redwood trees | here i am

Sundays used to be a day of rest. What happened to that concept?

I’ve lost it. I value doing nothing, but I’m not good at it.

At the party I was at this weekend, I heard other women talking about not finding time to go to church on Sunday, because their lives have taken over and their kids have sports events on Sundays. They can’t do it all. Yes, there is guilt involved and I wonder what we are going to do to change this.

It’s true. I understand. And I don’t yet have an answer today.

We like going to church, yet we don’t go that often either. Not because we don’t want to; it’s just that we seem to be constantly on the go. And the days, we’re not on the go, we need to rest and sleep in and do nothing.

So it’s 10:00 pm and I’m finally sitting down to rest. It’s been a long and exciting day and I’m not complaining. I think the time change stretched out the day too and our schedule is really off. It’s ok. This too shall pass.

This morning I left the beach party bright and early so that I could get back to my family. I wanted to spend the day together with them and to share experiences with our Japanese “daughter.”

I love having her here. She is such a delight and is warm and kind and friendly and engaging.

She speaks a few words of English and understands many phrases that we share. We all try to understand one another and all seem to be enjoying each other’s company. She continuously says, “I am happy.” I am happy too. I am so happy to be sharing this experience with her and having the opportunity to share one slice of American life with her.

Today we took her to see Big Basin and the historical redwood trees. She was amazed by the size of the trees and enjoyed walking through the forest for a short while.

From the Redwoods, we drove to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

She was happy again and was excited to go on the Giant Dipper roller coaster with Juliana. She loved the thrill ride and was very excited.

Charlie and I went on the Haunted Castle ride which was so cheesy and funny. I loved sitting next to him and feeling him cover his eyes and ears, afraid of what was to come next, even though he knew as he had ridden the ride before.

It was a gorgeous day at the Boardwalk and we were so lucky to have an out of town guest to share our beautiful world with today.

Life is good – even if it means I’m resting this late at night.

I hope you have a good week. Take care of your beautiful self. xoxo

Gratitude Gift Giving (GGG) – Day 3 – How do you enjoy and appreciate nature? Where is your favorite place to be?

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As longs as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Do you feel a calling to be outdoors? Do you feel peace when you’re near the water, the forest, the hills, open spaces?

Where is your happy place? Where do you go to feel like you’re just a little part of this big, wide, open universe?

My favorite place to go in nature is the ocean. I love the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. I love seeing the sealife and smelling the salt water in the air. I love looking out and not being able to see anything else but water and not knowing where it ends. I love watching the sun setting on the horizon and imagining the daylight being transferred to another location on the earth. I love being on the water, especially on a paddle board, but I’m just as happy on any type of boat.

But today we explored the majesty of the redwood trees in the forest of Big Basin, in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Knowing that some of these trees are older than the Mayan Civilization made me feel so insignificant. Our lives are such a small part of the bigger world, but we feel like we are so important right now! Standing next to these trees that have been around for over 1500 years is amazing. Some of the trees are over 250 feet tall. I loved looking up at them, standing inside a circle of them, and hiking through the forest and admiring all their different varieties.

I liked the shadows, the darkness and the light flowing through them. I liked the old and the new, and even the fallen.

Hiking with our family at this place less than 35 miles from home filled me with joy, even though the process of getting us all out the door today together was quite the challenge! It was worth the work and effort and I think I can say we all enjoyed our family outing.