Looking back

It's Thursday morning and I am reminiscing. I am thinking back over the 5000+ mile trip that Penny and I took as we traveled to the west coast. It doesn't seem possible that we traveled that far. I should have been exhausted but I wasn't. I should have been terribly grumpy, but I wasn't. It is amazing. What can I attribute that to? It must have been the train travel - how relaxing it was to just sit back and let the world go by while watching the scenery, reading a book and taking a nap. Crossing state lines meant nothing, for we never really knew when we crossed any lines. It was the easiest way to travel.

Or maybe it was the company I was in - Penny's. I really enjoyed being able to give myself completely to Penny, giving her my time and myself. There was no one asking for a few minutes that turns into a 1/2 hour or more. There were no meetings to go to and no deadlines to meet. The biggest question we had was whether we wanted to eat early or late, whether we wanted to go to the lounge car or sit in our own room. That was really fun. I enjoyed having the time with my wife, the love of my life. I wish it could be that way all the time but it can't. We do have to pay for the trip somehow! There is no government stimulus package coming to pay things off, though if President Obama finds a few extra dollars lying around, I would be glad to take them off his hands. I don't need the billions others have received.

In the end I think it was that the Lord gave Penny and me the time together to refresh and renew our relationship. The relaxation came from Him. We can figure out all sorts of reasons but the bottom line is that the Lord blessed us on our trip. He gave us the peace we had, the joy we shared, the fun we encountered and the food we ate (and boy did we we eat!). Thank you Lord for the wonderful trip you gave us.

This was going to actually be a look back on the actual trip, but the Spirit took it another direction. Maybe next time I will actually look back on the trip. I have been doing a lot of reflecting and remembering, especially as the pictures I took begin to come back. (Yes, I still use film. I am not in the digital era yet.) If I was looking back, 2 weeks ago today, we climbed aboard the Coast Starlight for the 24 hour run down the coast from Seattle to Sacramento. Wow, has it been 2 weeks already? Where does the time go? Oh well, I have a deadline to meet so I better get going...