proud of their bright clean colours. The birds are happiest in the morning, and most lively then. They dart across the path before you, wheel and soar above the trees, swoop unerringly to their nests. They chatter and chirrup and sing in unending chorus, blithely contented and gay, and so very very glad to be alive." - AW
beginning of the trail
Parts of the trail were overgrown
And yes there are hills, although nothing like we will experience in England
There were also several ponds
Asclepias milkweed: notice the split fruit (pod) revealing the seeds (usually 50-100). The little white "parachute" allows the wind to carry them and then you have lots of milkweed.
All parts of the plant contain toxic, cardiac glycosides, which can cause nausea, diarrhea, weakness and confusion in small amounts.
Although it is potentially poisonous, the plant has been used for medicinal purposes as well. Many indigenous tribes applied milkweed sap for wort removal and chewed the root to treat dysentery. It was also used in salves and infusions to treat swelling, rashes, coughs, fevers and asthma.
Best to really know what you're doing with this plant.
more water
Jo Anne pointing out one of the orange flags that marked the trail.
There were lots and lots of spider webs (I always remember my English teacher telling me a lot is an area of land and not acceptable in formal writing). Fortunately, there is nothing formal about my writing. 😀
sun coming through the trees
more trail
watching for those orange flags
one of a couple of gates we went through
Time for a break (water and a snack), and to let the sweat on our backs dry out a bit. I know that's gross but it was HOT!
one of the many we saw
on the final stretch
We decided the best way to walk this trail in the summer is the opposite direction from the All Trails map info. We ended up walking all the open area in the direct sun when it was unbearably hot. If we had started the other way, we would have been walking through the trees when it got so hot. The trail is definitely worth walking again so I will test my hypothesis.
Daddy's favorite scripture verse: "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 118:1
Today we are remembering our dad and the great memories we shared. He was one of a kind and there isn't a day that goes by that we don't think of him and smile (and often shed a few tears).
There are so many things we could say about him. He worked hard to put food on the table, clothes on our bodies, a roof over our heads and provide our education. That hard work took many forms, from being a lifeguard (where he met our mom - story to follow), to the furniture business he owned and operated for over 50 years, and many things in between.
One of his 'early in life' jobs was working for Thompson Hardware, delivering furniture (by day) and dynamite (by night). He was making a delivery, with one ton of dynamite and 1,000 lbs of blasting caps, from Hobbs to Tatum, NM. There was a horrible storm, with torrential rain washing across the road. He was doing everything possible to keep the truck on the road, but rushing water pushed him to the edge, causing the truck to roll. He was certain his life was over and even in telling the story 65 years later, he is so moved by the memory, he can hardly speak. But God had a bigger plan for his life. He still had to marry our Mom, father three girls, be grandfather to six and great-grandfather to 13.
May 30, 1951
The story about how our parents met (at the pool) will differ depending on who was telling the story. Daddy will tell you that Mother was going to break her neck diving into the pool, so he had to 'rescue' her and teach her to dive properly. Mother will tell you she was doing just fine and he just wanted to meet her. Regardless, it was true love and a love that lasted a lifetime.
Daddy served as a Marine during the Korean War.
Mother died just days before their 63rd wedding anniversary, and Daddy never recovered from that loss.
His greatest joy was taking care of others; his parents and our Mom's parents, his brothers and sisters, widows, neighbors, orphans and anyone else who needed help. When his health failed and he could no longer physically help others, it broke his heart.
He never asked for a special thanks for those things. We tried our best, in our own ways, to be fine, upstanding women, wives, mothers and grandmothers, which I think was our way of indirectly saying “thank you” to him, but how much more meaningful to have spoken those heart-felt words to him more often.
As I think about Father’s Day, my thoughts turn to my Heavenly Father. Just like my dad never needed special thanks to be our provider and protector, God’s goodness toward us is not dependent on our acknowledgement and gratitude. But is it enough to just be fine upstanding human beings for God? The Scriptures indicate that God desires to hear our praise, our gratitude for who He is and what He does.
"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe." Hebrews 12:28.
"Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20.
This is the appropriate response of someone who understands the gift, and the Giver, of life and blessing.
A posture of thankfulness means not taking things for granted, or feeling entitled, understanding that everything that comes our way is in large part due to the effort of many individuals coupled with the grace of God.
So, on Father’s Day, we want to thank our dad, who is spending this day with our mom and sister and Jesus in heaven. Thank you for loving us like our Heavenly Father loves us. We wouldn’t be the God-fearing people we are today without the lessons you taught us.
Thank you for the many times you reflected the love, strength, generosity, wisdom and mercy that God exemplifies in His relationship with us.
Thank you for putting our needs above your own convenience and comfort; for teaching us to show courage and determination in the face of adversity; for challenging us to move beyond self-limiting boundaries; for modeling the qualities that would turn us into responsible, principled, caring adults; for being the picture of a spiritual leader to our husbands and sons.
Thank you for doing all you could to raise happy and holy children, grounded in a love for God and other people – and for loving our mother and treating her with dignity, compassion and respect; one of the greatest gifts you gave us.
This death doesn't separate us. Our fellowship is just interrupted for a time, but shall be renewed again and then shall never end.
“…with the sound of the trumpet of God...and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage each other with these words.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16b-18
There's a beautiful song, I Will Rise, by Chris Tomlin. If you would like, you can listen to the song here.
Our source of comfort isn’t only that we’ll be with the Lord in Heaven, but also that we’ll be with each other.
