One of the things I love most about Winter Park, Colorado, is the slow pace and peacefulness of the town. No one seems to get in a hurry to do anything ... everyone is laid-back and easy-going. I especially love the nights in Winter Park ... so quiet, so still, so ... well ... peaceful. When my kiddos and I would travel there on vacation, a feeling of contentment would begin to wash over me as we passed through Denver. Though the road grew steeper with every passing mile, I knew that once we reached the top of Berthoud Pass, it would only be a short time until we arrived in my favorite little mountain town. And I knew that once we got to Winter Park, I could lay down the worries and concerns of everyday life and just be. I could leave all my troubles behind for an entire week and just be.
For all the trips I made to Winter Park with my children over the years, there is one that holds an extra special place in my heart. The trip we made at Christmas to celebrate Matt's upcoming graduation from high school was one that all four of us will always remember. We stayed for nine days at the Rocky Mountain Inn and Hostel, a quaint little place with private rooms on the main floor and dorm rooms upstairs. There was a large kitchen where guests congregated to prepare their meals, and I will never forget sitting at the giant log table listening as my children talked with people from all over the world. We skied (well, the kids skied while I rode down the mountain on the back of a ski patrol sled), we went tubing at night, we played Rook and Monopoly, we watched the candlelight parade and fireworks on the mountain on Christmas Eve, we went for a horse-drawn sleigh ride on a snowy day. It was on that particular trip to Winter Park that I truly learned to appreciate the importance of getting away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and just be ... just be a mom ... just be with my children ... just be.
It seems like a lifetime ago that I was in the mountains with my children, and it seems as though it's been an eternity since I was able to just be. I've been missing those times a lot lately, times in the mountains with my kids and times when I could just be. And over the last couple of weeks, I've said time and time again, "I want to just be ... that's all ... I want to just be." To just be ... nothing more, nothing less ... to just be. To just quiet my brain ... to just settle my soul ... to just calm my heart ... to just be.
Maybe ... maybe I need to go to the mountains. Or maybe ... maybe I need to go to the One who made the mountains. Maybe I need to just be ... maybe I need to just be in Him.
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
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