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My Camping Connection with
Welcome to the camping home of Dennis and Linda Miller. If you have arrived here, you most likely saw our website address on the back of our Mobile Suites Fifth Wheel Coach. |
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Camping in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
One of our favorite trips in 2006 was with our friends Jill and Lee to the Upper Peninsula here in Michigan. Folks here calling it "going up north." It took a while for this southern girl to understand what that meant.We stayed in a State Campground there on the edge of Lake Superior and we could watch the ships and barges go by.
The campground itself had a very special feel, a peaceful feeling.
We didn't spend much time at the campground this time, though, because our friends Jill and Lee had several day trips planned for us.
One of the trips was to Pictured Rocks in Munising, MI. Following are pictures of Jill and Lee on the back of the boat on which we took a 2 hour trip along the edge of these beautiful Pictured Rocks.
Camping With Raccoons And Other Critters
As I sit here at the picnic table outside our fifth wheel RV at Fort Custer State Park in Augusta, near Battle Creek, Michigan, a light breeze is blowing on this slightly cloudy and more than slightly humid Saturday. Our campsite is situated among a grove of trees and although we know there are others camping nearby, we cannot see them and we barely hear them occasionally.
As we entered the park, the first thing we saw were several deer, including a buck still in velvet...a rare site for us.
What we do hear are the birds, the bull frogs, the squirrels, some unidentified sounds of creatures in the distance and the occasional bark of a dog.
We see butterflies and dragon flies flitting about welcoming us to their part of the world. We also see and hear deer flies and other flying critters that are not so inviting.
While we were sitting outside playing cards with our friends, Jill and Lee, who are camping at the site next to us, we watched several raccoons as they wondered from campsite to campsite, foraging for bits of food left behind by campers. We could hear their hissing and growling sounds in the distance as they fought over the treasures of food they had discovered.
Our friends woke in the night to find the raccoons had managed to open their cooler and were digging into the ice looking for more food they could steal. Fortunately our friends shooshed them away before they could take the food from the cooler. Who knew a raccoon could open a cooler?
Jill wanted so much to take a picuture of the raccoons, so she put a trail of bread near the fire pit and waited for the racoon to find the bread. Once the raccoon appeared as expected, Jill started to step outside our RV to snap a picture... but she was startled when she opened the door by the sight of the racoon 2 feet from the door helping itself to a bowl of water. The raccoon looked straight up at Jill and she jumped back inside and slammed the door. The look on her face was priceless. I wish I had a picture of that!
This morning as I sat in the "yard" of our campsite with my husband Dennis, we became aware of the activity on the ground beneath our feetl Whole armies of ants of all shapes, colors and sizes, a variety of spiders and several unidentified bugs. Some of the ants were carrying eggs while others were carrying tiny bits of food. One tiny bug was a brilliant bright red color with little protrusions on the front of its body that seemed to be helping it find its way.
The tiny world beneath our feet seemed to have its own order as each little creature scurried along its own path, oblivious to us as we watched. I became very aware of where I stepped, not wanting to harm these littlest of God's creations.
Then I realized these creatures are not concerned about being stepped on by larger animals like humans. They accept their position in life and they go about their merry way without concern, taking their place on the path of life, the path of least resistance...
the path of least resistance.
Camping at the End of a Rainbow
Wow! Dennis and I had another great weekend camping trip to Fort Custer. It rained several times, but we didn't care. The rain lowered the temperature and we enjoyed sitting on the "porch" under the awning.
During one of the rain showers, we suddenly noticed a Rainbow that ended on the street directly in front of our camp site! I've never been at the end of the Rainbow before. I am SURE this is a sign of even more great luck coming our way.
Nature's Movie In The Sky
"I will grow. I will become something new and grand, but no grander than I now am. Just as the sky will be different in a few hours, its present perfection and completeness is not deficient." ~ Wayne Dyer
As the sun began to go down on this cool spring night in May, I reclined in my comfortable chaise lounge by the campfire to warm my toes. I found myself gazing at a most magnificent sight in the sky. Who knew that such an amazing movie was going on just overhead, available to anyone who simply chose to look up?
Time stood still as the star-less sky above me presented a rare display of clouds that moved together creating a pac man head, the open mouth of a rhino, bears, bunnies and any other creature you can imagine. They danced with angels and soon blended as one, only to emerge time and time again in a different disguise.
Soon the entire sky formed a pattern for as far as the eye could see. First it was a quilt with intricate patterns only a grandmother could conceive. Then it morphed into a topographical view of a farmer's field as the boundaries of each field formed and dissipated. There were smiling angels with wings whose bodies drifted and shifted their shapes.
Suddenly I noticed a small black shape as it darted every which way. Soon the darting black shape was joined by more darting creatures. They were bats putting on their own show, visible only to those who were reclined and looking straight up at this very short specific period of time on this cloudy night.
The clouds raced overhead for all to view until they drifted slowly beyond the horizon.
Every brief glimpse of this glorious night sky offered an opportunity to be fully conscious in the moment, moment by moment by moment.
The glorious experience of the night sky and the beautifully choreographed dance of the bats was truly a site for which to be grateful... and I am.
My Mother's Day Miracle
Two years after the passing of my eternal son, Brian Michael Guthrie, I received a marvelous Mother's Day gift from Brian, who made his transition in February 2003 at the age of 26.
As I sit here in the coolness of the early morning at a picnic table outside our fifth wheel camper at the Kings Mountain State Park in Blacksburg, South Carolina, I gaze at the endless green woods in front of me. The trees are tangled with years of growing wisteria vines. The sun is peaking through, bouncing off the ground, creating shadows shaped like leaves. An owl is calling in the distance and robins are scurrying about searching for bits of bread we have thrown out for them.
My husband Dennis and I have been camping here for a week, visiting with my family over Mother's Day weekend 2005.
Earlier in the week we participated in a mediation regarding the workers compensation claim which resulted in my son's passing. I am grateful to have this issue behind me as I continue to move forward in the grieving and healing process only a mother can experience.
As I sat around the campfire with Dennis, my mom and dad and my sister, I noticed a young man camping at the site next to us. He looked just like my Brian! We all marveled at the similiarities. We noticed the shape of his strong jawline and his head, his physically fit posture and the way he walked. Even his voice sounded familiar as he talked with his children, two little boys.
I considered the presence of this young man to be a gift from my son, his way of saying "Happy Mother's Day" to me and to his grandmother. Dennis and I started camping the year after Brian's passing, so Brian never had an opportunity to go camping with us and I know he would love being here with us.
My family and I were in awe of the gift of this young man all afternoon. We wondered what his name might be, curious to know if it could possibly be Brian or perhaps Brian's middle name, Michael.
After my family left the campsite for the evening, the two little boys came running over to pet my little chihuahua, Mikey. Mikey is a tiny 4.5 pounds and he was named in honor of my son's middle name, Michael. When I told the boys Mikey's name, they said, "That's my daddy's name."
I held my breath.
About that time, the mother of the two boys walked over and I told her that her son said his father's name was "Mikey," and she said, "Well, it's Mike."
Could it be?
My curiosity was really getting the best of me now, so I asked the older boy his name, and he said, "Jaden."
Have you ever heard the name "Jaden" before?
I have never heard of that name, but I have heard of the name "Jade" which was my Brian's favorite name. He always said when he had a little girl, he would name her "Jade."
The next day I was debating about whether or not to tell the young man and his family what a gift they had given to us, so I asked for Divine guidance to know if the timing was right.
Soon I saw the mother walking down the road alone, so I asked if I could speak to her. I briefly told her about Brian and the similarities in her husband's and son's name. She spontaneously hugged me and thanked me for sharing my story with her. She ran to get a picture of the two boys and gave it to me to keep.
I told her also that I had adopted my Brian and mentioned the possibility of a family connection between Mike and Brian. I gave her my business card and the address for Brian's memorial website - just in case.
So, there could be a part 2 to this story!
As Mike and his family drove away, he leaned forward in his car and raised his hand to wave goodbye to us - just like my Brian Michael always did.
Coincidence or a miracle?
I don't believe in coincidences, so I choose to believe that Brian orchestrated another (there have been many) beautiful miracle to send a message to me, his mother, and to his grandmother on this Mother's Day 2005 to let us know that he is eternal and that he is always near.
There is much more to our "lives" than we know. I believe we are eternal and this, yet another miracle orchestrated by my eternal son, is more evidence of our eternal spirits.
For that I am grateful. Thank you Brian Michael.
An Unlikely Gratitude For
An Abundance of Rain
Rain. The beauty of rain. The sound of rain. The smell of rain. Rain.
Shivers of joy travel up and down my spine. I can see the rain, I can hear the rain, I can smell the rain.
When we left for a weekend camping trip yesterday it was raining and I fully expected it to clear up so that we could enjoy our usual camping activities - walking through the paths in the woods, cooking outside, relaxing and dozing in the sun.
My husband and my two little chihuahuas and I are a merry bunch, frolicking in the activities that accompany camping. Today we are inside our spacious fifth wheel camper appreciating it very much. The sounds of snoring drift from the bedroom where Dennis is napping with the chihuahuas as I enjoy putting my thoughts to words.
I am grateful for the fireplace (which I first thought was silly) as it warms my toes while I sit in my comfy recliner and listen to the sounds of serenity playing on the stereo system.
Through the windows I see crystal drops of rain resting on the lush green spring leaves of the trees that surround us. I can almost hear the leaves lapping up the nurturing of the rain.
I hear the rain drops as they plop all around us on the top of the coach, on the leaves, on the awning, on the ground and on the windows. I am surrounded by the joy of rain.
The campground is not full on this spring weekend. They probably think it is not fun to camp in the rain. If only they knew. If only they knew. I wonder what the tent campers are feeling today. I hope they find a way to appreciate the rain.
Were it not for the rain, I would not be sitting here in this relaxing moment, with shivers of joy running up and down my spine.
Today I am grateful for this abundance of rain.
Miraculous Seeds of Hope
As I sit here watching the sun dance through the trees, I am treated with an extraordinary sight of an ordinary event.
The cottonwood trees between the sun and me are bursting forth their tiny seeds of hope. The seeds appear to be riding on the rays of the sun, like crystals floating on the wind.
Millions of tiny lighter than air seeds drift from the sky like snow.
These wonders of nature are truly miraculous seeds of hope.
Catch Another Falling Star
Recently we stayed at a state campground in Michigan near a couple of lakes and the Kalamazoo River.
The sites were large and wooded and secluded and it was soooooo relaxing to be there. Lots of interesting people walking and biking and roller blading.
The weather was perfect - 70 degrees, perfectly clear, no humidity, with a slight breeze. (Did I say perfect?)
Of course, almost anything you cook or eat in the woods is delicious - and it was!
I worked on my new windchimes made from old silverware while I was there - and I hung them out in the "yard" so we could listen to the beautiful chime sounds - and I had people come over to admire them. That felt good and was a good affirmation for me to continue.
I have been asking for and receiving divine direction, right? Well, late last night I stepped outside the "Gratitude Chamber" (our RV) to take the chihuahuas to potty... and I looked up into the sky.
Oh my goodness! I was not prepared for what I saw!
Everyone around us had gone to bed, so there were NO lights. From the middle of this VERY DARK state park, the sky was MAGNIFICENT. I felt like I was in a planetarium!
Even though I live in a rural area and I can regularly see the sky, there are lights around my house which MUST have been blocking some of the stars.
Anyway, I was so overwhelmed with joy and the magnificence of the Universe that I just stood there with tears streaming down my cheeks. I thought of my son and how he had sent a falling star to me from Heaven on another occasion...
and guess what!?
I saw another falling star. Of course, more tears. Even after I went back inside, I felt completely overwhelmed with feelings of pure gratitude and abundance.
In that moment, I couldn't possibly ask for another thing. I am truly grateful.
