Transitions

     As we look back over the last few weeks, Dan and I have gone through a number of transitions.  The week at Glen Erie was a true blessing.  We hiked to the extremes for our legs and (lungs in the altitude), and for our hearts in some of the most thrilling views that touched our souls.  The time to process, be together, read and rest was too short, it was hard to leave.  The nights we stayed in the castle were enchanting, I can't think of any other word to describe how touching it was! 
      Then we transitioned into the house in Estes Park.  The scenery changed from Colorado Springs, but continued to be captivating.  Our time alone became a time of reunion with family. We met Vanessa and soon Bekkah, Missie and her family arrived.  A few days later Jess and her family arrived.  Those days were filled with seeing elk, elk and more elk everywhere we went, getting five kids ready for whatever we did next, taking in the snowy mountain views, hiking trails that brought memories from the past and exploring new trails, reading to the sound of a swollen, rushing mountain river, celebrating summer birthdays, girl's morning out, guy's golf day, bedtime books with Grandma and Grandpa, driving over the mountains, and visiting the shops of Estes Park.  SinceVanessa is working only a half a mile down the road, she has spent time with us every evening and during the weekend.  Some of our most cherished memories from our time here will be the excitement, jumps, hugs of the grandkids when they arrived and the declaration that they are "very best friends!"; acting out Bible stories for morning devotions which brought laughter, lessons, applause and cheers for God; having all four daughters and two son-in-laws together sharing activities, discussions and laughter.  If I had to choose my two most treasured moments they would be 1) a prayer time Dan and I shared on the shore of a beautiful peaceful mountain lake after the challenging hike to get there and 2) a moving family prayer time the last evening we were all together.  The gift of this time for our family  overwhelmed all of us.
     Yesterday Jess' family left and this morning we said goodbye to Missie's family.  Tearfilled goodbyes give testimony to the depth (and heights) of our time here.  Now we are preparing for another transition.  We will say goodbye to Vanessa for the rest of the summer, leave this beautiful, wonderful place, and begin to make our final preparations for our trip to Korea.  The reality of the fast approaching trip to Bekkah's homeland is still sinking in.  We still do not know all the details of our time there.  We have heard that Bekkah's birth mom has been located and there have been attempts to contact her and the grandmother.  We continue to pray for God's Hand in all the details.  We have been told to expect to meet her foster mom, see where Bekkah was born and also where she spent the first months of her life before she came to us.  In the midst of this transition, we are also aware that we can't really prepare our hearts for what we are about to experience.  Our dependence on and trust in God is about to reach new heights.