It's been a little over three weeks since I arrived in Murphys California and it's probably an understatement to say that life has changed!  First of all, the climate is suiting me to a "T."  I like the warm days and the cools nights.  I love my drive across Lake Malones amid the rolling hills.

My little cabina, La Casa de Canto, continues to delight me.  At the left is the beginning bloom of the wisteria next to my front door.  All this time it has looked like a dead branch and Patty kept reassuring me that it would soon bloom.  I did not expect it to look like this.  I thought it would get green leaves first and then beautiful flowers but instead the flowers come first.

Deep beneath my deck, the work of the soil, the water, and the sun from above have all been joining together to create this lovely plant. I couldn't actually see it happening but I knew it was there.

This reminds me of something I read yesterday in Bruce and Kate Epperly's book, Tending to the Holy, the Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry.  "...in order for our theological beliefs to be life transforming, they need to be embodied and experienced in companionship through the ordinary and repeated rituals of everyday life." (pg. 72)  I am fortunate to have a daily prayer and meditation time and space at the cabina in the morning hours.  These rituals are life giving and tending to the soil of my spirit - unseen but hopefully producing good fruit.  I also have a wonderful altar in my office at church and each day when I enter, no matter the time, I go there and pray, asking for God to help me be aware of the Holy Voice within and without.

The other practice is one of hospitality that is opening me to God's gifts in our little town.  Each week I try to meet five to ten new people as I walk the streets of the village.  This too is an amazing ritual that lets me see God everywhere!  Now if I can just remember everyone's name!

So join me on the journey - come pray with me in my office, over the phone, via email or even in the comment section of this blog! Join me in the walks downtown if you're a local!   I'd love to have you as a partner in these life-giving rituals! Joy in the journey!

finally arrived

The magnificent Sierras!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013 - We are here!
      That's right we finally made it across the country and many of you have contacted me and asked, "Where are you?"  "Did you make it?"  Yes, we arrived in Murphys, California around 1:00 p.m. on Monday, March 4.  I wanted to write immediately and let you all know that we are safe and happy but there were so many things to do, so many people to see, I just didn't get to it.  So let me catch you up!


We spent Sunday night just south of Reno, Nevada and had spectacular views all the way from there to Murhpys.  Since we were south of Reno we took Route 88 across the mountains.  Over and again we were enthralled with the magnificent beauty of the mountains.  We went through snow covered trees and into lush greens hills.  The trip was true joy.  The best part was sharing it with Daryl.  We are great travelers together and we loved the adventure.  The photo to the right is the creek near our new home.  We are staying in a little "cabina" in Sonora.  This place of refugee and exquisite surroundings are becoming home to us already.  I have decided to name the cabina, La Casa de Canta, which means house of song.  This is appropriate as it the place where Daryl will write music, (he has already started composing one), I will write sermons, letters and journal entries (probably blogs too!)  and together we will sing praise to our God.  Songs of joy arise naturally in this tranquil setting,  It is just what we need after a long cross country trip!

Already the daffodils are blooming and the birds are singing.  We share the land with a wolf, some chickens, and a happy dog named Simon.  (the wolf and chickens are not in the same pen!)  I am in my glory with all this nature around me.

Daryl on the deck

Daryl is standing on the deck of La Casa de Canta.  For those of you who know him well, you can already imagine that this piece of heaven feeds his creative soul!  Sadly he has to go back east for a bit to finish his responsibilities there!

In addition to the beauty of the earth, we have been the recipients of generous and loving hospitality by both the people of the congregation, the local clergy and the community.

Already I met with two other local pastors as we made plans for joint worship services for Holy Week.  Chad and Doug were willing to change their plans a bit for our meeting so we could attend the "Bell Ringing for Peace" that is held once a month at First Congregational Church in Murphys.  The lower left photo shows the three of us taking our turns ringing the bell.                      


Joe Jackson, the moderator at Murphys, had my office all painted and the sign board ready to go.  It was an emotional time for me as he took me outside and let me put the sign up bearing my name as the pastor. It has been a long journey to get here and now I am blessed to serve this parish.  The blessings did not only begin here though.  As St. Peter's folks sent me off with a grand celebration and many tears, I knew I was cherished.  They are a wonderful flock, one I was proud to serve.  They enriched my life and taught me so many things.  In reality, they prepared me for this adventure.  Their love and support of me enabled me to have courage to go forward as I followed God's nudgings to a new place of ministry.

I am already finding my place in the town.  For those of you who know me well, you know how I like to meet people. Daryl and I were have lunch in the Aria cafe and of course I struck up a conversation with some folks at the table next to us.  "Are you from around here?" I asked.  "No," they said, "we went skiing."  Somehow I told them I was the new pastor at the UCC church and the man told us he is the organist at a Catholic church.  After quite a long discussion with Daryl, we exchanged emails and shook hands as friends when we left.  Dwight promised to stay in touch and he and Daryl might get their heads together for some concerts.

Tonight the Lenten supper and service where we discussed "Jesus as Healer" and the Taize service afterwards were just what I needed to round out the settling in here.  Hearing people's stories of healing, chewing on thoughts of Jesus and those he healed, singing quietly amid the candlelit sanctuary allowing the piano, cello and clarinet to whisk us to a holy place as the rhythms of the prayers echoed a quiet hum - these all nourished my soul and a great calm entered my being.

I am home now - this new place where God has led me to serve.  Yes, it was hard to leave.  Yes, I miss my friends, family and parish.  But yes, I know surely that the blessings will continue and God will guide us every step of the way!  Joy in the Journey, Pastor Bonnie

Pastor Doug, Pastor Bonnie & Pastor Chad

Standing Beside the Salt Lake

Day 5 - Traveling through Three States - Wyoming, Utah and Nevada

    We are fortunate to have the photo above because of a wonderful stranger who saw us trying to take our own photo and offered to help.  Not only did she take this great shot, but she suggested I might like to take a panoramic shot of the mountains.  "I don't have a panorama feature on my phone," I told her.  "But you do, she said and proceeded to show me how to use it.  Thus I was able to get the next shot which is one of my favorites of the day.

The Mountains behind Salt Lake

   Once again we were blessed by a stranger.  I am beginning to think there is no such thing as strangers - they are only friends we have yet to meet.  I heard that somewhere, but forgive me because I can't remember where!  

  

   At this same place where we stopped to take photos and enjoy the beauty all around us, I also saw a sign on the bathroom door.  It read, "Please wipe your feet on the rug if you have been walking in the salt."  Now I found this both amusing and pleasing.  I mean, really now, who wipes off their feet at a public rest stop these days???? We are lucky if we get our family members to wipe them off at home, much less a public restroom!  So I had to see if this was for real. Sure enough, as I stood washing my hands for a very long time, every woman or child who came in that restroom, stopped and wiped their shoes on the old piece of rug that was there!  Daryl said the men's room had the same sign there!

  Oh if we could only teach the whole world some common courtesies I believe we would have less violence and less stress.  Even as we were driving some people just had to pass in front of me and then slow down or flash their lights if I wasn't going fast enough.  Daryl reminded me of something he has started to do when he is tempted to get frustrated with drivers who think they own the road all to themselves.  he tries to remember they are God's child too.  So when I am tempted to yell, "IDIOT!"  I will try to remember they are a child of God too."  I will admit that it did help and I found myself laughing our loud as I was tempted to become impatient.  I mean after all, we had only driven some 2500 miles and still have a few more to go.  Why hurry?  Stop and smell the Lake Salts!  

    But getting back to the courtesy idea, it reminds me of Daryl and I walking in Chicago on Thursday as we went to see the play.  He always walked to the side of me so he was nearest the street. "I love how you protect me," I told him.  "You know," he said, "I learned these courtesies as a teenager and I have never forgotten them."  

   As for me, I know I'm from the South and some may say it is my naive upbringing, but I love when a gentleman opens the door for me or gives up his seat on a crowded bus.  We learned to always stand when someone enters the room and reach out to say hello and shake hands.  We remember to give great care to the elderly and let them go first, hold doors for them, offer to carry packages.  I remember as a child that someone always carried my mother's groceries to the car.  Today we are lucky if the cashier even looks at us.  I think the random act of kindness thing was trying to bring some of this back, but what if we were kind every day, all day?  

  On this trip, Daryl and I have been the recipients of many kindnesses.  From waitresses to toll booth collectors; from family to strangers, from hotel clerks to gas station attendants.  Everywhere we went people were kind to us.  Maybe our country is changing after all!

  On a final note, tomorrow we will be arriving in Murphys, California (if the Good Lord is willing and the creek don't rise - that's a saying from my childhood!)  The week has gone by quickly and we are enjoying all the sights and conversations along the way.  In many ways, it is just what I have needed to make the transition from one parish to another, from one state to another, from one home to another.  Daryl and I have reminisced together about the many joys of finding one another in PA, raising a family and now moving on.  There is some sadness in leaving it - not because we dread to go - but because we had so many blessings there.  But the trip has also prepared us for the joy ahead.  We are seeing a different part of the country, meeting new people and folks are laying the welcome mat for us in Murphys.  We try to guess what it will feel like to live there, for me to pastor there, for us to walk down main street and call this town home.  

    It has been good to have this time and space to make the transition.  Our prayer is that you will all know, both those in PA and those in CA that our lives are much the richer because we are sharing or have shared this walk with you.  Joy in the Journey, Pastor Bonnie

Rock Formations in Wyoming

Day 4- Our Longest Day on the Road - From Lincoln, Nebraska to Rock Springs, Wyoming

      Today was the longest day of our trip so far. We went 700 miles and the terrain really changed.  We went through flat lands and then through beautiful, huge bluffs. In Nebraska I was surprised to find out that in the town of Lincoln, before the Civil War, they had more slaves than any other place in all of America.  At that time, the town of Lincoln was called Lancaster and the next one was called York. This is exactly like the place Daryl and I just left in Pennsylvania.  Our church was in Lancaster and the next city over is York. It just goes to show that things can be very different but also the same.

    The other thing that struck us was how close we are to family and friends even though we might be far apart in distance. You don't really get a feel for the lay of the country when you hop on an airplane and fly from Pennsylvania to California. But you really get a sense of distance, people, and land when you drive it in a car.
 
    We had to visit Cheyenne, Wyoming and go into the town because our oldest granddaughter is named Cheyenne.  We were texting her back and forth while we were there. Also our youngest son is celebrating his birthday in Columbus, Ohio so we had a good chat with him.  My younger brother David called me from Richmond. Even though we are far apart, we are still close together.  So this day was filled with memories, chats and emails.  We had a conversation with Daryl's good friend Brian whom he has been mentoring for a couple of years. They are planning a Divinity Cafe event when Daryl returns and will be starting a music program for children of refugees. So they were working out details while we were on the road!  It's great to be so connected!

    One of the highlights was a monument to Lincoln along the side of the road. You can see it here.  It is the highest point on route 80- at an elevation of 8640 feet.  There was also a little museum and we read about the first transcontinental highway called the Lincoln Highway. This was part of the road that Daryl's mother took when her father and stepmother made a trip west on their honeymoon and took her along. We imagined how hard it would be to travel in the 1920's.  She likes telling us many of the stories of her events on that trip.  Now we could see exactly where she was talking about.

     It was a somewhat uneventful day because we had to drive so many miles, so we spent time listening to a wonderful story about a relationship between a father and daughter who both love music; so it struck a chord with us.  It was a great positive story in learning about life and death. We were able to engage in it while we traveled.  It is called The Last Song.

     I especially enjoyed listening to a CD produced by a professional choir in Lancaster.  It is all music composed by Daryl.  The group known as the Lancaster Chamber Singers loves his compositions and so they decided to do a whole CD of them.  My favorite song on the Cd is : It is Good to Give Thanks to God. How grateful we are for this time to be together, to chat with friends and family, to see this magnificent world.

    A theme that keeps arising with me is that people everywhere are looking for the same things - love and beauty, security and happiness. In some places, people find life to be a blessing and they honor each other's traditions and respect the good earth.  Other times, greed and love of money take over and the air is polluted, the streams are dirty, violence rears its ugly head and sorrow wins the day.  We were reminded again of how easy people can let money, greed and power sway their ability to make good decisions.  Rock Springs has a sordid history of police misconduct that still colors life there today.  I couldn't help but think of all my Native American brothers and sisters that lost their land, families and even their lives because of greed.
It sobers me and I pray for God's great mercy to surround us and nudge us to love one another.

Bonnie and the Monument of Lincoln

   So as we get ready to snuggle down for the night, our hearts are overflowing with good memories and great anticipation for another new day.  Many years ago on our wedding day, I promised Daryl in our wedding vows that he would never be bored.  Sometimes to tease him, especially when we are on one of our "Holy Adventures"; I ask him, "are you bored yet?"  He usually replies, "No, Bonnie, I have never been bored in my life with you!" Joy in the Journey!  Pastor Bonnie

Day 3- March 1, 2013.  It's hard to believe that we are already on Day 3 of our journey westward.  The morning began with a delightful breakfast at the Egg Harbor Cafe in Lake Forest with Ruth and Mark. (I might add that Ruth brought us coffee to our bedroom first thing this morning! What a gift that was!)   It was an amazing time as we shared dreams of ministry ahead and joys of the past.  Ruth bought me a beautiful mug from the cafe.  I love it and will think of her every time I have my coffee. Mark is a seminary professor so it was fun to discuss the many aspects of Ministry.  As we prepared to leave, he gathered us around in a circle and prayed for us amid the swirling snow.   It was hard to say goodbye after such a marvelous time! 

Iowa was fairly uneventful and we took turns driving. I played Candy Crush and crocheted most of the time (when I wasn't behind the wheel that is). Daryl was my tour guide and told me all about Dixon's history- the home of former president Ronald Reagan. Recently Dixon has been in the news because a comptroller embezzled about 50 million dollars.  I still cannot believe there were no checks and balances over this 23 year period in which she was employed to catch this!  

We drove through light snow showers but no problems.  The wind was wicked and I had to pull out my funky hat.  However, we loved watching the massive windmills at work along route 80. I'm glad the wind was great for something today!

The other exciting thing we saw were the sculptures at Council Bluffs. There are four of them right at the edges of the highway.  There is a lot of controversy about them as some folks do not see the beauty in them.  The artist, Albert Paley named them Odyssey.  Paley  used four different kinds of material for the construction.  They are to represent the dialogue between the land and air and sky and light, and the materials he used are tominimize future maintenance expenses. (information paraphrased from the Public Art and Practice article on the web) I rather liked them.

Of course, the journey is made most interesting by the people you meet.  Tonight after dinner I needed to stop at a drugstore to get some writing paper.  As I was in the check out line, the young male cashier asked me how I was. "Just great," I said.  "Where are you from?" he asked me.  "Pennsylvania," I replied.  "You sound like it." he said.  Not isn't that funny given I actually do not sound like a Pennsylvanian at all? Oh well, he was so kind and then he reached out his hand and said, "My name is Ramone, Ramone with an "e" and let me be the first to give you a warm welcome to Nebraska!"  "Why thank you," I replied.  "Do you know you are the first person to introduce yourself to a complete stranger since I have been driving across the country?"  "Well, Nebraska's the place to be," he said "and you are welcome back any time."

We continued to chat as I told him I was moving to California to pastor a congregation there.  He shared that he is working two full time jobs and is a R& B singer/composer trying to make it in the music world.  When I left, he said, "Now Miss Bonnie, you just have a great time, and don't you forget Ramone, Ramone with an "e."  "I won't" I said as I left the store smiling from ear to ear. As I relayed this marvelous experience to Daryl he said to me, "Don't you remember when you went into Walgreen's in Lima Ohio four weeks ago you had a similar experience?  The young cashier was so kind to you?"  "That's right," I answered.  It seems as if God is just sending angelic folks my way!

It's marvelous isn't it, what a little kindness will do.  We have blessing upon blessing every step of the way.  We are grateful for safety on the highway, for texts and emails from friends, warmth in our marvelous Scion XB and the magnificent beauty of the land as we drive through various states.  (the color is called 'hot lava' so I named her Hot Lava Mama!)

Daryl and I wake up each morning and we have a routine where one of us says, "This is the day God has made," and the other one says, "let us rejoice and be glad in it."  In the evening I often sing a song that was one I sang to the children when they were young. It's a variation on a familiar song.  "Close your eyes, go to sleep, I pray the whole your soul to keep, angels watch you all the night, till you see the morning light.  Close your eyes....."  It's a great way to end the day.  May tonight be peaceful, your dreams sweet and may you wake up with kindness in your hearts.  Joy in the journey, Pastor Bonnie