Week Twenty-Eight

“Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.” ― Ansel Adams

Here are a few of the photos I took while we were camping in Yosemite Valley. It was an incredibly neat experience to hike and stay there. The splendor of the scenery was almost overwhelming at times. While we were hiking, I would have to stop every so often and just take a giant deep breath and try to look around at all that was surrounding me. I couldn't help feeling so small. It was a tinge of perspective for me though. Experiences like that always make me think about how tiny we are compared to everything in the world. And then I think about how God made every detail, every piece of dust, the glitter of the sunlight, the height of the mountains, the greenness of the grass. The same God who created all of those mountains and fields wants to know who we are. It never fails to blow my mind. It's so simple yet so crazy all at the same time. And why do I always forget it? It's amazing to me. Why would a God who has the power to create a whole world, want to know about tiny details in our life? Because he also loves. That's why. We care about people because we love them. We want to know if a friend had a good day because we love them. We want to know about friends' interests, likes, dislikes, dreams, aspirations, struggles, goals and passions because we love them. It's only natural. And where do we get that from? God. He's the same way. I truly believe that He cares about even the most silliest of details in our lives. Even though we think it's insignificant, He takes interest in it. Life is only made up of the small things after all. :] Whether you are happy that you found the right shoe size in a store when you thought they didn't have it, or that you got accepted into college, He cares. And He wants us to tell him about it. 

Because he cares. 

Because, well, he loves us. 

You.

 Me.

Them.

Us.

All.

So, try this for fun -  Next time your favorite candy becomes an ice cream flavor, tell Him about it. :] Next time you get the job, tell Him about it. Next time you find a nickel in the parking lot, tell Him about it. And then, thank Him for it. :] It's so easy to forget to do, as it too often slips my mind, but I'm realizing that it's even easier to actually do it.


happy conversing [:

Week Twenty-Seven

I left my heart in San Francisco. <3

I know I'm horribly late in posting, so my apologies. :) My mother, brother and I are visiting relatives and friends in California and I've been so busy I haven't had time to write about it all.

We've been on go-time ever since we landed and finally are enjoying some downtime. When I was little, we never really "saw the sights" so to speak, so this trip we squeezed in quite a bit of traveling. Among some of the places we visited were Point Lobos, Carmel, Santa Cruz, and then we spent four days in Yosemite. But this post is going to be focusing on where we went in between all of those stops... the lovely city of San Francisco. :)

This was a special day for me. It was meaningful, and I'll tell you exactly why. Back in the early 50's my Grandmother and her close friend packed their belongings up and took a bus to San Francisco to get involved in acting. They lived in an apartment and were there for five or more years until my Grandmother met and fell in love with my Grandfather. It was so surreal to be in the same city she had been in, and walking some of the same streets that she had walked so many times, so long ago.

My Grandmother passed away four years ago, but she's still so dear in my heart. A year or two ago my mom and I were back visiting my Grandfather in New Hampshire and I was nostalgically looking through my Grandmother's drawers and came across her scarf box. I found this old red, white and blue scarf that had the words "I left my heart in San Francisco" on it. I asked my mom about it and she told me about my Grandmother's life in San Francisco and that she probably bought the scarf when she was there. I brought it back home with me thinking that if I were to ever go to San Francisco that I would bring it with me in her memory. She was such an amazing woman and she inspires me so much. She went for her dream and took that step that many of us are afraid to take. She had such style, ambition, and poise. She had a sense of humor, a heart filled to the brim with love, and was the best cook I ever knew. But above all, she was strong, and didn't let anything bring her down. Someday I hope to become like her and to pursue my dreams just like she did.

I brought that scarf with me to San Francisco and had it tied to my bag the whole time. I know she was smiling down on us as we journeyed through that exciting city she once called home. <3

Here's to you, Grandma...your life has become a story that will be told and retold for as long as I live.