The Spectacular and the Mundane

So I'm planning a trip to Glacier National Park. For years this has been on the top of my list of the places that I've wanted to go in the world. I think it was the fall of 2000 I was in Great Smoky Mountain National Park on a backpacking trip where a guy staying at the same shelter as us was telling me that was the most spectacular park in the continental 48. Ever since then I've heard nothing but amazing things about the park. So I'm really excited to go.

The thing is, the trip is still 5 months away. I become faced with a choice, to live out the time between now and this moment I've dreamed about as time that just needs to be passed to get to where I want to go, or to live out this time as something special of it's own.

I think for many of us we find some point in time that we dream of (getting out of school, getting married, having kids, a great vacation, retirement) and then every moment between now and then is lived out as something we just need to get past. The thing is, there's a lot of other great things between now and then. God has blessings for us, things He wants to share with us, in what we see as "mundane" and "ordinary" if we would only pay attention.

I live in Indiana, not one of the more spectacular states as far as scenery. But God made Indiana too and there's surprising things here if we slow down and pay attention. One of the things I want to do this spring is find a nice Saturday or Sunday to wander downtown to take pictures of some of the neat churches and monuments downtown. I'm still working towards my goal of visiting all of Indiana's state parks, just to see what each one has to offer. A couple of months ago I discovered a huge waterfall I had no idea existed in Indiana.

Above all, we have to remember to be thankful, and enjoy, the ordinary blessings that God has put in our lives. I have a good job, I have some material blessings that I really do enjoy (I need to get my guitars out again), and I have some wonderful friends. A year and a half a go I had an opportunity to move out near Glacier. I chose not to, mostly because of the blessings that God has put in my life here. The amazing scenery out there wouldn't be nearly as special without people to share it with.

It's ok to dream of something in the future and to seek after that, sometimes that's what keeps us moving forward when we're bogged down in the ordinary. However, we can't always live our lives in the future. We have to make the most of where we are now and be thankful for all that God has given us. Sometimes the best gifts come in ordinary packages.

Tugging at your heart...

This is something that, if you are human, will tug at your heart strings. Some incredible beauty, and the sadness that people feel the need to destroy it.

As you watch the paddling segments, think about the skill involved in getting that video. That impresses me more than the paddling.

Save the Ashlu