Our lives have been very full for a long-time. Both of us working, raising 4 kids, leading a small business, a church, a non-profit, loving our neighbors, trying not to neglect our friends & family, and figuring out how to ensure our house is in order....is a weekly miracle. But it's important for us to not neglect taking our family to the mountains even when there's limited time. At the end of this past winter, I had to work late on a Saturday, so Heidi took the kids to the mountains for some hiking....I told her I'd borrow a car and meet her up there in the afternoon. We agreed what trail I'd find her on, so in the early afternoon I blasted up to Sequoia National Park to go find her. I found her car at the Big Baldy Trailhead. I started up the trail and quickly realized....this was gonna be tough. It was still covered in snow....and the kind of snow where each step plunges through the surface making walking difficult. It's called postholing. Not fun. The trail was straight uphill for 2.5 miles, and I thought about her, postholing each step with three little kids and one 35lb kid on her back. Amazing. Once I reached the ridge, I was able to enjoy all the effort with a beautiful view, now basking in the warm sun. After 15 minutes more of ridge hiking, I finally heard, "DADDY!!" In the distance I saw the 5 of them running towards me! Their hiking boots were soaked, legs dirty, but faces were full of smiles. They looked like they worked for every step -- but smiles for miles made it worth it.
I said, "Heidi, how are you!? That was some tough hiking!" She replied, "the kids did great. We sang, told stories, and payed attention to things in creation that reminded us of God."
"You must be tired, here, let me take Joel, I'll carry him down," I said. Without skipping a beat she replied, "No way! I've gotta get my workout in!" Wow. Just. Wow.
I married the right person.
These are good days.
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