Directions

A little detour from vacation postings.


I am not good at directions; and it does not help that I am married to someone who could give directions (by pointing) before he could speak. :)

Over the weekend, Hubby was trimming our trees on the roof. He asked me to go to the north side of the house to help him get some tools up, and I had no idea which side was north! I ended up walking to the opposite side before I asked him.

Imagine me in a much bigger place, namely the big campus where I work and study. Fairly regularly, during the 15-minute walk from my car to my office, I see new people holding a map or looking at the maps mounted around campus. Sometimes they ask me where a certain building is (they probably figure I work here when they see my lunch box), sometimes I offer to help. A few mornings ago, I walked up to two people on my way to the office. They were looking for two different buildings on opposite sides of campus. I knew exactly where these buildings were, but because I didn't go to these buildings often and not usually from where we were, I was not confident enough to show them right away which direction to go. I looked at the map to orient myself before telling them how to get to where they needed to be.

But they were grateful.

Some people who ask me for directions would even say thank-you more than once. You can tell they are really lost, and are both relieved and happy someone show them which way to go. Although I don't know every building on campus, I know enough to help others who might have never been on this campus.

Sometimes, we don't have to know everything to show others where to go. Being willing is what it takes to help someone who can't find their way, not only physically but also spiritually.

I don't know my Bible inside and out and I can always memorize more Scriptures, but I know it well enough to know the Truth, the Way and the Life. I am not the most well-versed in creationism, eschatology or apologetics, and I might not know Aramaic or Greek, but I know the Bible well enough to point others to the right way, the eternal way. 

The question is, am I doing it enough? 

Road Trip!

Hubby and I just took a wonderful road trip to California and the Grand Canyon. :)

The vacation itself was an interesting story. I had requested the time off for my brother's wedding, but my Grandmother passed away three months ago and my brother postponed the wedding out of respect to the deceased (a Chinese tradition). I was going to cancel the time off, but Hubby wanted to go to an air show near where my sister-in-law lived in California the weekend before my scheduled time off. So we made it into a vacation. Hubby would drive out to California first for his air show and time with sister, before I finished up the semester at work and joined in for the rest of the trip.

So 6,000 miles, five states, 8,000-feet elevation, over 40-degree difference in temperatures, 1,000+ photos, about a dozen patches (Hubby collects those) and 50 postcards (I collect those) later, we have had a fantastic time exploring places between the Pacific coast and the heart of Texas. As we go through the photos, here are some of the many wonderful memories from the trip, chronologically:

Coming in sister-in-law's place to Hubby's hello message made of coke cans

Visiting with family and friends (and their children and pets), sleeping on their floor/couch/air mattress and getting fed by their wonderful cooking

Having dinner at the Santa Monica Pier

Cruising along the Pacific Coast Highway and looking out to the gorgeous Pacific Ocean

Eating authentic Chinese food in the San Francisco Chinatown

Enjoying ice-cream while strolling along small-town Sausalito (just outside of San Francisco)

Straddling the Nevada and Arizona state lines at the Hoover Dam

Seeing the rainbow at the Yosemite National Park

Hiking on a sea of snow at Yosemite

Watching the sun set at the Grand Canyon

Looking up to a clear sky full of stars at the Grand Canyon

Camping at Yosemite and the Grand Canyon

Pictures to come!