In order to get myself caught up in these blogs, I’ll finish out Sunday as I want to share some pretty cool pictures and go into what has continued to ‘give’ me these last few days.
First of all, though the conference was over it didn’t mean I got to fly home right away. Because I was clear across the country apparently the only flights out were the following Monday morning at 6:15am. I ultimately didn’t get home till Monday afternoon at 3pm (which is why I was so exhausted when I posted Part I!!). Once we had our team lunch and said our goodbyes to the lucky few that had flights out that evening, the 6 of us on team that were left made our plans. All the women went with me to my sister-in-law’s berry picking farm (which is also where they live) and the two men went for a run. (I think we had the better deal 😉 ).
My brother and sister in law (from Neal’s side…he is Neal’s 1/2 brother) own BODACIOUS BERRIES and let me tell you, it is BEAUTIFUL! As Jane drove us through the winding countryside I felt I had stepped out of reality and into a postcard, complete with the little red barn. After we toured their home the other ladies made their way out onto the lush green grass and spread out in the sun. When my bare feet touched the luscious green I felt I was walking on a plush carpet! We don’t have grass like this in Texas! Little bowls of fresh black cherries were offered on every table and counter and we delighted in eating and spitting out the seeds where ever we pleased along the ground. We thought we were in heaven until we went for a walk around the orchard. Who knew berry picking could be so much fun? 🙂 They had black berries (but the bushes were thorny so we didn’t hang there too long). And they had a TON of raspberries ready for picking. We giggled like elementary school girls as we filled both our stomachs and a bowl with fresh berries. We ate them right off the bush! Mix our exhaustion with a stomach full of berries and it was like we were tipsy!
Mary Bielski (the one standing next to me) took some great pictures of us actually picking berries but she hasn’t sent them my way yet. When we thought we were done picking (because our bowl was overflowing) Jane took us to her garden where all of us picked carrots for the first time. Oh how the miracle of nature can cause such great joy!
Kristi had the most fun!
In the end our berry/produce picking experience was the best ‘wind down’ to an amazing, yet exhausting weekend.
On Monday morning I found myself very anxious to fly in a prop plane again. However, I was graced with the realization that I was not flying home the way I had flown on Friday! I was on a bigger plane to Salt Lake City, UT (praise God!) and then on another big plane to Houston. There were only a few moments during each flight (mostly when the captain would say how high we were) that I had little panic attacks. But I shut them down with prayer and music.
My daily meditation with My Daily Bread didn’t help my cause either…on Monday morning my meditation was titled “Nearness of Death” (I kid you not!!!). I contemplated skipping that day (and thanked God it wasn’t the one I had read Friday morning because how crazy would that be??). You want to know what the first sentence says? “My dear child, in a little while this earthly life of yours will be over. Just how ready are you to enter into the next life?”
I KID YOU NOT.
It goes on to say, “In the morning consider the fact that you may not live till evening.” Well, I think I’ve had that meditation covered. I don’t even want to go on because the ENTIRE day’s meditation is just too crazy!!!
Then this morning my mediation was titled, “Man’s Last Moments”. What is God saying to me here??!! This meditation was pretty much saying to live like each hour is your last. And to live so that ‘the hour of death might bring you joy and not fear.’ Well, again…maybe God is giving me validation for how I faced that ‘near death’ moment? If anything it was encouraging the feeling I received on the plane that fateful afternoon. The feeling that I had done well these past few years to follow His will, that if I were to survive that I should not be haste in continuing with all the things He seems to be asking me to do for Him, and to not put any high expectations on things of this earthly life. Check, check, check…I hear you! Basically, it’s time for me to get off my behind and get back to work! 😉
I began to get myself more organized today and I feel very good about it. Take heed my friends!! Take heed.
Blessings
Shannon