Looking for the Holy in the Ordinary...

She was 5 years old when her family went on vacation. She gave all her dollies to her girlfriends because she was going to Death Valley.

The time was 4:15 a.m. when the alarm went off, but actually I was already awake, just lying-in bed. Cars were rolling out at 5:00 a.m. No exceptions! I got up drank a little tea but, not too much because of the bathroom situation. We hopped in the car and away we went. Our photo guide, Mark from Paul’s Photo took us to the perfect spot in the dunes.

My boots filled with sand, scratching the crevasses of my toes, this would be the sensation I felt all day long. The first dune was fine, made it up and over like a champ. Walking in sand can be challenging to ones legs and hips under “normal” conditions but this was anything but normal. I often wonder in times like this, when I am literally crawling up a sand dune, where tenacity comes from?

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I did not learn what tenacity meant until I was in my 20’s. If my father-in-law or my cousin, Connie, who was much fitter than I, could climb that mountain top or dive deep into the depths of the ocean, then I was up for the challenge. That early morning, I found myself digging into that place in my soul where tenacity lives, but actually I did not need to look extremely far. I was impressed by Judy. A wonderful, adventurous woman who lost her husband seven years ago. She is as pretty as my mother was and as adventurous as I except my cousin, Connie would have been if she were still alive.

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For me, tenacity means making way for new adventures. Grateful to have experiences in my life to pull from. When I don’t know what is on the other side, I typically shy away from things like a Big sand dune, and if I had, I would have missed the light!

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We walked in the darkness in order to see the sun rise. The anticipation could be felt by every person who had positioned their tripod in just the right spot in hopes of capturing the light. On my journey with the divine, light always seems to show up, creating new brush stokes onto the canvas of my story.

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This day was no exception. As the sun was peaking up over the horizon, I felt a sense of life breathing in through my nostrils. Captivated by the picture of a new day, I almost missed it. As I slowly turned around, I gasped for what was before me. The grayish dunes and the mountains from a far were now being transformed.

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Could a few seconds and a little light really transform the dunes? As I gazed at the wonderful site before me, I thought about how often we miss the light - maybe because we are moving too fast, working too hard or just not willing to look around and allow the divine the opportunity to transform us.

If the dunes can be transformed within seconds, imagine with the right exposure what is possible for us?

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Blessings on your Lenten journey,

Grace and peace,

Pastor Lisa

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