Hiking Good Friday

We hiked today. A good, long hike in the warm sunshine.

I can't tell you how good it felt.

The island's had sunshine every day this week. I'd almost forgotten what that was like. And today? Our hike? Felt like we were initiating summer. Felt like vacation.

I'm lovin' it. :)

That's not to say everything went smoothly this afternoon. I misjudged the distance on the map and we ended up on the trail a lot longer than planned (Read: a whole hour longer. With a four year old. Yeah).

I wore the wrong shoes. I forgot to pack snacks. I even forgot to bring spare diapers (though thankfully I didn't need them). Rookie mistakes of a mommy who's been holed up in a house all winter. I've plumb forgot how to hike.

Mistakes to be rectified tomorrow. While Jason's mowing the grass, I'll be stocking the backpack with all manner of hiking essentials. Then into the trunk of the car it will go, where it will live for the rest of the summer.

In spite of my unpreparedness, however, we did have a great time. Willy, my in-laws golden retriever, padded along with us. Caleb told me stories about creepy caves and trees of terror. We sang silly songs. He climbed on fallen logs. When morale ran low, I encouraged the little man along with promises of ice cream.

On the last bit of trail we were both quite tired. In all, we hiked for two hours today. Two. Hours.

The last stretch always seems the longest, doesn't it? We moved through thick foliage, shade, and shadows cast by the fir trees. All of a sudden, not a hundred feet from the car, we burst out into full, broad sunlight. It seemed we had walked into an over-exposed picture. The light was so intense, but so happy and bright, I couldn't help smiling. Everything was illuminated. Every blade of grass, every branch and leaf and bush. Nothing was left untouched by the sun.

Caleb found new energy and ran with Willy the rest of the way to the car. But not me. I walked, drinking it all in and thinking what a beautiful parallel our trail painted of Easter and Good Friday.

Good Friday (and Saturday, too, for that matter), were awfully dark for the disciples two thousand years ago. Nothing had gone according to plan that weekend. They were completely unprepared for what happened.

Ah, but He had a plan.

His followers sat in darkness for two days, but He never intended to leave them there. There was more to come. A divine happy ending no human mind could foresee. And on that Easter morning, His light exploded through the darkness, illuminating and exposing everything before it. Nothing was left untouched.

So Happy Good Friday to you all! Remember the darkness of this Passion Weekend, but anticipate the Light that comes on Sunday. Because of what He endured, the dark is not the end of our story.

Hallelujah!