Linville Falls, North Carolina

Since I can't seem to get motivated to show you the rest of our southeast trip, I am going to show you the ones I have already prepared and then move on to the really important pictures I want to show you. (some of which are grandchildren)

Linville Falls was one of the first and favorite waterfall we visited on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

It was a really nice hike and as you climbed, a different view of the falls could be viewed. Each one was better than the last.

We also enjoyed Jamestown and learned a lot of history. It is near Williamsburg, but smaller and perfect for us since we did not plan a visit to any of these sites. I really did not know they were so near Virginia Beach. This was another example of how Texans do not expect everything to be so close and accessible. We are accustomed to driving all day to do or see anything.

Blue Ridge Parkway

This is what our typical day on the Blue Ridge Parkway looked like. We intended to drive the 469 miles, but after about 20 miles of this every day, we had to make another plan. The parkway starts at the end of the Smoky Mountain National Park and ends at Shenandoah National Park.

We were on the parkway 3 days. Finally, on the the last day, we didn't have fog.

One of our stops on the parkway

Near the railroad tracks I spotted a waterfall.

Blue Ridge Parkway Sunset

Another stop on the parkway: Peaks of Otter

Sacrificial Love

The Arboretum at Ashville, North Carolina

I am loving "my new bible" and hoping no one informs me if it is not really a bible. This morning I read the story of the Isrealites after they entered the promised land and Joshua died. They kept falling in to sin and worshiping other gods, and the Lord sent many prophets and judges to rescue them when their sin took them into bad situations. When God picked Gideon, "he was a farmer from the weakest clan in his tribe. Like most new leaders, Gideon was uncertain if he could measure up. But God was looking for a faithful follower, not a decorated soldier."

My New Bible....so easy to read and I am learning a lot!

Bonsai Garden at the Arboretum

 The Lord rescued the Isrealites time after time. I laughed when I read about Deborah. She sent Barak to free them from Jabin, king of Canaan. He said, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go. Certainly, I will go with you, said Deborah, but because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver them into the hands of a woman."

 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.  For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans 1:19,20

The Lord is calling me to be "a Faithful Follower" and love Him with all my heart, soul, and mind and my neighbor as myself. God demonstrated His love for me by the ultimate sacrifice - the God of the universe on a cross dying for people who don't even care about Him or take an interest in Him.

Maybe God is calling me from my self pity and self protection to be a faithful follower and love someone who does not appreciate the sacrifice I make to love them.