Mt Rainier

I spent sacrament meeting today thinking about The Parable of Mt Rainier. This weekend we took the kids to this amazing place. We spent Friday hiking and following the trails and saw some of the most beautiful things: mushrooms, waterfalls, animals. We enjoyed being together and were genuinely happy. We drove to Paradise, where the Visitor Center was. It was cloudy and we knew from the map where the mountain was, but couldn't see it. Everything around us was so breathtakingly beautiful, we didn't feel like we were missing anything. Suddenly, the sun came out, the clouds parted and the mountain stood majestic in front of us. With the mountain in view, the greater purpose of our whole trip became obvious. We had enjoyed our surroundings and hiking, but when we looked up to see the glory of Rainier, our trip had increased purpose and payoff.

Thus it is in my life. I go about my day following the path, enjoying the beauty around me, enjoying being with my family. I am content. Suddenly, the clouds part for a while, the Son shines, and I catch a glimpse of the "mountain"-- how it will feel to be with Heavenly Father again. This new knowledge gives greater meaning to my mortal experience.
I am enjoying life so much. I like the hike I'm on with my family and my surroundings couldn't be more beautiful. I am content. I know the mountain is there because it says so on my map, my plan of salvation. However, if I will look up when the clouds part, I will get a glimpse that will give eternal definition to my life. I've got to look up more!

Enough with the parables. Vacations are simply a really needed change to my routine. It is on vacation that I remember why I like my kids. Why I can't like them at home, I don't know, sad but true. Our cozy cabin was cute, but very distant, so we drove that crazy mountain in the dead of night and arrived well after midnight. The weather on Friday was perfect and we wore the kids out hiking the Trail of the Shadows. After lunch we spent the afternoon at Paradise and were spoiled with sunshine and glorious views. We headed back to the cottage and had naps and hot tubs. The bonus of the cottage was no TV which meant little kids in bed by 7:30 and Tony Wilson Cooper and I popping popcorn and showing our true selves in Monopoly. Saturday was pouring rain, but it didn't stop us from hiking the beautiful Grove of the Patriarchs and Silver Falls. Wilson was the family photographer and took millions of pictures and video on his itouch. Visiting Rainier in the Fall meant fewer people, fantastic colors and lots of my new favorite thing: mushrooms. I may be a budding mycologist.