Relief and Retreat...

Yesterday was amazing. It was a welcomed day of relief. In the midst of weeks of darkness and storms we had a spring day. This in and of its self would be amazing... but thankfully my schedule cleared itself and I found myself free from any work... classes... or commitments. Needless to say... I pounced! I grabbed a few good books... my journal... two coats... and (most importantly) a couple of cameras... and headed out for a personal retreat. I left the house without a plan. All I knew was that I needed to be outside and that I needed to find a quiet place to think, read, write, and pray. So... I started driving... I drove... and I drove... until I saw mountains... and then I drove some more. My music blared (thanks for the cd's Dena), my windows were down, and the car's heat was on. As I drove I became very aware that I had not eaten breakfast and I that I did not have any food in the car. I found a small petrol station and went in looking for a feast. Unfortunately, this was the petrol station that time (and the delivery man) had forgotten. There was a wall of shelves which contained basic household cleaning items and a wall that contained basic food items. I picked up a loaf of bread but put back the lunch meat when I saw the 'best by' date. I grabbed some Pringles, a Snickers bar, two apples, and a banana. I stood there with my goods and bread wondering if this was a well balanced meal.... the only other choice would have been an assortment of green peas that I would have had to drink from the can... I thought about it for a minute... and then I decided that my selection was balanced enough and left the canned peas for someone else to drink(sorry Josh).

(Stay tuned for the rest of the story....)

This pic was taken at my first stop of the day. I love the horses that live in this area. They live in an area free of walls and fences... and live a mostly free and wild life.