How to Travel During a Pandemic

Hello, Lovely Friends,

Brad and I have been on another vacation, and it was FUN. The pandemic has not stopped our travel.

That’s kind of a lie, but keep reading!

Sometimes, the every day views, every day thoughts, every day worries need to be kicked to the curb-at least that is how it works for us. A change of scenery and a different perspective can change everything especially after being sheltered in place for almost 2 months.

SIDEBAR: Can you believe all the new terms that roll out of our mouths now like they are normal? CRAZY. This is a horror movie and we are living it. Someone please hit STOP.

So Sunday after “attending” church, we packed our drinks, our hand sanitizer, our masks and headed out.

If you have read my little blog very long, you know that last year was a year of GO. We went to Florida, Arizona, Utah , Alaska and Israel. Unbelievable. The travel bug has BITTEN me HARD.

But 2020 seems like the year of HOME, and I like home, too!

Consequently, our Sunday trip didn’t cover nearly as many miles as any of our other adventures, but it was every bit as beautiful and soul settling.

This little adventure took us no farther than 13 miles from our little house on the prairie. Want to read about my trip to Italy?

Sidebar: Or is it further? I taught Language Arts and still get those confused. I know “people judge you by the words you speak” but I promise to give you a little grammar and spelling grace if you will also give me some. Insert Happy Emoji.

So Much Beauty

We saw some beautiful sights and waved and spoke loudly from a distance to some very important people. I hope we didn’t frighten anyone when we pulled into their drives, tooting our horn, or knocked on their door and then jumped back 6 feet.

Seeing new faces, hearing their voices-I can’t tell you how life-giving it was for me.

Traveling down roads we have never or very seldom venture down, we saw many stunning farms and more new houses than we could believe. Evidence abounded of people who take pleasure in caring for their homes whether large or small, fancy or humble. We saw the fruit of lots of hard work, hours spent in fresh air, flowers probably passed from neighbor to neighbor.

Gardens were tilled and planted, cows were grazing happily, chickens were running amok, and beloved pets played in yards. (That is what the country people I know call a “lawn”. )

And that was just the man-made stuff. God showed His creativity and love for mankind at every turn as we saw one beautiful vista after another. Even in our own county, the variety of topography is so evident-and all we did was drive along the west side of the Embarass River.

This little road trip was just what I needed after another week in quarantine.

Reflections…

Are you weary of the ramped up feelings and opinions being expressed everywhere?

Wouldn’t it be great if we could DISCUSS differing views rather than DEBATE them? Instead, people scold, rebuke, snark and belittle. It makes me so nervous to read the posts on FB-I have a sinking feeling in my gut even as I think of it.

Just so you know, I’m no different than everyone else and I know it. I have typed out replies and later deleted them because…… what good is my opinion, really?

There are so many videos, so many news conferences, so many articles-and they ALL SAY SOMETHING DIFFERENT. It is impossible for me to figure out who are the liars, the schemers, the evil ones and who is telling the God Honest Truth.

I think that is why the HOLY WORD and especially the Psalms have been such a comfort and joy to me in March and April. I KNOW the TRUTH is in HIS WORD.

What a GIFT!!! What a BLESSING!!! What a TREASURE!

Lessons….

Yesterday, before teaching my online Holy Yoga class, I opened up one of my myriad notebooks ( I like to take notes. Does that make me a weirdo?) and I saw two questions I had written down from some study or another:

What do you want me to say?

What do you want me to do?

Then I opened up my Bible to Psalm 104: 3….

May the thoughts of my mind be pleasing to Him, for the Eternal has become my happiness.

So, I’m adding another question to the mix.

What do you want me to think?

Transformation is a process.

I have been studying “mindset” for a year now, and I’m still shocked to discover how important it is to everything. And mine needs to shift again and again away from the world and back to Jesus.

However, that is a trip I want to take until He makes me “right”!

So, friends, have you gone on any “trips”? What is God teaching you? Please share with us!

Praying you have a wonderful day, feel great, soak up the word, and see GOD everywhere-because He is.