Sanctuary

As many of you know, our tradition of attending church on Sunday mornings has been (how shall we say?) "challenged" by our new lifestyle as Bed and Breakfast owners. A table full of hungry guests with hiking stories to tell does not lend itself well to dashing out the door for worship! We have found that Sunday mornings are special times here at the B&B. Usually it is our guests' final morning so they are more relaxed and we've had some wonderful (sometimes 2-3 hour!) conversations.

When we don't have guests, we visit several area churches. Other times, we gather by the fireplace or on the front porch for a family worship time. And then on lovely mornings like today, we enjoy one of our favorite sanctuaries. Come along and see!

There wasn't much traffic on the way to church

The pews have a rustic essence

Or for those who prefer.... there are the padded pews

Someone brought flowers to decorate the sanctuary

The carpet matched the padding on the pews ... perfectly!

An artist had created a very natural looking mural on the ceiling

I shared my pew with this VERY bright little worshipper. I must say that I preferred my seatmate to CorrieAnne's. She encountered a black snake!

Music lifts the soul to God. This church had exceptional music! Soft and soothing at first...

... and then swelling to a glorious crescendo of praise!

Many people have wondered how the change in our church life has impacted our girls. We continue to seek opportunities for them to engage with other people of faith. But there are meaningful moments to be found in this season of life as well. With her permission, I conclude with the thoughts that CorrieAnne recorded yesterday as she worshipped in her personal sanctuary.

God

As powerful as a current
As strong as a rock
As fragile as a web
As quiet as a spider
Whispers like trees

As beautiful as a yellow flower
As tiny as an acorn
As gentle as a moss

CorrieAnne Stoner - May 2, 2010 (age 10)

Springing to Life

Is it possible? Could winter really be over? This nursery owner apparently has his doubts!

My calendar reminds me that on April 18, 1997, Keene Valley was dumped with 17 inches of Snow! But this year, it appears that we are indeed enjoying an early spring.

While the High Peaks still sport caps of snow and ice, here in the valley, the snow piles vanished several weeks ago. We even dodged the "mud season" bullet with only a day or two of mild muck. (If you missed the pictures of our driveway the past two springs, it's worth a visit to the archive!)

A string of beautiful 70 degree days coaxed our daffodils out of the ground much earlier than usual


Our first Easter Sunday in the Adirondacks, we awoke to zero degrees. This year was sunny and in the 70's! We enjoyed a ferry ride to Burlington, VT. This photo shows the ferry passing in front of the remaining section of the Crown Point bridge which was recently demolished.

Here's what the High Peaks look like from the Vermont side of Lake Champlain. We now have some friends in the Charlotte area. They tell us that they look across the lake and wave hello to us quite often!

Spring means BASEBALL! (Go Tribe!) CorrieAnne enjoys a game of catch with Dad in preparation for her baseball season.

Across the road, the swollen Ausable River rushes along providing an energetic sound track to our daily activities.

Still not completely trusting the weather, I've started a few herbs and plants in window containers. You can see the last pile of snow just outside the window.

Our friendly neighborhood waterfall has been released from it's winter freeze.

Wayne and our son, Christian, enjoyed an early spring hike to the top of Snow Mountain

We wish all of you a warm and healthy spring. Don't forget to take time to nurture your spirit with the beauty that surrounds you.