A Day Trip, Open your eyes to see God's creations

[Ruth Ann]

I happen to live in one of the most beautiful places on God's Green Earth in the Shenandoah Valley! This past Thursday my husband and I went on a Day Trip to nearby ,Rockingham and Page Counties in VA, to enjoy a Spring Day.

I had been wanting to go see my grandfather's tombstone on my father's side for sometime. Daddy's father was a mine inspector who traveled around the country inspecting mines for safety for the miners safety before they could enter the mines. He worked for Dravo Mining Company. When this grandfather was 32 years old and his wife ,my grandmother, was 26 he was killed in a mine in Detroit,Michigan a month before my father was born. My grandfather's body was shipped back to Virginia and buried in Page County,VA near their home place.

Just imagine how awful it would be to have your husband killed a month before your second child is due and to have to deliver and care for these children after your husband recent death. I think, it took a strong woman to have handled all this grief and difficult situation. To have made all the funeral arrangements,the shipping of the body, picking out and buying all the necessary funeral and burial needs and even the large headstone. for his grave.

Previous to Thursday the last time I was at that cemetery Daddy took me and my three small children at the time to this cemetery. Since then I had four more children and a lot of time has past. This Day Trip was a bit of a discovery and hunting trip to look for the cemetery since I couldn't remember exactly where the cemetery was and my father is no longer living to be able to tell me where it is. Going to the cemetery was just something felt I wanted and even needed to do...maybe to connect to my family roots. I'm not sure,but I felt a drawing to visit the cemetery.

The weather was glorious. The sights were amazing! The rolling hills with every color of green where you could see so far across the horizon that it seemed like you could see forever! The mountains in the distance, each had many shades of blue and purple, were dressed in all God's glory. It made our hearts leap for joy to see all of the many of God's wondrous inspiring creations!!!! All the views were a spectacular sight, a feast for our eyes, reflecting God majesty in our hearts.

We did find the cemetery in a very private area in an extra ordinary majestic setting far from civilation. There atop a hill, over looking plowed fields and woodlands, we discovered many of my relatives last resting spot. It gets you in touch with your mortality when you visit your ancestors graves. On many, and in fact most, of the tombstones there are scriptures or references to the Lord which blessed me. I have known I come from a praying heritage,but seeing the scriptures reassured my heart.

On top of my grandfather's very large tombstone was carved a Bible with intricate details of flowers on top the stone near the big open Bible. There was also an inscription that said "God Works in Mysterious Ways." I suppose, this was my grandmother's way of questioning why this had happened to her family or perhaps her expressing and just accepting her deep loss.

As I wandered through the cemetery, I recognized many names of my relatives that I had known a very long time ago or that Daddy had talked about when I was a girl. Memories jumped into my mind of past interactions with them when they were in their earthly bodies. It seemed stranger that they were laying there in those spots.

The wind was blowing gently that day whisking my hair around my face as I walked on top of that hill. A sweet spirit seemed to flow across the cemetery which infilled my heart. The cemetery is very,very old and had a meloncally,gentle feel with the ancient tombstones throughout the graveyard there seemed to a awe of mystery.

This cemetery used to set next to one of the oldest Lutheran Church's in the United States. St. Peter's Lutheran Church, used to stand right beside St Peter's Cemetery. Much to my disappointment,the church has been razed. I was so disappointed that the church was gone,because my father not only went to that church next to the site,but he attended school in the very same church there too. So the church being gone, with not one single evidence that there was ever a church there, made me a little sad. Even the stone foundation was gone. Disappeared in time just like the bodies of the people who have laid in the ground for a long time. Time seemed to be cruel at that moment.

You see,St.Peter's Lutheran Church had been used for a church and a school and my father had spent many days in St.Peter's Church and School. The church being gone seemed to reenforce the fact that Daddy was gone too even if he is in Heaven. I was having a difficult time understanding why they would tear down a church. Was it to plant more crop fields? Why didn't they save it for a historic site? I love history; so for me tearing it down seems such a loss and a waste! It was pretty church and now it is gone forever.

During our Day Trip we traveled to trails,highways and byways,creeks and rivers enjoying our day of communion with God in nature. The cattle on the hillsides and pasturelands dotted the landscapes. Beautiful horses grazed graciously on the green,green grass. The goats and sheep wandered on the yellow green or forest green rolling fields of grassland. Those beautiful white and red barns were so pleasing to our eyes. The orchard's trees and branches, all in bloom, danced in the wind to a swaying rythmn. The Dogwoods,Redbuds,and Goldenrod, in full blossom, made the roadsides a fantasy of colors.

You don't have to go far from where we live around here to have a wonderful mini vacation or even a long extended vacation. Virginia is full of historical homes and museums,natural wonders including rock formations,caverns and granduer visions for your eyes of mountains,valleys and dales. Virginia is truly a wonder for your senses.

Why not take a Day Trip near where you live soon? The scencery and history will be different from mine,but God has made many fascinating sights to see and wonders to behold.

My husband and I returned home amazed with the beauty we had enjoyed on our Day Trip. We are still talking about what a great day we experinced not far from our home. My husband says and I agree that the sights we saw are prettier and more glorious than any place we have traveled including Florida,or Carolina beaches and I will include the Colorada mountains to this list as well. We think,Virginia is the most beautiful state in the Union. Virginia has it all;rolling hills,beaches and mountains to thrill your senses!!

Praise be to God for the mighty works He has created for our pleasure; if we will only take the time to look around at His magnifent creations.

Ruth Ann's Day Trip!!!


This post has been edited by Ruth Ann on Apr 29 2010, 11:53 AM

[geemajudy]

What a beautiful description of your trip. It made me feel like I was right there seeing all this with you. Your descriptioin was so vivid.

The poerty in you certainly comes out with the way you write to describe all that you saw. Beautiful, just beautiful.

I could just smell the smells you were describing, and feel the breeze as you described it, and those rolling hills with all the color. I really traveled with you through all this, even the cemetary. I to go back and revisit the grave sites of my granny and pa,and little brother,and Aunts and Uncles, but it isn't the site you just described by a long shot. Thank you for a lovely trip.

[Ruth Ann]

I am glad you were able to see in your mind's eye our day trip and that you liked my descriptions of the things I saw. I think, because I am an artist I am able to see the world in a very detailed way to be able to describe my surroundings as I would create a picture.

The Day Trip impressed my husband and I so much we are still talking about it.

[geemajudy]

Well I am still reading about it. I have read this post, over and over because I copied it and pasted it, and saved it in my favorites, so I could read it anytime I need to be uplifted concerning the beauty of it all the way you described it. I hope that was alright with you, for me to do that. Sometimes the post get over on page 2 or 3, as other new post are added, and I wanted to be able to read this whenever I wanted to. I loved this post.

[Ruth Ann]

That is fine,geema. I am glad you enjoyed it. It pleases me that you liked it enough to want to paste and save it.

[Ruth Ann]

Take a Day Trip near your home,
And you will never be alone,
Gazing at God's Great Granduer,
Let Blessed Communion occur,
Your heart will swell with wonder,
Marvelous amazement asunder.

Take a Day Trip near your home,
And God will travel as you roam,
Open wide your heart and eyes,
And you will be greatly surprised,
At God's glorious,marvelous scenery,
Rivaling in God's magnificent glory.

Take a Day Trip near your Home.
Commune with God and roam.

By Ruth Ann

[cathywwdrake]

You have a real gift, Ruth Ann. Not everyone can describe what they see. This is kind of what has been written about here lately, about explaining the things of God in the english language. People can see beauty, but they can't always put it into words.

When I was a little girl, I would love to hear my grandmother talk about heaven. I would watch her eyes as she would talk; and I even knew then that she was describing what she was seeing. I remember saying as a child, "Some day I want to see what she sees; I want others to see heaven in my eyes."

Our grandparents are great inspirations to us in a lot of ways; they are so respected.

I didn't know my grandparents on my father's side; they both died before my father was 10. He and six other children were raised by a wonderful great aunt that lived to see all of my grandparents grandchildren born. One of my aunts wrote a book about her life, which of course included my grandparents. In her book, I got to know my grandparents. It was the most exilerating thing. You know, like in a book characters come to life. I knew them in the book, and loved them. And when they died in the book, it was like now; I was living through their death and funeral through the story. I thanked my aunt over and over for writing that book. My dad died a long time ago; and this book is something my children and great grandchildren will have.

I started a journal for my grandchildren when they were born, so that I could tell them not just how I feel about them, and tell them things they do that they can't remember. But, so I could tell them family history. I even started the journal with, "I want to tell you these things that you can't remember now, so I am writing them down. There may be a day when I can't remember these things, and you can read them to me."

[Ruth Ann]

Wow!! Wasn't that a wonderful thing that your great aunt did for all of you....what a blessing and your memories will be for you family too.

May you bring sunshine to your family through your memories.

[PreciousPuppy]

Hey y'all, does this count?? the year that puppy's grand baby to be was born, she found some acorns at her daughters' house and planted them to honor her new grand daughter..now those tiny acorns have grown into 4 beautiful trees with one that is taller then puppy.

[Ruth Ann]

Yes!!! that is making memories,Puppy!!

I encourage many of the rest of you all to do the same at the birth a child or grandchildren. This is a wonderful tribute to someone,something that will last for many years to come.

It also blesses the Earth with oxygen for us to breathe.

Bless you and yours! and bless your creative thinking,planting trees for births!!