We traded business attire for sweatpants and hoodies, and headed for the mountains of West Virginia. By 7 pm on Friday night we had all gotten there, one car at a time, from 4 different areas. The log cabin was all lit up, filled with laughter and noises. We ate, sang “happy birthday” to four of us, listened to the latest happenings in each other’s lives, made a big fire outside and huddled around it. We let the comfort of being together take us over, and little by little all stress and worries faded… it felt good to be loved and to love.

Some of us got up early the next day to witness the majestic sunrise over the mountains. Speechless, we sipped our coffee and breathed in air so fresh it seemed alive. The cows made their appearance, and the day got on its way. We hiked all the way to the very top of Seneca Rock where the guys celebrated with beer and cigars—just the six of us on top of the world… The exhilarating view made life taste exquisite. I hugged each one of my children, thanking God for the moment.

Our little family getaway was filled with extraordinary simple minutes. We cooked together, took walks alone and in teams, watched the cows and the sheep, played the guitar as the sun was setting, remembered good and hard times—and thanked the Lord for how rich our lives have become.

I drank deeply of God’s wonderful faithfulness.

Sunday morning arrived, and each of the young adults packed up their bags and scurried away to their busy lives. The noisy, messy log cabin got empty and quiet. Just Rich and I remained. We smiled at each other; this is as it should be—we were there first, we are here last.

My husband and I sat on the deck, all alone, stealing a few more minutes of delightful quietness. The mountains surrounded us, strong and powerful. We drank a last cup of coffee and reflected on our children. My heart was tempted to worry about this and that one, but my husband very gently pointed me to the declaration of God’s complete control in the wall of mountains all around us. I squeezed his hand, and chose to breathe in the joy of believing Him. He would indeed cause our children to shine in this hard world.

Rich brought my hand to his lips and smiled. We are a team.

Last week, 33 Chilean miners were rescued from the pit after having been trapped underground for 69 days. An earthquake had collapsed the exit to the mine and for the first seventeen days, nobody from the outside even knew they were alive down there! Then it took another 52 days to organize the monumental rescue. It comes to more than two months in the pit…

The rescue was a phenomenal and emotional feat that captured the entire world. Scientists designed an ingenious way of escape for the miners, and on day 69, every one of them came up safe and sound; not one was lost. They wore strong sunglasses to protect their eyes as they emerged from the darkness.

For the first time in my life, I now almost have a picture of a pit. It’s dark, hungry, lonely and very hot. It’s hopeless in there. It smells like death.

My friend Jane and I were talking about this exceptional bit of news, and she reminded me of Psalm 103, verses 2 through 5. It reads, “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

I read these verses a few times to myself, and the eyes of my heart were opened to the wonder of what God has done for me! These Chilean miners might have been rescued from a horrible pit, and I thanked God for each one of them coming out safely, but let me tell you what—I have been redeemed from THE pit once and for all through the precious blood of Jesus! I will never see death, and my future is sure.

I think it’s time for a little praise offering. What do you say?

Overwhelming sadness glued to my heart

Attached to me just like a leech

Paralyzing sorrow woven within

Bleeding all life right out of me

How will I take my next breath?

My sickened soul weighs more and more

I am the living dead

Buried alive, Severed from life

And raw with pain

How will I smile again?

The Voice from heaven was loud and clear:

“This sadness is an enemy

Not to be worn by you, my child”

I fell to my knees

Father in Heaven, deliver me

Sobered, I chose

Sobered, I spoke

You are the One who holds me up

Your hand can reach within the wounds

Renouncing all sadness within

I stood up tall as who I am

The daughter of the King of kings

I am alive to Him today

Sadness, be gone!

Sadness, be gone!

To Him alone is my allegiance

He made me glad.

He made me glad.

We were having our coffee in the sunroom last Saturday morning when I spotted a penny on the floor, just under my wooden giraffe’s feet. Having just cleaned that floor a couple of days ago, I wondered where it came from. Maybe my husband’s pocket? Or mine?  I picked it up and turned it over to look at the date on it: 1968.

That’s 42 years.  That little penny has been around for 42 years…It probably traveled a few states in a car, and even a few continents through airplanes. Maybe lived in a jail for a while; or a palace; or was tucked away in a child’s piggy bank. I wonder how many hands have touched it? How many pockets has it seen? How many bottoms of purses have been its home in these 42 years?

1968—42 years ago.  What happened then? A little internet search came up with these significant events:

~on April 4th, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot with one round from a 30.06 rifle. He was declared dead an hour later

~Bloody Monday happened in France on May 6th—one of the most violent days of the Parisian student revolt

~Forty-two year old California Primary Robert Kennedy was shot at 12:13 am on June 5th.

~October 11th marked the launching of Apollo 7 for an eleven day journey which would orbit the earth 163 times

~Nixon was elected President on November 5th

~The unemployment rate was at 3.3 percent on December 11th.

What happened in my life in 1968? Well, that’s the year I moved from Belgium to Luxembourg and had to change schools—I don’t remember any other significant event. But I was 9, and I am sure that just like any other year, it was one in which I grew up a little more, discovering the world and its rules.

Do you know what happened in your life that year?

I placed the penny on top of the giraffe’s head, right between the two horns. After 42 years of resilience, it does not belong on the floor.