"Fill my cup and let it overflow... Uh-huh.
Fill my cup and let it overflow... Oh yeah.
Fill my cup and let it overflow, let it overflow with lo-ove."
That silly ditty of a song sums up what the last six days in and around Seattle meant for me. From the moment of my arriving to my departure, love - not rain! - came pouring out in all directions, from friends, church folks and the sparkle and shine of the land and water, too.
I spent seven years in northwest Washington from Fall 2004 to Fall 2011. While living in the Seattle and Bellingham areas, I worked and studied as an intern (Messiah Lutheran, Auburn), was ordained, and served in my first call (Zion, Ferndale). I also made great friends and fell in love at first sight with the mountains, evergreens, and coffee. It seemed right and good to return there during sabbatical - to remember why and how God called me to this vocation, and to seek renewal while being surrounded by water, wilderness, and people who were/are formative in my development and identity.
And it was So Very Good to be there! On Friday, my friend Kari led a Holden Evening prayer service on Golden Gardens beach in Seattle. It couldn't have been more beautiful. We hoped to gather around a fire-pit on the beach and make s'mores afterward, but since all the pits were taken, we improvised by eating them raw. The treats got rave reviews; some said raw ones are even better than the roasted ones.
That weekend I traveled north to Ferndale to visit my first church and receive some of the west coast's warmest and best hugs. In typical Zion (country church) fashion, they planned a luncheon for my brief visit. Of course the meal included salmon and ever-bearing raspberries picked on the Bannerman farm that very morning. I appreciated Pastor Liza Okan's sermon on the last part of the "bread of life" series in John and the character of Peter... on how we meet God (and vice-versa) as recipients of grace rather than doers of some great feat.
The last part of my Pacific Northwest experience consisted of a camping trip with Kari and her family to the Olympic Peninsula. We hiked along Hurricane Ridge (alpine forest with stunning views), greeted a herd of elk at the Hoh River (rainforest), and hugged the world's largest Spruce tree at Lake Quinalt. We camped at Kalaloch campground where we took a couple long walks, each at our own meandering pace, along the Pacific Ocean. Pretty darn amazing!!
I selected a camping trip at this park months ago instead of two other fantastic National Parks in WA: North Cascades and Mt. Rainier. It was a tough choice but in light of the recent Wolverine forest fire which has burned 40% of the forest on the eastern side of the state, it definitely was the right decision. Besides the fact that we were safe from fire and far removed from smoke, the Olympic Peninsula is incredibly diverse and "full of wow" as my five-year old friend Esme likes to say.
If you have any inkling or opportunity to travel to the northwest and experience the beauty of giant moss-covered trees and lush old-growth forest, do it! The Olympic Peninsula is a place teeming with life.
We happened to travel there during a few rare dry days. Usually it rains in the rainforest - imagine that! But even in these dry sunny days, my cup is filled up in all kinds of ways. I hope to share the love I experienced in this watery wilderness as I return to and move forward each day in my east coast life and yet bottle it up in reserve for the potential *dry seasons* ahead, when sabbatical is a distant memory.
Selfie with Kari - friend of my heart - atop Hurricane Ridge. In most pics through the years, we are huddled together in a cold scene. We were glad to share in warmth and sunshine on this trip.
Below is the world's largest Spruce tree - an Alaskan Sitka Spruce - which measures 59 feet in circumference and is 191 feet tall. It is estimated to be 1000 years old. Obviously, I had to hug it.
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