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| Sheep, and Goats, and Bears! Oh My!Dear Friends, I was the last of the "dudes" in a line of horseback riders. Christina was in front of me on a horse named "Padre." Behind me was Mary, our teen guide from Oregon, riding a horse which was "not suitable for guests." We were riding through a meadow and looking up at the peaks and pinnacles of Glacier National Park. Behind me, Mary suddenly ceased her friendly chatter and began to sing a praise song familiar to her from her church back home. It was a sacred moment. The words and music enhanced my feelings of awe and gratitude to God for the astonishing beauty of that place. The fact that a young woman who had only met me an hour ago would offer the gift of her faith translated into song was also moving to me. Mary belongs to a Catholic Church and was very interested to hear about my work as pastor of a United Methodist Church. She asked what my summer jobs had been during college, and when I told her about Disneyland, she decided immediately that working for Disney was her next summer's ambition. A few minutes later, as we looked down toward the lake, we had another sacred moment. There was a bear! He was ambling along stuffing his mouth with berries. He kept an eye on the string of horses, but to my relief the horses seemed to take no notice in him. Christina admitted later that she was very glad to have seen the bear while on horseback, and not on foot. As it turns out, while we were having our bear encounter, Andy and Elizabeth were admiring some moose they met along their chosen hiking trail. The "Going-to-the-Sun" road through Glacier National Park traverses Logan Pass. One evening we parked our car at the pass and hiked a couple of miles up to "Hidden Lake Overlook." In addition to the alpine streams and profusion of flowers, we were thrilled to get close to several mountain goats and bighorn sheep. By close I mean CLOSE. As in, "get off the trail, they're coming through." Being on vacation is truly an experience of the grace of God. Rest and play remind us that we can let go sometimes and the world gets along just fine. I am grateful to Elsie and Harry F., and to Bruce W., for sharing their homes with us and for helping us know what to see and do. I feel truly blessed by your warm welcome home. It is good to be together again. "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Pastor April |
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