Rain On the Plain

OMG I'M HERE!!!

I'm in Flagstaff, Arizona at a nice European cafe and bakery. This place is crazy cute. If I lived here, I would be here every day. Or at least once a week. It's like my Boba - cool, good coffee and unique. I love it!


Yesterday's travels took me through the remainder of Oklahoma. Oklahoma, mind you, is flat. It's a good thing I conquered that in the early morning because I would have been very bored in the evening.

In Texas, I encountered a couple things: MORE road construction... and rattlesnakes. I pull into a rest area (really, I just needed to pee!) and there's a sign that says "Beware of snakes" right as you enter. I almost turned around, but i had to GO! I pull in and next to my car is another sign that says "Danger: Rattlesnakes." I'm good, thanks. This city girl doesn't do snakes even when she was a country girl. Thankfully none crossed my path, but it makes for a good short story, eh?

Then I entered uncharted territory and said "Hello" to New Mexico for the first time. It's a BEAUTIFUL state, but also can be a bit boring as you're driving through all those ranches. There's nothing but brown grass and 2-foot-tall shrubs for miles! I stopped for dinner and treated myself to some Cracker Barrel while trying to stay awake.

I entered Arizona at around 7p local time (10p Michigan-time) and managed to make it all the way to Flagstaff. I was worried. It was a long day and I was very very very tired. My plan was to stay with a couchsurfer (for more information: couchsurfing.org). I pulled up to their home to discover no lights on. I gave the husband a call (my main contact) and turns out he had texted that they had an emergency, but he'd found me another couch. This is what I love about couchsurfers - there's never "no room." I ended up going to stay with his friend, Donnelly, who was delightful. Among moving boxes, 4 cats, 2 dogs and 3 people, she made the couch cozy and I SLEPT WELL. (Also, for all you couchsurfing skeptics - I'm still alive :P) She pointed me to 2 things: the best coffee in Flagstaff and the best pie in Arizona. I must admit, the coffee IS good. I'll let you know how the pie is later.


And now, I'm headed off to the Grand Canyon! Have a great day!


*****


Yesterday, there were a couple things that struck me. One was being able to see for miles (at one point, I could see for 10+ miles - i drove it from one landmark to another and watched my odometer). The other, because I was able to see for miles, was the storms. Some of the storms were quite powerful, producing lightning and heavy rain. However, as someone driving a ways off, they seemed small.

I couldn't help but think of the storms we experience in Michigan sometimes. They have heavy wind, lots of rain, lots of lightning and nearly constant thunder. Sometimes they knock out power. For those few moments, all we know are those storms. We get scared. We take shelter. We worry. Sometimes they last for hours and we wonder if they'll ever end.

In the same way, storms strike our lives and we experience a lot of those same things. Worst of all, these storms can cause us to lose our joy, our hope, and our faith.

Driving through that desert and seeing the small size of those storms made me think of how God sees my storms. I make such a big deal out of the trials and tribulations and yet, God is watching over. Is He thinking, "really, Trazy, it's almost over. See? There's the sun!"


My thoughts today, as I experience a beautiful day at the Grand Canyon:

What small storms have I turned into hurricanes?

What causes me to lose faith during those hard times and how can I see the sun on the other side?

How can I use my storms to BUILD my faith instead of losing it?