All aboard!

We left Chicago's Union Station for Portland on Amtrak's Empire Builder two days ago.

We stayed in a superliner bedroom suite in a sleeper car and had access to the snack, sightseer and dining cars.  

Along the way, we enjoyed the views of the Wisconsin Dells, Mississippi River, Rocky Mountains, Glacier National Park, Gateway to Mount Rainier, Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood.

After 2257 miles, 47 hours and three times zones, we finally made it to Portland's Union Station.

What an experience!

Should You Go First

L.B. Cowman's Consolation continues to be a tremendous source of encouragement for me. This poem is from today's entry:

Should You Go First
Should you go first and I remain
  To walk the road alone,
I'll live in memory's garden, dear,
  With happy days we've known.
In Spring, I'll wait for roses red,
  In Summer - lilacs blue;
In Autumn, when the brown leaves call
  I'll catch a breath of you.

Should you go first and I remain
  For battles to be fought,
Each thing you've touched along the way
  Will be a hallowed spot.
I'll hear your voice, I'll see your smile,
  Though blindly I may grope,
The memory of your helping hand
  Will buoy me on with hope.

Should you go first and I remain
  To finish with the scroll,
No length'ning shadows shall creep in
  To make this life seem droll.
We've known so much of happiness,
  We've had our cup of joy;
Ah, memory is one gift of God
  That death cannot destroy.

Should you go first and I remain
  One thing I'd have you do:
Walk slowly down the path of death,
  For soon I'll follow you.
I'll want to know each step you take,
  That I may walk the same,
For some day down that lonely road
  You'll hear me call your name.

by A.K. Rowswell

My heart needed courage to move forward alone and God used this poem to encourage me to do so. His timing is perfect!

Take Them A Meal

Have you been called to minister to a family in need with hot homemade meals? If so, Take Them A Meal is a quick and effective way to organize a meal schedule for someone and their family. Instead of the time consuming task of making phone calls to fill in names on a calendar, just create a meal schedule on their website and e-mail or even post on Facebook or a blog (such as a CaringBridge site) the link, person's last name and passcode to those that may be interested in ministering in the same way. It's easy! It's amazing how quickly a calendar fills up with very little effort. It's a great way to help someone that just had a baby or death in their family as well as someone that is recovering from surgery or going through treatment. Check it out!

Kidz BLAST

It's been a busy week of Vacation Bible School at our church!

The boys and over 500 other kids had fun at Kidz BLAST where they learned to Believe, Love, Adore, Serve and Trust. This fun-filled week included worship, Bible stories, games, crafts, snacks and a missions project that raised over $3100 for Living Water International, an organization that helps poverty-stricken countries acquire clean water.

I served on the 5th and 6th grade crafts team which was a fun and enjoyable change of pace for me.

We had a blast!

Dirty Dog

Belle was naughty today, but she had fun and made us laugh!

Grief Share

Do you know about Grief Share? It's a community of people that helps those who have lost a loved one heal from their loss by connecting them to support groups, seminars, personal studies and books. There's even a daily devotional, A Season of Grief, that is free via e-mail. I like starting my day with a hot cup of coffee and a comforting and encouraging e-mail from them in my in-box. Check it out!

National Ice Cream Day

Do you know today is National Ice Cream Day? Back in 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day.

Kent liked ice cream a lot, so our freezer was (and still is) always stocked. The boys looked forward to eating some with him almost every night. Blue Bunny cookies & cream and mint chocolate chip as well as my mother-in-law's homemade graham cracker have always been favorites in our house, but we like plain chocolate and vanilla too. We recently made my paternal grandma's homemade strawberry and it was good too . . . even without fresh cream! Last but not least, we've always liked spur-of-the-moment drives on a hot, humid afternoon or evening to Dairy Queen for some soft serve.

Tonight we finished a quart of key lime pie which was last week's flavor of the week at Tastee Top, a revived classic right down the road from where I grew up.

So what's your favorite ice cream?

Our camper is home!

After being gone for a week, J and other 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders from our church came home today from Twin Lakes Camp where they kept busy with creek walks, a water zip line, swimming, boating, archery, crafts and, of course, chapel, devotions and prayer. One of J's favorite activities was the mud pit. He's such a boy! Aside from being cold at night and a little homesick, he had a great time in God's great outdoors. We're glad he's home though, because we missed him!