So Glad, So Happy, So Content; God is Real!

So Delightful…

I’m just back from a glorious visit in California. I went with my three siblings. We had fun; real fun. I’ll tell you what we saw as far as places, then I’ll tell you, who we saw. We left on a Wednesday and returned the following Wednesday. First, we went out to the coast, that is, after we saw my cousin Jeff and his wife, Jo Anne and cousin Jana, her daughter and two granddaughters. Then we were ready for the whirl-wind trip.

We headed toward the coast. We saw three California missions that day (they are worth seeing). Then we enjoyed seeing my cousin, Jerry, and his wife, Kathryn. We enjoyed talking with them (and, of course, eating, as well). My cousin was good to see, and he and his wife were great to talk to. It is interesting how the years have made what we have in common rise to the surface. We were all blessed by the conversation.

Hearst Castle

On we went the next day to see the elephant seals and a bit later, the Hearst Castle. We did the first tour together, and the second tour we split up, one group to see the upper rooms, and the other, to see the extra cottage bedrooms and the kitchen. I was with my sister Juanita (no one else) and we got to talk quite a bit with the tour guide…he was great! It really is amazing to realize how much Randolph Hearst gave to his guests. It’s obvious, he loved it. We had a nice day, too. A bit of rain, and then it would clear a bit. You get the picture. By the way, The Abby at New Clairvaux has the Rocks, which they grouped together for the monestary, that Randolf Hearst purchased and brought to San Francisco long ago.

The Reagan Library

Then we drove down to the Reagan Library. Wow! We sure enjoyed partaking of the many pictures, movies, and writings of the place. Lots of Reagan quotes. It was nice, especially since he was a California governor and later the president during our life times. Side note: My bother went with a few hand-picked history students to meet him, when Reagan was governor. We spent a a great deal of time there, and could have spent more time, but we were out of time! It was well worth it.

Tar Pits

We then drove to Los Angeles. The next morning we went to the La Brea Tar Pits. There we took a tour, which was well worth it. They have brought a lot of dead animals out of the tar pits. It is really quite an adventure to see what they have collected. After all, the animals get stuck in the gooey tar. There was something like 400 skulls of wolves (or something like that). We saw some people working on cleaning animals and other stuff collected from the pits.

The Museum

Then we went to the Museum of Science and Industry. There we saw SO MUCH. We had gone there as children, so it brought back many memories. We learned about the life of the dinosaurs, in some detail. We spent a good deal of time reading the explanations for the exhibits of the various kinds of animals (that’s what I remembered from childhood). We viewed a room full of various kinds of minerals. They were absolutely fantastic. It was so wonderful. I’d recommend it.

Glendora, California

Next, we drove toward Glendora, taking in a mission on the way. We settled in and made ourselves comfortable. The next morning we went to the church of our childhood, what used to be an Independent Brethren church) and visited with my Great Uncle Melvin, who goes there. Later, we ate lunch with my Staudenrause cousins and visited my Grandma Weigold’s house in Glendora and later the graveyard where theirs and our parents, grandparents and etc. are buried. It was quite an adventure seeing my cousins and seeing where the graves of our relatives are in that Cementary.

Chino, California

The next day we visited with my Aunt Thelma and Mary, her daughter, before driving to Chino, where we lived before we moved north. We drove around some before we drove south to San Diego. We wanted to see where we lived in Chino (you can see the bridge but the house is gone), the school where we attended, indeed. Up the hill to see the Chino Boys Republic, and then on to San Diego, where we saw Jana and her family, at least the two boys, her grandson and daughter-in-law. We had a delicious meal on the beach, in one of their favorite restaurants, it was really very yummy. The next day we visited with Jana, she drove us around to see some of the nice places in San Diego. Lastly, we visited Mark’s burial. It was really wonderful to see her and her family. I’m so glad we did. Then we headed up north.

Yosemite

But there was one more thing we wanted to see…and Juanita and I had not seen it before. We went to Yosemite. Yes, you got that right! We drove part way the night before. Then we drove until we got to the top of the park. My goodness, it’s lovely, ,and it even has a few patches of snow. Then we drove down to see the massive rock (s) from the bottom up. Another tourist from Australia had binoculars, which we viewed the rock with. There were at least three people climbing the rock! That was really something to see! Then we drove on home. My sisters stayed a day, then they drove home. That was quite a trip.

My Siblings

Not only was the trip a lovely thing to do and see, the trip with my siblings was particularly nice. The missions were mainly my type of thing, but they went with it. It’s kind of neat, when your siblings care about making everyone happy. It’s like we just agreed to be nice no matter what. It’s not surprising, but yet, it is. I love my siblings, and I’ve always known that. But it is quite special when everyone is on the same page. Thank you, Juanita, Marilyn, and Paul. You made it special in every way, and I’m not kidding.

We should go on another trip sometime. 🙂

God Speaks to Us

Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”.

He tells us not to be afraid. Why? because he is with us. He tells us not be dismayed. Why? because he is our God. How can we do this? He strengthen us and helps us. He upholds us with his righteous right hand. God protects us. He helps us. He gives us strength. When we are afraid, we find that he is with us. God’s righteous right hand upholds us even though we can’t see it. Truly, this is utterly amazing!

God assures us that he is with us. He assures us that we don’t need to be afraid for he is with us. We may feel all alone but he promises that he is always with us. We may wonder about this for our faith is small. But he promises that he is with us and will always be with us. Right now, while I’m trying to put my thoughts in a manageable manner, he promises me that he is with me. Amazing.

I joined a familiar group of ladies for a bible study this week. The women had joy. Their joy pumped me up. The lesson never mentioned joy, but the joy went from person to person. It was a beautiful thing. God gives the women joy. The joy went from one person to the another and back again and again. They were happy to share together. Their joy encouraged me.

But it’s not easy for them. One woman can barely hear but she is joyful. Another woman has to use a walker but she is joyful. The host, a woman in her eighties, is a happy camper. Why? You guessed it, because of the Lord. She loves him. He makes a difference to her. He helps her. God is taking care of her, and she knows it. That’s a good reason for her to praise him. I’m so encouraged when people choose to thank God for his provision rather than complain about what is going wrong in their lives.

The lady I just told you about has lost three of her four children. Her husband passed-on a few years ago. Her circumstances seem sort of rough. She could complain but she realizes God is in control, and she wouldn’t want to complain about what he has done for her. God is her destiny. God is her truth. God keeps her and helps her. Her remaining son lives a few blocks away, which is a real blessing. We partook of the bible study, but for me, I was uplifted by the care of the women sharing their faith with each other.

Sometimes I get discouraged. Life pulls me down. But the joy of the Lord is my strength, a very present help in times of trouble. Let’s let our light shine. Let’s help others. Let’s stand up and be counted. I want to praise God, for he is worthy of my praise. God is real. He keeps us. He feeds us. He’s worth shouting about! He loves you, He loves me. If we could really get a grasp of his love, we would be satisfied in a pure and blessed way.