Author: Journeys of My Heart

We love our homes, don’t we?  It’s a comfortable place to be; a place where we are familiar.  When we do make trip somewhere, it is common to come back from being away and say, “It was great to get away, but there’s no place like home!”  But…it comes down to the fact that, we NEED to get away sometimes.  Why?  When we are at home, there is always something to do.  There are dishes to wash, and laundry to do, cleaning the house, the yard work that never ends, kids to keep an eye on, or repairs that need to be made.  It can be never-ending and so we don’t always get the chance to kick back and REALLY relax.  I have found for me, that getting away is a time of total refreshment because I don’t have to do all the things I would at home.  In fact, I don’t even have to think about all of that when I am gone.  Yes!!!  I’m free to enjoy what is around me.  With that in mind, I wanted to continue my story about the Road Trip in Part 2.  Here we are going up the hill again from Diablo Dam.

We get back up to the top and drive further to the top of the pass.  The mountain ranges in this area are absolutely fantastic and we stopped to get some shots of those mountains and waterfalls.

I felt the urge to leave my mark in the snow that was there.   

Love this beautiful water falls above and then the one below.  So fun to see so many of them!  It solidified my desire to have a waterfall in my back yard.

We were able to experience the waterfalls of all sizes and pussy willows that were out, as well as, wild dogwood too in the pictures below.

The photo below reminded me of waves in the snowy mountains.  But it’s amazing what the eye sees and the camera can’t quite catch.  But it looked like waves of snow as it stretched along the mountain side.  The mountain below was so interesting too with its side swiped ridges in it.  It had kind of like wind-swept lines in the rock.  The colors were quite vibrant also.  It was very striking.

Isn’t that just the most beautiful mountain range against the blue sky?  It was amazing!  You can also see what elevation we were at during these shots.  There was a lot to look at!

Amazing to stand in one place and see so much beauty!

Looking at these mountains and the winding roads, it just makes me think about our perspective on our lives.  From the top, we can see where the road leads us, however, while we are in the bends of our life, we can’t see anything but steep mountains around us.  We can find beauty in the valleys and eventually as we climb our way to the top of the those mountains in our lives, we can see things a bit more clearly.  That’s what these trips are about for us; getting away to let God lead us and give us direction.  When we give ourselves a chance for quiet, we can hear His voice.  This photo is a great illustration of that.  The photo below is looking the other direction.

We got back in the car and enjoyed a little snack as we looked around at beautiful scenery and views that are free for the looking.  What a view we had for lunch!  Anxious to see what was around the next corner for my camera lens to see, we took off down the mountain.  We are pretty excited now because we know our next stop is Winthrop, Washington.  I haven’t been there since I was a young adult and my sweetheart has never been there.  So we anticipate the miles between the mountain and Winthrop.  As Winthrop comes in to sight, we decide we are going to park and walk the town.  Now if you

know Winthrop, it isn’t that big, but there are so many fun shops to walk through and the one place you HAVE to go first, is the ice cream, candy and bakery shop.  It is right on the corner at the stop sign when you drive in to town and it will be on your right side.  We parked the car and headed straight for something cold; well, at least I got cold; Terry got coffee.  

This little shop had all kinds of treasures in it.  I walked by the chocolate, and I will have you know, I didn’t even buy any!  It was so fun!   Out on the porch you will find a couple little side shops that serve ice cream, and the other hot dogs and coffee or Italian sodas.  Ah…Raspberry Italian soda was my choice.  It tasted so good on a warm day.

I took the picture of the candy jar because I knew my grandson would love to see it.  First thing he said when he saw the photos was, “I want to buy that jar of candy!”  So, we wandered around the shop and then pulled up a seat to finish our coffee and Italian soda.  What do you think of these seats?  Getty up!!

The street you see above is the corner where you drive into Winthrop from the pass.  We sat for quite a while people watching and picked up a couple of brochures and had fun walking downtown!

Walked down the street a piece and found this delightful building!!  I would bank with them just so I could tell everyone this building was where I banked!  Love it!!

As we walked down the street on the other side, we saw a glass shop where you could watch him design his glass ware items, and then further down found this gas station and shop.  So fun!!!  Reminds me of places we would shop when I was a child.

We explored inside almost all of the shops but we soon were ready to give our legs a break.  We scouted out the map and my phone to find out where our little cottage room was for our night’s stay.  It sounded delightful and I was ready to settle in for the night.  So… I will leave you here in Winthrop as we go find our resting spot.

It really is such a wonderful experience to explore and go to new places; much more fun than sitting at home and wishing we did something like this!  I was glad to be able to share some of the trip by my phone with Facebook, but getting away from those things are also healthy and good for us too.  Time to communicate with each other, relax from responsibilities, make memories, seek new places and dream a little.  As Terry and I walked around town holding hands and enjoying the sights together, we were once again reminded that life is short and we need to do things we talk about.  Make it a priority in our lives and follow through.  Give up something, don’t buy something, whatever it takes to make these times possible.  You won’t regret a minute of it or the sacrifices it takes to do them.  If you have children, they will have so many great memories.  It doesn’t have to be a big trip that costs you tons of money.  It’s the being together and giving each other the attention you need.  What’s keeping you from your next little trip?

I’m headed for the room!  Thank you for walking the journey with ME this time!  See you in Part 3!!

As a Christ-follower, what do you think about when you hear about someone who is acting in such a such a way that it neither becomes the person or the Christ-follower life style that person says they lead? What does that term Christ-Follower mean to you? Does it reign you in a bit, or does it seem like something archaic in terms of your life? Maybe too constricting? Too much under the law?

Various times over the last several months, it has come to my attention that we have many who seem to have one foot in the world, and one foot in the spiritual realm; and sometimes it is hard to tell which. When I think of a Christ-follower, I am not thinking of someone who has to be perfect in any sense of the word. But, I think of someone who has the desire to have the character of Christ and ask the Holy Spirit to help them live that character out. They read and learn about that character of God in the Word, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide and direct them to seek out that character and to correct and convict in the areas that need help. As Christ-followers, we are maybe the only example that many will see. It would seem both wise and discerning to make sure that the way I choose to live out my life in public and private, would be in line with how Christ would live out His. We have many fine examples of His life throughout scripture. Now, before anyone gets all excited about me being judgmental and critical, I want to say that I am not perfect. God is dealing with me in many areas and as much as it hurts, I am trying to listen and change the things within me that need changing. But I am NOT publicly going to do or say things that would cause another to question what it means to be a Christ-follower. That is not glorifying Christ at all. I have to ask myself, would Jesus to do that? Would He act that way? Would He say that?

I believe that we can be “real” with people without having to do and say things that would cause question in anyone’s mind. I think we can be helpful and transparent without having push envelopes of appropriateness. Doesn’t God tell us we are to be a light to the world? Salt to the earth? What is it with us these days, that you can’t tell someone who follows Jesus, from anyone else who walks the face of this earth? Does it matter who I’m talking to at the time? How cool I want to appear? Or the idea that I can be a Christ-follower and still say what I want because God is cool like that? I don’t think so. I think He expects us to act in a manner pleasing to him. I don’t think that includes bad language, lying, cheating on income taxes or reports, manipulations, or anything else that is even questionable or displeasing to Him. He IS a God of grace, yes. But He is also a God of judgment. When we don’t know better, that is one thing. But when we have come into relationship with Christ and walked with Him a while, we KNOW the difference. THAT is when we are held accountable to how we live our lives out before Him. We need to lead well.

You can think of me as you will. But I have felt God has been nudging me to say something for a while. I guess I am the GONG in the lives of some. But God calls us out and we need to obey, even when it’s not comfortable. It’s one of the disadvantages to social media. Everyone has a voice and many use it; some good and some bad. I want to use mine well. But it is the same for my daily life outside of social media. I want to encourage people in their struggles, but I also want to show the way that is clear and not muddied up with other things. I want to show behavior that exemplifies God’s character the best way I know how.

Let’s stop and ask God to show each of us where we can improve and for us to be quick to respond; not defensively, but honestly. When I read or hear something that is hard, I always ask if there is ANY truth in it for me. If there is, I ask God to help me change that. If there isn’t, then I have no reason to justify anything. I can move on. But if I AM defensive, chances are that I DO have some truth I need to face and change with God’s help. It’s not easy or fun. But it IS how God wants us to live. We are called to be set apart. I desire that. Even if it means others won’t like what I have to say or how I live it out.

The closer we are to God, the more He speaks. I want to be a good listener. I want Him to say, you, JoAnn, lived your life well before me. May God help me to that end.

Walking the journey with you…