Overwhelmed in Idaho

I love the views from the valleys in Idaho.

God has given me some incredible opportunities in recent years. Some of the most amazing things happened during road trips! God used all those miles and those days to do some miraculous healing to my psyche.

One of those road trips was in 2015 when I left Salmon, Idaho, after spending most of the summer taking care of my Aunt Donna. I headed southeast toward Grand Teton National Park, where I'd reserved a night in one of the cabins in the park

Accompanying me on all those road trips (besides Jesus, of course) was music... LOTS of music! Some from the radio, but most from CDs. On this particular day, I had popped in one of the many CDs onto which I had dubbed various songs that I liked. If you're anywhere close to my age, these CDs are much like the cassette tapes we used to make in Junior High... capturing our favorite music to play over and over again. 

As I headed toward the Tetons that foggy, misty morning, I had one of those "mixtape" CDs on. I was enjoying the view... flat valleys with a stream meandering through them... seeing the base of the mountains lining either side of the valley. 

As the sun got higher and the mist started to burn off, I could see more and more of the mountains. Up ahead, I could see a break in the clouds, and I looked forward to being out of the fog. Just as the clouds separated to show the deep blue sky of Idaho... THIS song by Big Daddy Weave came on... I had to pull over for a bit because I was truly Overwhelmed by God's creation and His gifts to me.

"I delight myself in You 
Captivated by Your beauty 
I'm overwhelmed, I'm overwhelmed by You" 

The song will live on in my memories as just one way God has reminded me of His love for me and how He delights in delighting me!

Took this just before being "Overwhelmed"

The next morning, in Grand Teton National Park.

My mom, my hero

I'm sitting in Mom's hospital room watching her sleep. It's a blessing because when she's awake she's in a lot of pain. When she fell, she twisted some things and banged others. Then she tried to scooch herself along the floor to get to a phone. Never made it to the phone and was left with raw spots from the 'scooching'.

The idea of her trying to get herself righted and trying to call for help and then laying on the floor for 2 and a half days... these visions will give me nightmares for quite some time. And I feel guilty. I should have been there for her!

Now we have decisions to make. Decisions that we knew would come eventually, but it should not have been this soon.

Mom has always been so strong and independent, even at 86! It breaks my heart how the last 4 months have taken that away from her. In early March she was still teaching water aerobics 3 days a week. She did her own shopping. Mom went to Prayer Circle every Thursday and prayed with friends. Then they'd go out for lunch. She went to church and was loved on by her church family with hugs and tales of events at school. Everyone calls her Grandma Dorothy.

Things changed when a virus showed up. Inactivity and lack of human contact has been so detrimental to millions of people, including my mom. The virus has nearly killed her and she's never been infected!

Please pray for my mom and for the decisions that my brother and I need to make.