Forgotten Dreams

Hello! Nice to be back. I've been waiting two days to tell you some pretty cool things that have happened on our cross-country trip. So, I'm going to put the European stories on hold, for just a bit. Funny thing is, in some ways our past experiences there have tied into this trip. That's what I want to tell you about.

First, I want to share an amazing thing God showed me at, of all places, Meteor Crater. Seeing the Grand Canyon was amazing, but what I learned at Meteor Crater was precious.



At one point I felt drawn to go to one part of a small amphitheater, which sits on the edge of this massive, mile-wide crater. Most of the other visitors had gone off to the observation area or back into the semi-cool building housing the museum.

I stood in the corner against the railing. All the noises around me fell away, becoming distant. Suddenly I heard…nothing. Complete silence. No background hum of interstates, neighborhood cars, or daily life. Just that silence that almost makes your ears ring. Do you know what I mean?

Guess what I did? Like a child, I asked, "God, are you there?"

I'm laughing at myself as I write this. Such pondering. I guess somewhere in my mind I thought without all the background noise, God's voice would boom out like a man on a speakerphone.

He was there…is there. I loved that moment. I loved the silence. But what I loved most of all was knowing that God is there no matter what the "noise " is in my life. One day, I'd like to spend more time in the desert like that, away from all the hum and just have a conversation with God. I know He's there. I just want to hear him better.

Now, some fun stuff happened after that. Later in the day (Tuesday), we stopped at a comfy hotel in Gallup, New Mexico, another state I wanted to see. We were just leaving the restaurant in the hotel when we saw the waitress struggling to understand a party of eight. Can you believe they were German? Yep, I played translator that evening. Both the party and the poor waitress were relieved to be understood. It was such a joy to help, and fun.

So, the next day we head father into New Mexico and hit…guess where? Uh-huh, Roswell. I have a confession to make. No, I am not an alien nut, but I loved the TV show, Roswell. We drove down Main Street and got to see the area the TV set was modeled after. And get this. I went into three different shops and two were Christian run. Didn't expect that.

And onward we drove into the evening, until we stopped at a Best Western in Pecos, Texas. We chose it because the restaurant attached was called the Swiss Clock. It even had a bunch of the kanton (region) flags hung on the hotel front. Kind of corny but cute. In the morning we had breakfast there and found out the owners were Swiss. How funny!

Where am I going with all this rambling? Back to God, of course. It's all about dreams. God makes dreams come true, even the small ones that don't really seam like a dream, but more like a "maybe," like going to Roswell, New Mexico.

God loves to delight in us, and I believe He likes to delight us. I think He likes taking those forgotten dreams and making them a reality. And at the same time, it makes Him seem even more real…more present…more involved in our lives.

My trip is turning into a reminder of forgotten dreams. Here's one delighted traveler saying, "See ya soon."