Sometimes it takes going somewhere to see the beauty that God has laid out before our very eyes. On a recent trip to Eastern Oregon, this girl from the flatlands was traversing the mountain roads and caught her breath a couple of times as she saw the world fall away over the edge. Once I was assured I wasn’t going over the side of the mountain, my eyes went towards the heavens, toward the mountain peaks bringing the words to the hymn “Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder consider all the world’s Thy hands have made” to mind.
I need to get away from the duty that everyday life requires. Away from the cell phone, because you can always be found. Out in the woods I can forget the writing deadlines and family obligations. Being in nature and among the trees brings me to my knees in wonder at all God has created, and reminds me just who He is. It brings me back to Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” That reminds me of just how great He is.
Different travels have brought different awakenings. In Paris, a visit to The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris amazed and enlightened. The beauty, the sheer spirit, that surrounds you there is almost overwhelming.
I am a traveller, I write about travel and farm things. A couple of years ago my husband Keith and I had been travelling a lot and we were talking about the fact that we needed to get back to church while we were attending an International Harvester winter show. I write for Red Power, an IH publication, and I was gung ho to interview this wonderful engineer that had been instrumental in developing the IH Cub Cadet, a lawn and garden tractor built in the 1960’s.
After talking to the gentleman, I learned he was a pastor and he invited us to come to his church the next day. The connection was instant and Keith and I just looked at each other. There was not a decision to be made; God had spoken to us through this man, and we went to his church and were blessed. Just before his story went to print, the minister passed away. I don’t know if he ever knew how he touched us while travelling, putting us back on the right path, God’s path.
Travel brings so many different and distinctive individuals into the sphere of our lives. My faith has grown because of what I have seen and expanded when I have had to face what I don’t understand. God has made a big beautiful world and with His blessings, I hope to see as much as I can in my lifetime. For me, faith and travel go hand in hand.
Cindy Ladage is an award-winning columnist for Farm World. She recently won the American Women in Communications Clarion award for her column Wrenching Tales. Cindy is a frequent contributor to the Illinois Times travel guides, a freelance writer she specializes in stories about people and places. Her travel blog is http://travelingadventuresofafarmgirl.com. Cindy writes for antique tractor and toy magazines along with other publications like Senior News & Times. She has co-written three children’s books with Jane Aumann her first solo children’s book When Matilda Made Time Stand Still.
Cindy has three fiction books that have been published as well as a series of short stories. Cindy was a contributor to Canning, Pickling and Freezing with Irma Harding. She lives with her husband who is a farmer in central Illinois. They have three grown children and two grandchildren