“When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8:1-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I’m finally acclimating to the altitude. It always takes me three days to start feeling like myself when I first get here. I go through everything from feeling lethargic to feel nauseated to sever headache. I take a supplement when I get there called “Altitude Adjustment”. I get it at a ski shop. I think it really helps, but who knows? Maybe it’s three days whether I take it or not. At any rate, I am always glad to get those three days behind me.

In the past, I’ve made the mistake of heading to the mountains as soon as I get here. I lived here for forty years and never considered the altitude to be a problem until I moved to West Virginia. But anymore, I can’t just jump in and start playing at 5,280 feet. It doesn’t hurt you to take your time anyway. I’ve really enjoyed leisurely morning coffee with my son-in-law’s parents, drawing and playing with Little, visiting with the kids, having lunch with my nephew, reading my friend Michelle’s new book and taking naps.

I went to Red Rocks Church last night. It is very similar to our home church in Parkersburg. There was a pastor visiting from Dallas who spoke on the Sermon on the Mount and the healing of the leper. The underlying premise was encouraging us to run TOWARDS the messes in our lives. We usually try to avoid the ugly, uncomfortable, messy parts of life or people. Running towards the mess gives us the opportunity to extend true love to marginalized people…people who may, like the leper, go most of their lives not feeling the love of another human being. As always, I came out feeling uplifted and renewed.

I’m heading to the mountains for a few days. There are people to see and places to go. I’ll bring you along for the ride! ❤️