Hard waves

Heartache and hard times seem to come like heat: in waves. Right now, I feel I have escaped the wave. I feel a sense of respite and relief. My world doesn't seem to be hanging in the balance of the next uncertainty. However, I feel the wave around me in the lives of others. It feels as if I'm sitting in the middle of my sweet autumn breeze while I'm hearing story after story of diagnosis, loss, and turmoil. Once upon a time, I would anxiously pray and wonder when my time of turmoil would next hit, but I've had my share of storms since then. Now I can praise God in good times, knowing the hard will come again. Instead of living in fear, I feel assurance that I will again experience respite and joy, and one day all my sorrows will cease when I leave this body. There's no sense in trying to avoid waves; if you have someone bigger, who created the oceans, then you can live at a level of ease no matter your circumstances. When I hear of these hurts, my heart hurts too, but I have hope, and I hope for them, pray for them, and look for ways to ease the hurt from my own heart for them. Carry the burdens together, but don't let them weigh you down. There is a greater peace that surpasses all human comfort. It's not a matter of if, but when hardship will come. Like death, hard times are inevitable. You just have to see each moment as purposeful as it relates to your overall story. Our family is trying to dress in "when we grow up" for Halloween, and I could only come up with "writer." (This isn't my best attempt either.) Every good author knows that stories, even fairytales, are not made up of lives free from heartache. Rather, the ones with twists, turn, and triumphs over evil make the tales worth telling. Here's the last installment of our travel tales. There were definitely twists and turns, but we only caught snaps of a few moments worth sharing....

The rock-lined coast was more beautiful than a phone can capture.

A fun coffee bus stop!

Hearst Castle proved anti-kid, but we had our own laughs at the grandeur here.

While the kid scavenger hunt kept this one busy, we soon learned the pitfalls of gaining stuff only to collect dust as a museum.

Boys were not allowed to be boys here.

I wonder if Mr. William Randolph Hearst would have approved of the strict behavior rules...

We only lasted through the outside, the ropes got a little too tight inside for our crew. Even a poor older man was scolded for stepping off the carpet one too many times! At least the boys echoed their love of playtime instead of "stuff you can't touch!"

I think the place in Morro Bay was a favorite. The boys loved watching the sun go down behind the rock.

Quick visit to one of the first Spanish missions in San Louis Obispo.

On vacation, ice cream makes a lot of tiredness disappear (and then come back stronger later.)

Freedom! Nothing breakable out here!

Why was Morro Bay a favorite? All the boys will tell you about the "marble game" invented with cool shells and marble runs. They literally looked like a bunch of poker fellas.