My pondering view this morning is from a big lime green inner tube floating down the Toccoa River in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Most fun I’ve ever had! Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!

The river is beautiful and peaceful, winding like a grossgrain ribbon along green banks colored with blooming pinkish white rhododendrons. A few random blooms float by in the river current. Sad to see all the fir trees dead in the forests along the shores and on the curvy road to the river. Pests and fungi are devastating the fir trees. A hazy fog further down the river is fading in the sun’s rays, lifting off the blue green water ahead of us. I told the children it was alien fog. We squealed and laughed.

Was a little nervous at first about tubing so my son Thomas tethered Alexander, my oldest grandson, to my tube, and pushed us off in the river. We floated away and I enjoyed every minute of the river ride. What a wonderful way to spend the morning.

Half way down our river route, the children got out of their tubes and frolicked around in the shallow river near a large dead tree. I held onto the dead tree in the middle of the river. Didn’t want to float away by myself. I dipped my straw hat in the water and placed it back on my head. The water was crisp and cold. Felt good in the hot sunshine. We changed our tethered pairs there and I joined Thomas and my granddaughter Handley. Handley and Thomas and I laughed the rest of the way down the river. I had to hold my fanny up when we went over the rocks in the small rapids so we didn’t hang up on the rocks and Handley and I would scream and laugh ourselves silly. I’m so thankful I didn’t “chicken out” on this experience. I’ll never forget this special day!

It’s dusk now and I’m sitting on the porch of the cabin listening to the rain falling. I’m stuffed to the gills and in a food coma from pecan crusted rainbow trout. Delicious! The horizon is painted with gray clouds streaked with purple and blue. Rain from the clouds and the rain dripping off all the trees is playing a relaxing symphony. I’m watching the fog gather on the mountains. Nothing could make this day any more perfect except Chief sitting by me on this porch. He would love this view.

We can compare our lives to a river. Sometimes the river flows smoothly along and out of no where the rapids appear. The rapids can flow slowly or flow quickly and can change our directions. We try to steer our boat through to calm waters and we realize God is at the helm. God never leaves us. He is always there to help guide our lives.

“The river has great wisdom and whispers its secrets to the hearts of men,” — Mark Twain.