Month: July 2024

On Travel: Rest Stops

My husband and I travel the road a lot.  Living on the east coast, we traverse north and south on I- 95, and sometimes further west on I-81, also a north-south highway.  We enjoy diversions too on less-traveled routes, but we’ve become very familiar with the cities, townships and sights we pass on our repeated journeys.

As empty nesters, we plan our pace loosely.  I can’t say that we always stop to smell the roses; there are people and places along the way yet to see.  We do, however, often travel with a freer itinerary and that includes frequent stops:  mental and physical breaks that are wise for our age, wise for all long-distance travelers.

Welcome to New York state, via I-81 north.

Along our familiar routes, I have my favorite rest stops.  When we head home southbound on 95, the first NC rest stop features giant whirl-i-gigs.  A North Carolinian grew fond of building these large wind structures and they now adorn various spots in the state.  This whimsical rest stop means the journey is almost over for us.  For many years, we drove to Westchester, NY for Thanksgiving.   The crisp air and city vibe as we pulled into a Jersey travel center meant the holiday had begun for me!   Even the coffee seemed festive!  A New York Welcome Center on northbound 81 overlooks a gorgeous mountain vista and inside a market offers nice products from around the state.

Recently, we discovered a unique rest area.   It is, of course, accessible from the highway for those traveling by car as we do, but behind it is the Dismal Swamp Canal, so this rest area has a dock and boat slips for those traveling the canal!  They too need rest areas, and this one offers special facilities for boaters.

 

 

 

 

 

Our road stops include quick bathroom breaks, stretches, tidying the car and maybe some caffeine, but I’ve noticed the travelers who are more leisurely about their stops. They rest at picnic tables in shady areas savoring plentiful picnics.  Playful dogs get needed exercise in the open grassy spaces.  Once I saw a young family cooking their meal on a rest area grill – now that’s planning ahead and making a memory!

Is rest Biblical?  Yes, planned rest began in the account of creation.  God worked for six days to bring the universe into existence.  Scripture tells us that God “rested on the seventh day from all His work He had done” (Genesis 2 v 2).  With His infinite power, I don’t think God was tired on the seventh day.  Instead, He was modeling for us the goodness of rest; physical, mental, and spiritual rest.  Sabbath rest is a deep topic that I won’t pursue in this post, but I encourage you to rest regularly.  Psalm 46 v 10 calls us to “Be still and know that I am God.”  And on this Saturday evening, I pray that you include “enter[ing] the sanctuary of God” (Psalm 73 v 17) in your day of rest tomorrow.

If you subscribe to my blog via email, thank you.  The posts are best viewed at “A Writer’s Daughter”

Refreshment in July: Thankful for Waiting Rooms

It’s an odd thing to be grateful for, waiting rooms.  Specifically, waiting rooms in a doctor’s office or clinic.  Though some doctors offer plush lobbies with a stack of great magazines, that’s not the ones I have in mind.  I am referring to ones with sterile styling and plasticized upholstered chairs.  Though there may be light chatter, more often there is a serious quietude.  In these anterooms, one observes unfiltered humanity.  It’s like people watching at an airport but with far more pathos.  So why would I be grateful for waiting rooms?  It’s not the patience factor.

I featured this waiting area photo in a previous blog Hindsight Is 20/20 Pt 2

Experiencing waiting rooms evokes gratitude in me first because I usually see folks who are going through so much more than me.  Whatever I may be dealing with that brought me to this place, it is clear that others are suffering and facing more serious, even life-threatening illnesses.  It is hard and humbling to see sick people or those going through extreme treatment.

During one wait, my husband noticed a frail, elderly woman come in alone.  She checked in and was handed a clipboard of forms that appeared to overwhelm and confuse her.  He asked if she wanted help, and he was able to read and write for her until she was called back for her appointment.  Another time we ran into a friend of mine and her husband.  We greeted each other but didn’t ask any questions; later I found out her husband had advanced cancer.  I thank God for the reminder, the wakeup call, about my many blessings, including my health.

I also welcome the opportunity to witness the goodness of mankind in medical lobbies.  In the waiting and watching I observe care and concern between families, between friends.  I have noticed elderly sisters; husbands and wives, young and old; adult children with a parent; paid caregivers; and other companions accompanying patients.  There’s so much to admire and appreciate in the compassion and sacrifice of one to another.  One young woman, clearly experiencing difficult illness and treatment, came in with her uncle who lived several states away because her husband had to be out of town on business – heartwarming and heart wrenching all at once.  But it is good to see goodness.

Theologians call this goodness “common grace.”   It’s the capacity God gives His human creation to do good, as He Himself is good.  Doing good is not to be equated with salvation however:  salvation comes through faith in Jesus, God’s grace-filled gift to us.  The Scriptures say, “ … He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy …”  Titus 3 v 5   But our disposition for goodness, despite our sinful selves, uplifts us and ultimately lifts us to acknowledge God, the provider of goodness, compassion, and salvation.

We are grateful for God’s encouraging presence during a recent medical journey.

References on gratitude:  Psalm 136, 1 Thessalonians 5 v15 & v18.                        If you receive my blog via email, thank you.  The posts are best viewed at    “A Writer’s Daughter”