Rainy Sunday mornings are awesome!

When I walked outside this morning to go to church, the first thing I noticed was the strong wind pushing north. The skies were gray and I could tell that a storm is out there, waiting to pounce. It began sprinkling as I parked and headed into the church building. The smell coming from the rain on the nearby farms, carried on the wind, caressed my nose and it was wonderful. There's nothing like the smell of rain, and nothing like the feel of it on your skin. I looked toward the Wasatch Mountains and the clouds lowering around them made me want to be up in the peaks, playing, waiting for the rains and possibly damp, heavy, snow to come down. But I couldn't just go up there right then. Commitments sometimes keep us from enjoying God's blessings of the scent of rain, and the feel and sound of the wind. It's okay though. I can thank Him for them now, and go out and play in them later.

Just thinking about the great things the Lord has done for us is enough to keep one humble. We cannot fathom all that has been done on our behalf. I know some of you don't believe in God. For me, I cannot go through a single day of my life without having his presence manifested. And for that, I can offer nothing but praise and a heart that yearns to do His will, but can never fully do so. I am, after all, a mortal and sinful man. It's not an excuse, but a fact. I will rely upon the strength of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, to see me through. He died that I might live, and for that, I praise his name forever.

A beautiful sunset tonight!

I kept hoping all day for the sky to open up into blue and the sun to bathe the peaks in light. After all, we'd had a storm yesterday in the wee hours of the night and I thought that the inversion might lift for a moment. Finally, in the late afternoon, the sun won a brief battle and the Wasatch Mountains lit up. I only had my camera on my phone to take a couple of pics, and I was trying to get back to the office in my mail truck. Still, I found a good vantage point and snapped this shot.

After work, I needed to pick up a few things at the grocery store and came out just in time to see the sun going out in a blaze of glory.

So, after feeling a little disappointed that the light hadn't been what I'd wanted all day. in the end, it didn't disappoint. My phone camera leaves a lot to be desired, but I did the best I could with what I had at the time.

Thinking About the Mountains

Wow, the Wasatch Mountains are beautiful when they're snow covered. Actually, they're stunning any time of year. I love living near them and am impatiently awaiting spring, so that I can once again traverse their wooded paths and climb their rugged peaks. I'm not looking forward to the annual inversions that we have around here, that obscure my view of those fantastic spires. The lower photo is of the Big Cottonwood Canyon area, covered in snow, shrouded in clouds. I have a better winter picture somewhere--I'll just have to dig it up. The photo on the right is Sun Dial Peak, with Lake Blanche in the foreground.