In search for perfection......one of my goals for our vacation was to find a " traditional" key lime pie made with a graham cracker crust and a meringue! Most key lime pies are no longer made with a meringue. So since arriving in Key West I have been asking in every restaurant about their key lime pie only to be told they did not make the pie with a meringue. So on this our last day I was absolutely determined to find this elusive pie. Our poor friends were so patient with me in my quest!

Thus we found the name of a restaurant that still made the pie in the traditional way. We had walked all morning along the beach. We had walked back to lodging and back to the old town for lunch. Upon hearing that "The Blue Heaven" restaurant had said pie, I asked our friends how far away was this place. They responded that it was a mile and a half away. I became a DRIVEN woman! So off we went; I am sure by this time my friends could care less about pie of any sort but their patience prevailed. We finally arrived tired, hot and sweaty at "The Blue Heaven." We ordered the pie and believe me the pie was all that I anticipated it to be! It was its own blue or more aptly green Heaven! Every bite was a sensory pleasure!
Is there a lesson for this little tale? If there is, I guess it would be that some things are just worth the effort! Tenacity sometimes pays off. Do not give up as you seek "perfection" for "Blue Heaven" may just be a few steps away!

It is incumbent upon each of us to be aware of all the simple things that become God moments in our lives. Yet it is also incumbent upon us to open our hearts to those times. I am convinced that those moments become part of our souls. Our memories may fail us over time but I can only believe that the God moments become a part of the eternal within us and that we will always have the "Eternal"with us.
Today, here in Key West, our friends along with Jon and I wandered into a little French bakery. We ordered croissants and I had a cafe au lait. We sat out on the white front porch to enjoy our treats. There was a gentle breeze off the ocean. People from all walks of life were sauntering down the street. Tropical palm trees and flowers were displaying their lush colors to complement brightly painted buildings. I savored each bite of my croissant and each sip of my cafe au lait. I laughed with my husband and our friends. And I felt as if God took time to smile with us, His creation, His children.
Are those not God moments? Are those moments perhaps a glimpse of our eternal home? Are those moments not always a part of our souls?

Tonight I took another step into the world of Marblelites........After volunteering at the Marble Charter School, I came home and did what everyone does, I cooked dinner or as we say in the south, supper. Many Marblelites live off the land in that they hunt and eat what they kill. So a neighbor gave us some elk burger. Tonight (being St. Patrick's Day) I made shepherd's pie. For the meat and gravy that make up the bottom layer I used the elk burger. It turned out to be quite good. Elk are beautiful creatures and I would have difficulty actually shooting one. However I have to admit they are not bad for consumption. Another day, another adventure becoming more and more a citizen of Marble, CO.

Sacred silence.......Saturday, Starbuck and I took our earlier than usual morning walk. The world in Marble was a different place. There was two inches of fresh snow, blue skies directly above, but every single mountain peak around us was blanketed with clouds.....just the peaks. I marveled at this new mood that our world here had taken on.

It was a bit chilly because the sun had not completely popped up above the 10,000-13,000 ft peaks. As Starbuck and I got to our usual turnaround point, the sun made its grand appearance above the mountains. It immediately warmed up and I decided that we would continue by taking the winding curves that meander through the aspens up the old Ski Lodge Road. The sun turned the multifaceted snowflakes into shimmering crystals like a carpet of diamonds. The aspens' white bark with their dark eyes (that is actually what the dark areas on the bark are called) seemed to reach toward the sun.

We rounded a curve with a perfect view of the mountain, White House. Where the plows had pushed the snow back, there was a sort of chair formed in the snow complete with a seat and back. I sat on it soaking in the sun and marveling at White House. I watched as the last vestiges of cloud cover lifted completely off the peak revealing a magnificent view of the "snow" white mountain literally shimmering in the sun. I was so taken with what I was seeing that I thought I should praise God. I began with, "How Majestic is Your Name...." and suddenly I stopped. The words were interupting the moment and I felt as if God was saying Shhhh.

As I sat in the stillness, it felt as if Jesus sat beside me in our chairs of snow. The Presence was so strong that I whispered very softly, "hello." Yet I had the feeling that even that whisper was too much noise. Words were not needed. Did not my Companion know every thought, every prayer, every desire of my heart? Did not my Lord know me from my mother's womb? So I sat in a sacred silence.......a place where words were not needed.

".....Mary who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said....... 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her." Jesus Christ

Awakening......I took Starbuck on a walk behind Beaver Lake to see the Crystal River. I haven't seen it in a long time due to our snow depths. However our temperatures have warmed and some of our 129 inches have melted down and frozen over again to make it easier to walk across the top without sinking down to above your knees. We were successful in crossing the bank to see our river flowing between snow fields. It was actually very warm with the 8000 ft sun shining over the top of White House (the mountain). The sun reflecting off the snow made it feel even warmer. So I took off my coat and sat on it in the snow. Starbuck was running willy nilly all around and finally came to sit by me. It was, with the February turn of the earth, a bright day with the sound of the river running and an occasional bird singing. I breathed in God with the crisp air......

It was then that I felt it. I felt the earth beginning to awaken from winter for a moment. It will not last for it is too early yet. But nevertheless it was there and I was part of it. I took off my sunglasses and kept my eyes closed against the brightness of the snow and lifted my face toward the sun. I lifted my heart to God. And just as I felt the earth awakening, I felt the vail of winter parting back allowing my soul to sing the songs of spring praise to my Lord and my God!

"What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see. And He takes me by the hand and leads me to the promised land. What a day glorious day that will be." An old southern church hymn.

Living in a wild country........Yes I say living in a wild country because Marble in many ways is just that. You have heard of my adventures and mishaps with bears. You have heard of what it was like to be lost in the wilderness. But this country is always unpredictable and demands respect.

Today I took Starbuck on a walk and of course ran into many of the neighborhood dogs, a couple of which had actual people with them. It is always interesting as they decide which one is the alpha. But hey, it gives Starbuck a little extra exercise. But as I was walking, I heard heavy equipment on the Quarry Road (again let me remind you -- roads in Marble are not actually paved except for one). I looked over and saw that an avalanche had covered the road. One of our mountain men was walking along and said that, sure enough, at 5pm yesterday the avalanche came down. Thus the heavy equipment to clear it out. And that is not the first avalanche to hit the Quarry Road this winter.

Yesterday our mail lady stopped to talk with us as we were walking. She is actually sort of a neighbor in that she too lives year round in Marble. The day before, an avalanche came down behind her house. She said it was cool to watch but was glad it did not cross the river. Her house would have been in its path.

I came home with Starbuck to find Jon and a parishioner on the roof shoveling the snow!! It was well above their knees on the roof. First time shoveling off our roof.

This place is a place that demands respect. It is beautiful beyond belief and peaceful with its "songs of silence." But if you take it too casually, there are dangers all around. It is not a place of fear as some would define fear but a place to be taken on its own terms. This place moves me with its many wonders and even with the awareness of its dangers.

Our Maker woos us with His unfailing love and with beauty beyond belief! Yet let us not forget that we are reminded that His ways are not our ways and that fearful reverence should be part of our relationship with Him. He calls us to intimacy but within that intimacy, we know that He is God!

"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere Him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded and it stood firm." Psalm 33:8-9

So today I got myself into a mess.........We have been having a lot of snow! We returned from North Carolina to 2 ft of new snow. I started shoveling off the deck in the dark. Yesterday we had 8 more inches of snow and I spent all day shoveling to keep up with it as it built up. So as I had pushed more and more snow off the deck it had gotten to the point that I could no longer push the snow under the railing but had to heave it over the railing, making it a much more difficult chore. So another storm is predicted for tonight. I therefore decided that I should move some of the snow out of the way. (just me and a shovel)

When I stepped into the yard below the deck I sank to the very top of my thighs. Oh well..... I began to pull some of the snow away from the deck and down to my level shovel by shovel step by step thigh deep in snow! My boots wanted to come off with each step and imagine pulling your leg from one thigh deep step to the next! I was huffing and puffing at the labor of it all only to realize that I was burying my path back with the snow I was pulling down. What to do? It would be embarrassing to be stuck in the back yard until somebody came to help me out wouldn't it? Finally it dawned on me that the deck had raised flower beds just beneath it. So I pulled myself up by reaching out and grabbing the railing to be in only ankle deep snow because of my previous work pulling the snow down. Then I just shoveled my way back to the steps!

In life we often get ourselves in little messes. I am grateful that God teaches us to be persistent in prayer and to trust in Him step by step even if we are thigh deep in whatever situation! Then when He shows us the way out we must have the faith and discernment to grab onto the railing and pull up!!!!!

"Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." St. Paul to the Ephesians