CAMPING

Ten Things I Learned at the Ward Camp Out:

#1 There are kind people everywhere who are

willing to help when you feel overwhelmed.

#2 You can fit a queen size air mattress in a

two man dome tent. It is so worth the effort.

#3 It is still fun to sing around a campfire.

#4 The stars in the sky can help you find your

way back when you are lost.

#5 Don’t listen to bear stories before you go

to bed.

#6 Men like marshmallow blow guns as much

as kids do.

#7 Wet marshmallows make a mess.

#8 When you are on a bumpy road, make sure

you look up and see the grandeur around you.

#9 From the top of a mountain, the earth is

a beautiful place to be.

#10 If you have faith, everything will work out.

SERENDIPITY!

This week my son needed our truck to haul

something home, so we traded cars overnight.

Bob and I took advantage of the opportunity

to drive his Jeep up Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Friendly wildflowers including red indian paint-

brush, purple asters and yellow sunflowers

along the roadside nodded as we passed by.

The majesty of the granite cliffs, blue spruce

and quaking aspen surrounded us. The cool

breeze on my face, the scent of the forrest and

occasional smoke of a campfire flooded my

mind with rich memories.

Fun times of long ago: camping trips with my

parents at Tanner’s Flats and learning how to

ski as a teen on the beginner slopes with my red

wooden skis and leather boots.

I relived hiking with our own children on the

trailheads we drove past, enjoying an autumn

weekend with our kids at a Snowbird lodge

and camping with my sister’s family in

beautiful Albion Basin.

Our scenic ride that evening filled up my

senses and my heart with gratitude for the

grandeur of this earth and all the bounties

of life that my family and I have been blessed

with. Now that is a serendipity!