Before I get into that, it's worth telling you the miraculously connected story of how I ended up in that particular surgery department, high in the medical corridors of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. This will be Part One:
While I didn't know it at the time, ultimately the invitation would be extended, round-aboutly, by way of a Thomas The Train conversation I had initiated in a lunch line with a pre-schooler and his father four weeks prior in Ohio. The train conversation led to a very brief conversation with his impossibly beautiful baby sister, and of course her precious doting mother. The conversations were brief and not particularly important as subject matter is concerned.
As my own daughter and I were leaving Ohio two days later, we happened to eat lunch at the same tiny cafe as the Thomas The Train family- in a small town a full 45 minute drive from our departing airport. They were leaving as we were being seated. Mrs. Train and I exchanged phone numbers, which seems weird now because we had had very little to discuss of depth all weekend, but at the time it seemed perfectly necessary.
Again, after rental car returns, shuttle rides, separate airline check-ins and security lines, we saw them as they were wrestling strollers and carseats and we were searching for our gate at the airport. The family made an impression on my daughter and I because of their obvious love for each other, but also because of their willing-to-cross-the-country in complete prayer and emotional support of certain friends of theirs...
It turns out the Train family are very close friends of another couple I've already told you briefly about because of the impact their testimony has had on my life in the last year. Prior to the Ohio conference, I had already sufficiently stalked their story online and had even spoken to them on several occasions via phone and text for mentorship regarding some of the circumstances of my own life. I chose to go to the conference, in part, because the husband was slated to speak (his first ever public speaking event, it turns out). The book about his life had just been released and I could not get enough of the hope of miraculous healing their message would be declaring.
So, when the Book family and the Train family returned to their respective homes and chatted later, there was some discussion about having met me and the possibility of inviting my daughter and I to participate in a family camping trip in Colorado. Do you see how AMAZING our God is at taking care of me through complete strangers as a direct result of my surrender to him? This is only one example of how that has happened miraculously over the last several months. Someday I'll share more.
The camping trip was to be much more than that, actually. The dates were chosen and the activities were planned around a biblical feast called The Feast of Tabernacles (Booths), or Sukkot. I had heard of this for the first time ever, almost exactly a year prior in a sermon at a tiny little church by my house. Up to that point I had very little understanding of the seven feasts biblically established by God through Moses, regardless of 41 years in a protestant environment and regardless even of the several years I've meandered through the Exodus story's concepts here for you all. That's maddening, but that's not why I'm here and I have so much more I'd like to say about all of that another day. My own process with the concept of the biblical feasts and their relation (read lack of) to the cultural "Christian holidays" and whatnot will take some time for me to finish processing internally; besides that whole thing is going to take me on a detour I don't have time for this afternoon so, standby for that another day.
To make a very long story short, I almost had too much time to plan the trip and I considered quitting before I started several times. A month is a long time to get cold feet on a situation like planning a camping trip in a another state, with virtual strangers, when a girl hasn't even owned a tent in 15 years. On top of that, I have never camped alone, much less come to understand the first idea of what people do for Sukkot. I haven't been in the mood for intentionally adding more stress to my life and I could think of a dozen reasons a day, why I had no business going.
Then my daughter sustained an injury that took her out of school for a few days and placed her in a big, stupid walking boot again. Neither situation made camping and hiking or missing more school a good idea. To make it more obvious I should quit planning to go, her 16th birthday would be taking place over the weekend we were to be there. I couldn't imagine leaving her and giving up my custody week with her to go alone. My feet were ice cold, but the tent and other camping supplies had already started arriving and my daughter, almost daily, insisted "Mom, for my birthday all I want is for you to go to Colorado with your friends". She is such a treasure and I have a trillion reasons to thank God for her, but this selflessness is by far at the top of the list. She had very much bonded with the Book family and had even asked Mr. Book to baptize her in Lake Erie while we were in Ohio. While she was disappointed to not be able to go, she was relieved when I told her I would.
So, last Thursday morning, with excitement and trepidation, my little white dog, Moses, and I loaded the car and embarked on the nine hour and 12 minute drive to Rifle Gap State Park. There was sufficient time for me to get in several hours of an audio training course I'm taking and the miles whizzed by. The day was gorgeous and I took plenty of opportunities to pull over for photo ops of the scenery and wildlife. I arrived with plenty of daylight to set up camp, but Mr. Book and Baby Book weren't having it; Baby Book had been asking for pizza so I jumped in their car to wind back down the mountain for dinner, but not before being outfitted with a knife, flashlight and headlamp. I immediately knew an adventure of a lifetime had begun, yet had no idea surgery was right around the corner.
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