June 5, Gr. Canyon/Kingman AZ

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Today's text was from Ezra 1:1-4--God effectively paving the way for the Israelites to return from exile by changing the heart of the king of Persia and causing him to make law that all the Persian people should give the Israelites whatever they needed to return home. When does that ever happen for anyone?!

Again, I didn't immediately resonate with today's text, but mentally filed it for later rethinking. This day was great and physically a bit punishing. Winds were 35 mph with 40mph gusts. We figured we would take the riding in smaller increments so as to give Steve's arms and shoulders a break from holding the bike steady.

We drove through the forest that surrounds Flagstaff and came across a small building that was not in any of the literature we had read about the route. The Chapel of the Holy Dove was a uniquely shaped place of sanctuary built by a doctor who realized the need to pull away from his busy life and spend time alone with God (as we are attempting to do both on and off the motorcycle). It had a small door that Steve and I both had to stoop to get through, and then the walls and roof fan up and out, ending in plate glass windows that allow worshippers to view a gorgeous mountain. We stayed silent there for a while and took everything in. I sensed the loving presence of God that I have felt at other times in my life and it seemed just like a benediction for this very different journey we're on. I gave thanks for that understanding.

About the Grand Canyon: you should understand that I have this thing about heights, and Steve never has in the past. In fact, he's teased me quite a bit about it. We decided to go watch the IMAX movie about the canyon (5 story screen, amazing camera shots that can put stomachs in knots). Somehow, the effect of the excellent movie made seeing the real thing worse for Steve. He didn't want to look at soaring and diving grandeur, and I was like, "Let me just stand here and soak this in." So he walked around looking at the board displays, trying not to get a sick stomach, and I stood quietly at the overlook rails, doing my introvert thing and trying to take as many mental pictures as possible to savor later. For me, one of the beautiful things about the canyon is that it is one huge fractal. I'm not a mathematician and I can't manipulate Mandelbrot's famous equation, but I deeply appreciate fractals in nature and I'm trying to learn more about them over time. More trips to this place for reflection are on my list!

So we got back into the heavy winds to put ourselves as close to the CA border as possible. Praying on the bike before we got to Kingman, a thought came into my head, "Call ahead about motels if you are going to stay in Needles. It's Friday and the motels may be full." I mentioned it to Steve and he agreed. By the time we got to Kingman, he changed his mind and we agreed that we would be fine to get out of the wind and spend the night there instead. I had a craving for Chinese food and I got directions from the motel clerk for a good take-place nearby. We made the short drive and Steve exclaimed, US Bank! I had tried to find all AZ locations from the USB site and Kingman wasn't on it. Short cash flow problem solved. We would have to wait until 9am Sat. morning to get to the bank, but wouldn't have to leave so early to get across the Mojave because of the heat--temps were predicted between 76-82 degrees. Another series of decisions resulting in our understanding of God's providence over us as we travel. I think I felt a little bit like those Israelites being provided for as they traveled back to the Promised Land. Blessings, Grace.

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