The Earth is Shaking Under Me!

The earth is shaking under me!

Scree - small loose stones that slide and make footing unstable when hiking. 

    When we encounter scree on the way up a mountain trail, we manage a foot hold and make our way through it. But we know it will be like ball bearings when we hike back down the slope. 

    Arizona's monsoons seldom deliver as much rain as in August 2025. We had record-breaking rainfall recorded as high as 8.3 inches, which is above the annual average of 7.3 inches. It rained and it rained a lot. 

Gully waste on hiking paths

   

     "Fantastic!" Jim and I cheered. "Dampened trails will reduce loose gravel and give us better tread."

     

     Not so, we discovered. Since August, every hiking path has been pitted with unwelcome gullies cut by rushing water, channeled from mountains tops. Those were easy to spot and hike around. But surprisingly, the rains had left loose gravel that layered the trails, hiding scree underneath.

   

    On a recent hike, we rested on boulders at the top snacking on energy bars...contemplating. We had scrambled up loose gravel on this familiar trail and knew there was scree beneath. Now, we had to hike back down.  In between bites, we discussed an article we had read about managing downhill scree. The article cautioned the hiker to carefully place boots flat-footed, test the ground and repeat. So, we'll just be cautious. Walk lightly and slowly on the down slopes. 

  

      But the scree had other plans.

    

     We started down the slope. Information and application were about to intersect as scree made its debut. Every muscle in my quads and hamstrings shook as I placed my boots flat-footed on the shifting scree, hoping my boot treads would hold. My arms swung out, offering balance. I slid and slid again, trying to grip and stay upright on the side of the slope. I felt as though the entire earth was moving beneath me. Finally, my bent knees stilled me. Jim was struggling in front of me but not as much. We had met scree before on previous hikes, but this time, it had the grip;  we didn't.

    

    I remembered the article: Test the ground. The whole earth is not shaking. It just seems like it. Only the loose gravel underneath the boot is moving. Quit fighting... then the force of what is highjacking will stop. 

    

    Fatigued, we returned to the trailhead, removed our dusty socks, raked the scree from our boot tread, and put on our Tevas.  We drove home knowing tomorrow that hike will call out our muscles.

    

     Then, we discussed the trail...all the way home. The article had given us guidance, but only when applying the information did it help us. There were so many applications

    

    After all, Who is our tread when life ambushes us? Who holds us and keeps us from sliding out of control? Who tells us to stand still? Who offers us balance when we feel like the whole earth is shaking uncontrollably beneath us? Who reminds us only the top soil beneath is moving. 

    Many carry burdens, like loose gravel - easy to see, but hiding underneath are scree firestorms that challenge abilities to stay upright and keep a grip. Trust the Creator who made every boulder, every rock, every pebble. He is The Christ who rolled away that big stone long ago, and He still invites us to test His ground today.  The minute we quit fighting what is highjacking us, we allow Him to fight for us. 

    "The Lord will fight for you;  you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14)

    Our next hike?  Granite Mountain... and we expect to find scree.

    Keep Looking Up,

    J:m and L:inda

    

    

    

    

    

    

 

       

"We Are Irrelevant Now"

 

    She leaned in my direction with her coffee in hand and said, cheerfully, "We are irrelevant now." 

    We had arrived early at the Dublin, Ireland airport...on purpose. We were headed home and wanted to check our backpacks through to Phoenix, via Dallas-Fort Worth International airport with high hopes that they would make it all the way. We also had a secondary reason: get our last coffee at Butler's Coffee Cafe. We had discovered a coffee that almost equaled Dutch Bros, our favorite in AZ. However, unlike Dutch Bros, Butler's adds a piece of their candy with every coffee. This morning, we asked for dark chocolate, salted caramel.

    With our piping hot cups, we searched for an empty table, and fortunately, found one. To our surprise, we did not end up with two coffees, but one hot chocolate and one coffee. Our drinks were un-lidded and we were pouring one into another, mixing the coffee with the chocolate drink when a couple asked if they could join us at our table.

     Both of them born and reared in Dublin, they were a wealth of voluntary information as they sipped their teas from Butlers. Don't you know about their coffee? I remember thinking. A newly retired pharmacist, the two were headed to Nice, France where they vacationed occasionally. Nice!  I thought. She shared about their once busy professional lives, their children and now retirement days. 

    He interjected in a beautiful Irish accent, "That's quite a potion you have mixed up there. How's it taste?" 

      "This is the extent of our chemistry knowledge, but Butler's can now serve a chocolate coffee." We confessed with a light laugh.

    Then, she said it. "We are irrelevant now," and casually bit into the remainder of her chocolate.

     I swallowed mine and murmured "Oh, we shouldn't think like that. I believe, especially in retirement, we can still make an impact. I'm sure you do now.  I asked if I could share something with her. She agreed.

From my sticky chocolate-covered fingers into hers, I gave her a card that we travel with that quoted Jeremiah 29:11. She accepted it, read it and thanked me.

I told her we were retired, too, and mentioned what occupied our lives now. She knew two of them...already.

    Later, after our "nice to meet you and safe travels" farewells, I sat at the gate and recalled many famous people who made an impact late in life. I researched the age at which they died.

• Moses was 120 and he certainly had an impactful life
• Noah was 950 and he made a significant difference
• Abraham, 175 years old. His impact is a living testimony today
• Isaac and Jacob died at 180 and 147, respectively
• Florence Nightingale, a most compassionate nurse, died in her sleep at age 90
• Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book at 65
• Harriet Tubman died at the age of 91 with words of faith on her lips
• Dr. George Washington Carver died at the age of 79. We love our peanuts to this day!

    We could go on and on. These are names we know, but think about those older around us, still living, who have made and are making an impact in our lives. Aren't we just as obligated to make a positive impact?

    I say, as long as God gives us breath, as long as we are above ground, we can make a difference and have a positive effect. Actually, God's children are never irrelevant...even after we die. (See names mentioned above.)  Even when we briefly meet a stranger. 

Matter today!

Keep Looking Up!

J:m and L:nda