Fort Bragg Musings

Took a trip to Fort Bragg this weekend, with my girlfriend Alene.  We left Friday night, unsure about the weather since it looked kinda thunder-stormy, but wow.... did we get lucky. 

This is a picture of the Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg.  I got tickets to the garden as part of our trip because I know Alene enjoys gardening and plant stuff.  I was happy to go along and enjoy the scenery, mainly because I knew she'd be happy with the place.  Typical guy thinking, right?

The Garden was absolutely lovely.  I was stunned at the amazing spectrum of colors and fragrances we came across as we walked around.  The garden is arrayed along 4-acres of coast land where the climate is apparently very healthy for rhododendrons and other semi-exotic plants.  Several species that normally thrive in the hills of Tibet or China thrive here as well.  We spent a good 2-1/2 hours wandering the paths through the flowers, and along the cliffs at the ocean.  If you really like "botany", you will enjoy this garden. 

As we sat on a bench along the coast, enjoying the view and the breeze, we couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the area, and remember that God did indeed create it all.  I felt very blessed to be able to enjoy the peace and quiet for a few minutes, and steal away a few precious moments alone with Alene (well, and the dogs too!).  

But that also reminds me that, although God created all this fantastic beauty and wonderful scenery for us to enjoy, he also placed US here to work and be useful in this beautiful world.  

Yes, I truly believe the world is a beautiful place.  After all, when God was done creating it, He looked over his creation and declared it to be good (Genesis 1:25).  That includes all the lions, tigers, spiders, snakes, scorpions, mountains, oceans, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes!! God made this world and called it good!

But, as we, His children, enjoy His creation, and even sometimes tremble at the power of His creation (and yes, mourn when His creation produces calamity and distress on us humans), we have to remember why we're here, and why God created this world for us.  And that's to serve Him, and each other.  

Alene and I were talking about relationships on our drive home, and we came to the conclusion that the best relationships are those where we care more about how we can be of service and help and joy to others, than how others can service and help us. When that attitude of service and love is reciprocal, then relationships blossom and friendships grow! 

Jesus said, the world will know we are His disciples by our love for one another.  Let's love like we mean it, and show the world the Jesus changes lives. 

Renewal

It's funny how life is.  One day you feel on top of the world, the next day not so much. To extrapolate further, it seems like for an entire YEAR one can feel on top of the world, and the next year feel like life has just kicked you in the shins and left you on the sidelines to nurse your sores. 

For the past couple of years, life has kicked me in the shins.  I gotta be honest and say it, because it's true and there's no point hiding it.  Life is a grand, wonderful experience, and the road I'm on is uniquely mine, so I won't bemoan THE ROAD itself, just the fact that the road is sometimes rocky and difficult to walk on.  

I feel as if the pavement has been very, very hot and I've been walking in a a thin pair of flip-flops which have about worn out, melting now and then and sticking to the pavement. My foot slips out of the sticky flip-flop, and I stumble onto the hot pavement, and hop around like a rabbit for a few minutes until I get the flip-flop unstuck and back on my foot. 

But, the pavement has been cooling a bit, I think, and the shoes I've found definitely fit better, and are much more supportive than a pair of flip-flops.  The road is still rocky and steep, but I'm able to walk the road a bit easier now, seeing as how I have better equipment. 

Make any sense? No?  That's OK, it's my blog and this writing is a cathartic experience for me alone, really.  If someone else wants to read it and get something out of it, I'm pleased to have shared, but first and foremost, this is for me. 

I've had a bit of a dry spell when it comes to writing about life.  As you can see, my last post here was back in May of 2007, over 2 years ago.  I am, though, beginning to feel the bug to write and discuss things again, and felt it was time to renew this journal.  I tried an experiment with my Pollock Pines journal, but the Pollock Pines experiment itself was somewhat flawed, so writing about the experience became an exercise in frustration.  Writing about frustration while frustrated is not fun, and in fact is frustrating (like the way I slipped three different tenses of frustrate into one sentence?), so that experiment went quickly by the wayside. 

Which brings me to today.  I miss writing about life, and what I believe and what I feel.  I miss being open and honest with the world about what's on my mind, and talking to others about what's on their mind.  

So.... I'm gonna renew this, my first and longest standing journal.  This journal dates back several years, and follows my life through several phases.  From anger and sadness, to joy, to a renewed interested in Christ and teaching and singing.  I talk about my parents and family, and trips with my kids.  But most of all.... I talk and share with those who might want to know me better.  

To that end, for anyone who might care, I declare this blog renewed and re-opened for business!

Admission is free, but donations gladly accepted.