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| Me when I see a real live bear right in front of me! |
You must think I’m a broken record because I can’t quit saying that we live in a beautiful world. But we do. This week has been amazing. The rose garden is in full bloom. A black bear crossed my path. The wildflowers are all over the mountain side. And the missionaries are dearer than ever. What more could a person ask for!
First, I want to tell you a story.
Once upon a time, grandma was taking a walk through the woods and across the river and she met a furry, black …
This grandma was walking with Sister Crump Monday morning. Elder Crump and Sister Barker along with Elder Barker went to clean an apartment in Corvallis so it was just the two of us. We met a man going the opposite direction and he told us to be careful because down the way, close to the bridge there was a black bear and it weighed about 300 pounds.
We walked a little further and there was a man standing on the side of the path looking off into the trees and woods. He said: “Stop ladies and wait right here. There’s a bear off there to the side and I want to make sure you’re safe.”
So we stood there for a few minutes. He said: “I guess it’s gone down along the creek. It’s going the direction you’re going so I’m going to walk with you to make sure you’re all right.” He walked with us for quite a way. He would see the bear off along the riverside or the creek down in the woods. Then when we got to the bridge, as we began to cross, we could hear a loud crashing noise down under the bridge. I thought that the bear was going under the bridge, but it actually came up the bank and over the walk instead of under the bridge and that’s how we got this picture.
After the bear crossed the path and went down into the brush and trees on the other side, the man looked at us and said: “I’m going to walk with you till you get way past here.” He walked with us for quite a way further to make sure we were safe. I don’t know what he would have done if the bear had come after him, but he wanted to make sure we didn’t get eaten up. There are such nice people in the world!
Tuesday morning we walked through the rose garden. Excuse me for the picture overload but I couldn’t decide which pictures not to add so you get them all.
Wednesday morning we walked to Alton Baker Park to see the pond. There we found Waldo, the blue heron.
And Mama duck and her ducklings swimming away.
Along the river path going back to our car, we spotted some turkeys. Sister Barker did her famous turkey call. Here is a video she shared with me.
Also along the path is a memorial wall honoring war veterans. Still decorated from Memorial Day.
Thursday morning the sky was full of wispy clouds. If you zoom in you can see the half-moon just below the center of the picture.
Friday I didn’t walk because we had to leave early to go to Coos Bay but Saturday morning Sister and Elder Crump and I hiked the Wild Iris Ridge trail. The wild irises were no longer blooming but the wildflowers were gorgeous.
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| Looking down into the valley from the ridge |
Monday evening I was invited to dinner with Katelyn Crouch, a former missionary, and her family. It was such a delightful opportunity to see her and to meet her parents, siblings, and grandparents. It is so sad for me when missionaries finish their missions and go home but what a blessing it is when they come back to visit.
Tuesday and Wednesday we were in Eugene at the office to interview the Springfield and Eugene Zone missionaries. Thursday we went to Roseburg. Friday we left for Coos Bay Zone interviews but about an hour into the drive, we got caught in road construction and after sitting for 45 minutes, President Cornelius turned around and went back to Eugene and did his interviews via Zoom.
Here are some pictures of waffle eating missionaries and some waiting for interviews.
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| Elder Wager |
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| Sisters Weeks and Wensel |
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| Elder Walton |
While in Roseburg, Sister Cornelius and I took a break and walked around the chapel. Beautiful dogwood tree in bloom and rhododendron
Saturday after our hike, I did some laundry, cleaned my apartment, and went to a baptism at the stake center. After the baptism, I took a group of missionaries to a late lunch/early dinner at IHOP. Fun times!!
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| Elders Robinson and Wager and Sisters Sterzer, Palmer, Weeks and Wensel |
This has been another fabulous week spent loving the earth and its beauty and the friendship, love and support I feel from the beautiful spirits around me. I need another adjective besides “beautiful” but it is so fitting in my life and world.
I read an article in the February 2013 Ensign that describes by feelings so very well. I’d like to share it with you:
Earth: A Gift from God
By Tom Reese
In nature we can see the handiwork of the perfect Artist.
One hot morning a few summers ago, my wife and I decided to hike a short canyon trail in the desert of central Utah, USA. The trail kept us in the shade of the canyon walls, and a placid breeze cooled us and stirred the cottonwood leaves. We paused frequently to drink in the beauty and listen to the gurgle of the stream as it rolled among the boulders.
After a few hours, we arrived at an alcove that was buttressed by a giant arch. Underneath the arch was a pond fed by a spring that gushed from a crack. Greenery grew all around and sealed us from the outside world.
We sat down and enjoyed our lunch at the edge of the pond. As we ate, I gazed at the reflections in the water and thought of a Primary song:
Whenever I hear the song of a bird
Or look at the blue, blue sky,
Whenever I feel the rain on my face
Or the wind as it rushes by,
Whenever I touch a velvet rose
Or walk by our lilac tree,
I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world
Heav’nly Father created for me.
At that moment I felt a confirmation that the Lord Jesus Christ, under the direction of Heavenly Father, had created this earth as a place on which we could dwell during this life. “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18), and “he hath created his children that they should possess it” (1 Nephi 17:36).
The earth sustains us, providing us with food and other materials that we need to survive and prosper. The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith:
“Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;
“Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul” (D&C 59:18–19).
The supreme beauty of the natural world reminds us of the power and perfection of God. When we are in nature, feelings of hope, peace, and reverence come to us through the Spirit. In nature we can see the handiwork of the perfect Artist. For centuries mankind has tried to emulate the handiwork of God. No human, however, has been able to match the perfect artistry of the Lord. Sometimes I wonder if God created the earth as He did to give us a small taste of what is in store for us in the future. If this earth can be so astoundingly beautiful, what must the renewed and perfected earth look like?
Alma taught, “All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44). Every tree, every mountain, every bird in the air testifies of our Heavenly Father’s power. By appreciating nature and treating the earth with respect, we show the Lord our gratitude for everything He has given us.
I love my Savior
I love you my family and friends.
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