On the Road Again

After a whirlwind of joy last weekend where we welcomed our son home from college and celebrated birthdays and Mother's Day at my mom's, I have hit the road again with my little poustinia/hermitage/desert place to spend a few days by the sea.

I am staying at a state park in NC that has campsites in a dense forest about a 4 mile drive to the beach. They have electric sites here, which seem absolutely necessary as the late afternoon heat and mosquitoes set in.

On this first morning I am beginning my day with two cups of coffee, some leftover and yummy zuccini quiche, and the Gospel of John from the Mass readings of the day.

At the Last Supper, as Jesus was preparing to leave His disciples, He said, "Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid" ( John 14:27-31a).

Wasn't I experiencing those very things as I tried to wrap up things at home to make a space for this time away? Wasn't I anxious as I moved doctors' appointments, had my bike repaired, watered the new redbud tree we just planted in the front yard, put a few meals within sight in the fridge, washed my clothes, packed up, hooked up, and drove off down the road?

Wasn't I thinking, "I wonder if I'll make it all the way down to the beach without my bike flying off the back of the car?"

Truly, I DO "let" my heart be troubled and afraid.

But Jesus promises that He is with his disciples, with all of those who love Him and follow His way. And it is my work to believe in Him and live in the freedom (and the peace) of His risen life.















In (Ever Growing) Faith!

Ronda

Location:Campground Rd,Carolina Beach

Morning Has Broken

As darkness blanketed my little camper perched by the water's edge, I battened down the hatches to prepare for the coming storms.

You know, camping is not just flat tires and snakes, flashing lightening, and windy rain.

It is also the chance to leave all that I know and that comforts me behind.

Camping for me is time spent away from my daily concerns, time to savor the beauty of our natural world, and the chance to ponder the things of God.

It is bald eagles 🦅 flying overhead, gray herons fishing for meals, fluffy white clouds blowing across an ever changing sky, and a time to relax and savor it all.

I suppose if I didn't recount my brushes with adversity and fear then I might have more companions to join me here.

However, doing the things that scare me a bit can be the impetus to help me grow in trust.

Trust that everything will work out okay. And most of all faith that God is really with me and I am not alone.




(Morning comes after the driving rain.)

❤️ Ronda

A Day in the Life at the Lake

When I made my reservation to camp at Jordan Lake, I had no idea that the weather forecast would be a very hot 86 degrees on the first of May, followed by a night of gusty wind and thunderstorms. And so I almost bailed out of my trip, but could not reach anyone at the reservation office at 5:30 pm the night before to cancel.

And so I made a few concessions. I decided to leave my furry golden retriever pup at home for fear she would get too hot at my non electric campsite. And I also decided to pump up the tires on my bike and bring it along for a nice ride.





The site I chose is surrounded by water, and perched just above it so that with the wind blowing across the lake, I feel like I am on a boat. It is glorious!

I arrived on a Sunday and the lake was still buzzing with boats all afternoon until dusk began to filter the sky.

I decided to hop on my bike and ride through the emptying park, seeing the traces of a busy camping weekend left behind. Heaps of garbage filled the trash cans along the way, and registration tags still hung from campsite posts, though almost no one was around.

A few huge turkey vultures were congregating at a site filled with debris from the rising lake, now nine feet higher due to recent flooding rain.

I pedaled past pools of water collected at lower level places throughout the park and confirmed my suspicions of snakes being disturbed when I saw a 3 foot long black one recently hit and partially squashed in the road. I wasn't sure if it was dead, but hoped it wasn't suffering as I veered around it and continued on my way.

Soon I was passing a camp Host site, and I waved to the man there as I flew down the hill toward the waterfront. Suddenly I saw a line of construction cones and hit my brakes as I realized the road was flooded and closed. I turned around and shifted my gears to begin to climb the hill when the chain fell off and became so wedged that I could not remove it.

What to do now? I thought as the darkness was collecting around me. I was about two miles from "home", I had that squashed snake to renavigate around, and after flipping my bike upside down to try to release the chain, was certain that my bike would not even roll.

So I lifted the rear tire off the ground and began to walk back, wondering how I would ever make it. After a while, I passed the camp Host who came out to ask what was the matter.

"I raised nine boys and so I know a thing or two about bikes," the friendly man said as he helped me to get the bike, if not riding, then at least rolling.

Gratefully, I said my goodbyes, protesting that I couldn't chat, but needed to get back before dark. And so I walked in the heavy evening air, through the darkening woods, past empty campsites, around the squashed snake, down the long road to my little campsite perched at the edge of the lake. And having missed the sunset, was more than grateful to be home in the gathering dark.

Location:Parkers Creek Recreation Rd,Chapel Hill,United States

The News Today...

Easter Headlines, two weeks early!



In Joy!
Ronda

And the Winner is...

Rooting for my team, in style!




Oh yeah!





Gee, glad I'm not on Franklin Street tonight!




'Night, All!




❤ My Tar Heels!
Evie

Location:Lylebourne Ct,Apex,United States

What Basketball Taught Me

When I was a sophomore in high school, I tried out for the girls' basketball team. It was my Plan B after my parents quashed my dream of becoming a school cheerleader.

I thought I would make a good cheerleader because I loved being a part of Sanderson High, had a lot of enthusiasm and school spirit, enjoyed shouting for our teams, and yes, wanted to wear one of those cute pleated skirts that the other girls got to wear on game days.

However, it was not to be as my parents admonished me to "Be on the team, not just cheering for it."

And so, with perhaps thoughts of my dad's own glory days as a basketball player for his high school and college teams, I tried out for the team at my school. As a 15 year old who had shot baskets on her driveway with her dad through the years, and could barely dribble the ball through her legs, I was rightly and justly cut from the tryouts and lost all my hopes of joining the team.

A few weeks later, however, my math teacher approached me and said that one of the girls he coached on our basketball team was missing too many practices. He said that if I could commit to attending all of the practices and to coming to all of the games, he would like me to join the team in her place.

And so I said yes!

As a member at the bottom of the lineup, I played in practices like the rest of the team, learning and running through the plays countless times while helping to sharpen our starting five.

And I ran laps around the court and suicides back and forth with everyone else, though I was often red faced and hyperventilating by the time we were through.

I dressed out for games and huddled with the team as our coach marked out with x's and o's the best strategy to defeat the team before us.

I loved my team and rooted with all of my heart for them from the bench from the beginning of each game until its final moments. If there was a minute or two left on the clock when we had a strong lead, I was sometimes called onto the floor.

What emotion surged through me as I was suddenly out there and facing the other team. My rational thoughts went away as adrenalin took over as I tried to catch and pass the ball and put it up on the backboard for a possible 2.

During those moments I remember looking back at the bench to see Linda, Ann, Teresa, Gwen, Diane, Susan, and the others standing up and yelling and waving their arms and rejoicing to see their third string teammates out there doing our best in the midst of it all.

We were a team, each one with an important contribution to make, each one pulling for the other, for the team, and for the school as a whole. Yes, something greater than basketball was there, and it is with me still.

Love,
Ronda

Location:Lylebourne Ct,Apex,United States

When You're In the Game, You've Gotta Give It Your All

If you watched last night's two NCAA Final Four matchups, then you know that they were nail biters, with the two Number 1 seeds Gonzaga and North Carolina fighting off their tenacious opponents until the final seconds of both games.

This was the headline that greeted us today in the Raleigh News & Observer:







Who will win the NCAA Championship Game on Monday night is anyone's guess, but UNC has a long record of reaching the top (34 Final Four or Championship appearances) in this league. As one announcer said last night, if you are willing to submit yourself to the coaching and players of a winning program, then that program will help you to develop and mature into a far better player than you could ever have been on your own.

And it is that kind of team spirit that allows Carolina to play effectively through injuries and adversities as lesser players rise to the occasion when their main players are sidelined in some way. When a player submits his own glory for the good of the team, then something greater is at work.

In this particular year, the player at the center of the storm is Joel Berry who is playing on two sprained ankles as he continues to provide leadership for his team.







“Sometimes you can be selfish and just think about yourself and your well-being,” Berry said. “That’s the one great thing about this program: you’re such a family to where sometimes you put yourself aside to where you start thinking about other guys.

“And I think that’s just why people [on past UNC teams] were motivated to play through the injuries. I’m the same way. Even though I’m hurting I just want to do whatever it takes to be able to help my team out.”

ESPN announcer Jay Bilas said of Berry, “He brings toughness, leadership and then he’s an attack guard. He attacks off the dribble and he’s a great finisher, even at his size. And he provides them another 3-point shooter. … That takes a weapon away if he’s not 100 percent.”

But it's Berry's teammate Justin Jackson who states the reason that UNC has the ability to win the final game on Monday night:

“That’s one of our leaders, one of our best players — any aspect you want to throw out there, he’s at the top of it,” Jackson said. “Not having that type of guy out there, it can hurt a little bit. But Coach always says the Tar Heels are playing, not Joel Berry or Justin Jackson or whoever. So whoever’s out there has got to be able to play.”

Life is a lot like basketball.

Go Heels!
Ronda

Location:Lylebourne Ct,Apex,United States