The ministry that Bob offered was backpacking. The church was packed with people whose lives had been changed through this ministry. One pastor described the sacrifice Bob had made in opening this sacred and private part of his life - the Sierra Nevada, to others. That which had been his personal passion he shared with young and old alike. Another person spoke about running down a steep scree field and being overtaken by Bob, laughing, saying 'this is dangerous' as he passed the young man by.
So today I prayed for Bob, gave thanks for his life in my aunt's life, and thought about a bit of John Muir I read the other day, quoted in my friend Chris Highland's book Meditations of John Muir...The Shaking Temple.
...if for a moment you are inclined to regard these taluses as mere draggled, chaotic dumps, climb to the top of one of them, and run down without any haggling, puttering hesitation, boldly jumping from boulder to boulder with even speed. You will then find your feet playing a tune, and quickly discover the music and poetry of these magnificent rock piles...
3 comments:
Your Bob Hope shared much in common with another of that name who gave much laughter to people. I loved the description of going down scree. I did that a few times and although it was exhilarating, it was dangerous and not something I would try again at my current age and physical condition.
Wonderful photo. You might be interested in my blog: http://www.edgeandessence.blogspot.com/.
Your friend Whit is my priest and mentor, and one of my very best friends. He put me on to your blog, which I've linked to mine. (I actually have several, but I've linked you to Edge and Essence, my chief photo blog.
I hiked near Lake Tahoe last summer and was so taken with the sound that the scree made under my feet...the larger boulders a deeper tone, the smaller ones a higher one. It was as if I was making making Mother Earth ring with each foot step. It was also as if the sound carried to the center of the earth.
Rev. Dr. K, great blog! Whit and Dawnell and I went to seminary together. Glad you know them too.
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