Forever Free

Sorry for the delay in updates.  This altitude has been wearing me out!  I have not had the energy to sit down at the end of the day to prepare an update.  First off, hope everyone is having a wonderful Father’s Day.  We celebrated the day with Dirk by taking him to church and then out to lunch in Estes Park.  After lunch we all raced go karts and Lexi crossed the finish line in first place!  Later in the day he and I took a beautiful hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  All in all, I think Dirk has enjoyed his day. 

To catch up from the last update.  We enjoyed our time at the Garden of the Gods…each in our own way.  At first Dirk was very disappointed to find out he could not play spiderman and climb the big red rocks in the main park of the park, but being Dirk he found a way to get some rock climbing in and had Lexi climb with him.  Once we hiked away from the monitored section of the park, he and Lexi started scrambling up any rocks that looked interesting to them.  It was very hot the longer we hiked which was not to Lexi’s liking much!  Over all it was a good day. 

We headed out of Colorado Springs on Friday and drove north to Estes Park.  The campground we are in here is more commercialized (few trees and close sites) but very clean and very close to Rocky Mountain National Park.  The first day we arrived, Dirk noticed there was a book store nearby so he and I went to explore.  The owners were kind enough to let us set a book signing for the next day from 3-5 pm.  When we got back to the campground we started to grill our dinner and soon a lady stopped who was riding by on her bike.  She saw the sign on the side of Harvi and wanted ask about it.  She shared her son passed away 17 years ago from neuroblastoma when he was six.  Dirk and I talked with them (her husband joined her) about their experience and they bought a book.  I have found it is the same any time we meet another parent that has walked through this journey - and instant connection and understanding occurs.  After they left I could not help to think about the length of time they have faced without their son and their comments of how you can never know when a trigger will happen or a bad day will arrive…it just happens and it NEVER goes away. 

We decided to drive through RMNP the next morning before the book signing.  Lexi was not happy with us when she found we were going to be driving up a mountain again - at least it was not in Harvi…we rented a car so we could explore the park in an easier mode of transportion. 

We did not make it all the way through the park because our time was short, but what we saw was certainly amazing.  We could not believe how many bike riders there were riding the same road. We even saw one bike rider get pulled over for illegal passing of a car!!  Never have I seen a bicyclist get a ticket! 

The book signing was a lot of fun.  The book store was small, but business was brisk.  I found that roaming around and asking people that were browsing what type of books they read was a good way to start a conversation and tell them about my book.  I could usually tell by the scared wide-eyed look on some of the faces that these were not people who were going to buy the book, but there were nine that were interested and most of those I had a really nice conversation with.  The last group Dirk and I shared our story with was a family from Boca Raton, FL and were Messianic Jews.  We had a great time sharing our faith with them and them with us and in the end the lady said a beautiful prayer with me.  It was such a great time!  I truly believe each and every person I had the opportunity to meet was sent into that bookstore for a specific purpose.  God’s presence was everywhere…I certainly could feel it surrounding me. 

This feeling continued when last night Dirk and I attended a church service at the Rocky Mountain Church nearby.  The message was all about stepping out of our comfort zones and living a life with a purpose centered on God.  It felt like a direct message to our hearts.  We had an opportunity to share our story with the pastor after the service and shared a book with him.  He was overwhelmed because his current wife (the first passed away in 1995) had endured the death of one of her children to AML leukemia 14 years ago.  He was anxious to share it with her.  I could not believe that in two days, we had met two families in this small town that had been impacted by childhood cancer.  Way too many…but the story is all the same.  Every child was precious, courageous and very special and every child is profoundly missed no matter how long it has been.

We had a chance to meet the pastor’s wife today when we took Lexi back to the church for their morning service.  It is clear we have made some connections here that are more than just the kind that will be forgotten in a few months.  This area is so filled with the amazing creation that God has made, He seems to be present everywhere I look.  Whether it is in the majestic mountains that surround the town, the special people that have been placed in our path, the amazing elk, deer and other wildlife we have seen or in the beautiful rainbows and flowers that seem to surround us…He is here!

We plan to hang out here one more day and then begin the journey toward Indiana.  Lexi is very excited about leaving the mountains behind and spending time with family.  Dirk and I will be sorry to leave the beauty behind, but we too, look forward to seeing our friends and family in Indiana.  The next time I update, we will probably be on the road.  Hopefully we will find locations with wifi…until then, keep your eyes open to God’s presence around you. 

Much love,

Sherry