The Oregon coast is wonderful, trees, rivers, ocean and rain.
Camping with little ones we discovered the joys of dodging showers.
Some nights, shivering and cold we would race for the 'comfort' of the
car. There sprawled out we would listen to rain on the roof and finally
fall asleep, hoping for brighter tomorrows.
After buying our truck, "Old Moe" I scoured the paper looking
for used campers. I saw one that sounded promising and we called the
owners. They gave us directions and out we went, single mom and brood of
little ones. Near Battleground Washington, the nicest couple showed us a
clean, simple camper. Bathroom, kitchen, cool overhead bed. We loved
it!!
How excited we were to go camping now. We had so many happy
times sitting around our little dining table, eating our meals, looking
out at the trees. Every once and a while, I would leave the campsite,
drive the truck to the Peter Iredale overlook and there cook bacon, eggs
and pancakes while watching the ocean waves crash along the beach. The
children loved it and I loved it!
'Old Moe' had a pass through window and so did the camper. It
was wonderful. I could put my son and a friend in the truck, (back seat
folded down to a bed) and still keep tabs on them. Everything about
that old camper was fun and new to us. We felt as if we were so lucky,
and so happy.
Once, loaded up with supplies for a week of camping, we
headed out to the coast from Vancouver. It was a hot day and we all eagerly awaited the refreshing of the coast. Near Kalama the truck
started acting up, it sputtered, it coughed. I prayed, the children
prayed and Old Moe gradually came to a quiet stop. We got out, walking
along the freeway until we could find a place to escape. Finally, from a
riverside park we called for a tow-truck. They came and all of us
landed back in Kalama. "What could be wrong? I thought, and also, "Why
now?" After about a half and hour of tinkering the mechanic let me know
what was wrong.
Old Moe had three, (yes three) gas tanks. There were two
switches that controlled which tank you were on. With two full tanks, I
had somehow mixed things up and switched to the empty tank. I had run
out of gas with two full reserves!! Truck fired up, (embarrassed) we were
finally ready to go, we headed out once again to go camping.
How like my own life this story is. Often, having everything I
need for my life, I will make a bad choice and go after something that
is an "empty tank". I've chased careers, relationships, possessions that
had no value whatsoever, they were empty. Often, those mistakes have
pulled my own life over to the side of the road and I've had to take
time out to figure out what was wrong.
How grateful I am that like those kind men who diagnosed "Old
Moe's" problems, God is patient and kind and will gently show me the
problem. Sometimes I will fuss and fume, wallowing in my own
resentments. I paddle around there until the realization comes that
swimming around in a sea of self-pity isn't too healthy, and only then I
head for the safety of the shore.
God is good, and gives us second, third and multiple chances,
and opportunities to rethink who we are. How I've needed those chances
in my own life. How thankful I am that they've been there when I needed
them. Along this journey, I've found so much comfort in my Bible. Verses
have stood out to me as signposts of hope along the way. One verse that
I particularly love is the verse, "The Steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning." Lamentations 3: 22-23. This
verse points to the inexhaustible supply of God to pick us, dust us off
and get us going again. Just like "Old Moe" and the side-tracked
camping trip.
Today is a new morning, a new
beginning. Today will be another new beginning for me. I will attend my
support group and learn more about how to maintain healthier habits;
habits that will contribute to my overall well-being and will help me be
the person I want to be and the person that God wants me to become.
"May
your today be filled with new beginnings. May each new beginning be the
start of happier endings and forever finding 'joy in the morning.' "
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