"The Other Side"

I am being swept away by a Beautiful God in Seattle. Something about Him carries us away. It's Him Here!   Just ate dinner at a quaint milltown restaurant in this spectacularness no words can describe. Would have to make them up. Mount Rainier sits outside my window.

My oldest boy, Barrett, sits across the booth. Bob will leave us in a few minutes to go back to his dad who was hospitalized just yesterday, upon our arrival here---oh my!

Barrett competed yesterday in the ITU Pan American Cup in Monroe, Washington. Bob and Terri Crowell and their two boys rolled out the red carpet for him, literally! Bob & I cheered and texted and screamed and jumped up-and-down as Barrett swam two laps, 1.5 km with Mount Rainier in the backdrop.  Transition was a stone's throw and we watched all eight who came out of the swim together shimmer through to their bikes in seconds! That was a rare treat to see! Next up, 40 km on the Bike, 8 laps and we loved every one of them!  Barrett was in the lead pack with 12 others. Tight like sardines. This mom holding her breath taking pictures furiously, praying wildly. Again, eight of them off the bike to the run, all together. So his swim and bike was just fabulous.  The run was oh-so-hard.  Hunter pulled ahead to run the 10 km and win it all.  Barrett came in 8th.  Top Ten made money---that's a very good thing!  Good and bad in every race. Never-perfect competitions. Chasing his dreams! Love it! Next stop is the Edmonton World Cup.  Only six Americans are invited to compete and Barrett will be one of them.

Back at the restaurant, the waitress lights up: "Did you see Mount Rainier?" You know, when the locals never tire of the majestic mount, that's something!  You see, they don't see it very often.  It's there but not visible to them day after monotonous day.  No, they rarely see it in this village.  So when she peaks through the clouds, the community awakes from their slumbering daily race and cheers.

Brings to mind a story that George MacDonald told about Jesus' death.  "After He had gone out of their sight, and they looked all around and down in the grave and up in the air, and did not see him anywhere---they thought they had lost Him.  But, He began to come to them again from The Other Side---from The Inside!  The meaning of anything is more than its visible presence."  The disciples began to see things that they had never seen before when Jesus was with them.  They loved Him so but forgot His Words and cowered when asked if He was their friend. But not in Acts!  Just like that missing mountain, they appreciated and abided in Him so much more after His Death.  Nothing physical anymore.

His Spirit is more than a bodily presence.  He has given each of us a Gift of the Spirit of God in our inmost being.  He gives us This Gift and gives us the ability to enjoy it through His Power.  Unbelievable!  So, when rest evades me, when hospital visits wear us thin, when peace about our dire circumstances doesn't pass understanding, and if there are no joy bells ringing in my heart, then what has gone amiss???  We have The Gift!  He's here but maybe I'm not all there.  And those are simply signposts that cause us to take a deep look inside our empty hearts.  The Spirit of God is waiting to fill that empty space with Himself, The Gift!  He's here in Seattle.  He'll be back home with me tomorrow as we wave goodbye to Brooke sending her to Thailand for a bit. Then, welcome Britt home from counseling kids at Pine Cove this summer. Then, pray for Blair who is moving once again due to flooding.  There's the update on the Brandon front.

So grateful to a Good God awakening my own heart in the midst of some suffering!  When do you find yourself most awake with Him?