This was the view out my sewing room window!! My sweetheart has finished his wall for the season, the bulb planting, the storage shed, and the leaf ra
king, and he's now doing our outdoors 
Christmas. One would think that I have a small work area only for my many sewing projects by this picture but not so. In spite of the nice little sewing room I have, I somehow tend to scrunch myself into this small area--my little cocoon. Heather's quilt is finished; Mark's birthday gift is finished--unframed but finished; Christmas items are in various stages of preparation...I'm good.
king, and he's now doing our outdoors 
Christmas. One would think that I have a small work area only for my many sewing projects by this picture but not so. In spite of the nice little sewing room I have, I somehow tend to scrunch myself into this small area--my little cocoon. Heather's quilt is finished; Mark's birthday gift is finished--unframed but finished; Christmas items are in various stages of preparation...I'm good.Today I began my Christmas letter. I rejected this one as a bit too serious for a Christmas epistle, but I think the thoughts are important:
As I compose my yearly Christmas letter, tragedy is unfolding a mere forty miles away, as the crow flies, on Mount Hood. Friday morning, at 1 am, three hikers left Timberline Lodge to make a “technical” hike on Mount Hood. Although fairly young, the climbers, a woman and two men,were described as experienced and well-prepared for their hike. Mother Nature is fickle, and the weather on Hood can change on a dime. Hundreds have made the hike, but the trail has its share of fatalities as well. For days now, a group of intrepid volunteer emergency personnel has been scouring the mountain in icy, treacherous conditions. Family and friends have joined the rescue team. One body has been found, but one man and one woman are still on the mountain. Today, Sunday, helicopters have been able to join the search.
This morning I’ve been reading the comments made online about this tragic incident. A great deal of speculation ripples through the commentaries. Are they alive? Dead along with their companion? Afraid? Snugly camped in some remote area drinking hot coffee until the weather moderates? There are some letters that are truly heartfelt prayers for the two people still unrescued. Some writers are angry that this incident is just one of many in which smart-aleck climbers, who think they can outwit the weather, are stranded and require that local volunteers risk their lives and limbs to pull them off, feeling they should be fined heavily once they’re rescued to defray the cost of saving their sorry butts. There are philosophical letters re-iterating that we all make mistakes in judgment. and the hikers should not be so harshly treated. Some have asked, “Where’s their PLB?” A PLB is a Personal Locator Beacon—a device—somewhat costly--$300-400—that sends signals to would-be rescuers. At least one family is already making funeral arrangements so close to Christmas for their loved one.
I cannot help but make comparisons this morning and see this tragedy as a type or lesson concerning the reason for the Christmas season!! The three hikers set out on their climb full of optimism and hope, just as we’ve set out on our journey through life. They felt well-prepared for their journey, joking with the staff at Timberline Lodge as they headed out. Somewhere along the trail tragedy occurred; no one knows just what—an avalanche, a fall, a misstep? So they were caught on the mountain; their only source of communication a cell phone that wouldn’t work. One letter writer commented that wherever they were on the mountain they could see for miles and miles—even into the Willamette Valley, where hundreds(?) of cell phone towers dot the landscape. Most hikers take along a PLB—Personal Locator Beacon, but they’d not brought one. I think the term, Personal Locator Beacon, is such an apt description for the guideposts which each of us needs in our lives. For those who believe in a Supreme Being, one PLB could certainly be prayer. Another could be the love of friends and family. A young missionary today compared the strong, loving hug of his earthly father to the loving arms of the Savior. Family members of these young people have joined the rescue team or are waiting at Timberline to hold them once their ordeal is over. Still another PLB might be the scriptures, meditation, or contemplation. If we forget such PLBs or convince ourselves that we can’t afford them, or they won’t work for us, we’re missing out on some of the richest experiences of our lives. One other PLB could certainly be the prayers of others. Perhaps the young hikers will feel the effect of all those prayers sent heavenward for them and be comforted in whatever circumstance they find themselves in at this moment. In our lives, we need our own PLBs to comfort us in whatever circumstance we may find ourselves. My prayer for all of us in this Christmas season is that we’ll search for, and purchase, at any cost, the PLBs that will enrich us, comfort us, and give us peace. They are as expensive as the electronic PLB because the purchase price is our own soul, our humility, our willingness to forgive and forget and let others into our life. The price is dear, but we'll want that PLB with us when we're on our own spot of danger and despair!!
This morning I’ve been reading the comments made online about this tragic incident. A great deal of speculation ripples through the commentaries. Are they alive? Dead along with their companion? Afraid? Snugly camped in some remote area drinking hot coffee until the weather moderates? There are some letters that are truly heartfelt prayers for the two people still unrescued. Some writers are angry that this incident is just one of many in which smart-aleck climbers, who think they can outwit the weather, are stranded and require that local volunteers risk their lives and limbs to pull them off, feeling they should be fined heavily once they’re rescued to defray the cost of saving their sorry butts. There are philosophical letters re-iterating that we all make mistakes in judgment. and the hikers should not be so harshly treated. Some have asked, “Where’s their PLB?” A PLB is a Personal Locator Beacon—a device—somewhat costly--$300-400—that sends signals to would-be rescuers. At least one family is already making funeral arrangements so close to Christmas for their loved one.
I cannot help but make comparisons this morning and see this tragedy as a type or lesson concerning the reason for the Christmas season!! The three hikers set out on their climb full of optimism and hope, just as we’ve set out on our journey through life. They felt well-prepared for their journey, joking with the staff at Timberline Lodge as they headed out. Somewhere along the trail tragedy occurred; no one knows just what—an avalanche, a fall, a misstep? So they were caught on the mountain; their only source of communication a cell phone that wouldn’t work. One letter writer commented that wherever they were on the mountain they could see for miles and miles—even into the Willamette Valley, where hundreds(?) of cell phone towers dot the landscape. Most hikers take along a PLB—Personal Locator Beacon, but they’d not brought one. I think the term, Personal Locator Beacon, is such an apt description for the guideposts which each of us needs in our lives. For those who believe in a Supreme Being, one PLB could certainly be prayer. Another could be the love of friends and family. A young missionary today compared the strong, loving hug of his earthly father to the loving arms of the Savior. Family members of these young people have joined the rescue team or are waiting at Timberline to hold them once their ordeal is over. Still another PLB might be the scriptures, meditation, or contemplation. If we forget such PLBs or convince ourselves that we can’t afford them, or they won’t work for us, we’re missing out on some of the richest experiences of our lives. One other PLB could certainly be the prayers of others. Perhaps the young hikers will feel the effect of all those prayers sent heavenward for them and be comforted in whatever circumstance they find themselves in at this moment. In our lives, we need our own PLBs to comfort us in whatever circumstance we may find ourselves. My prayer for all of us in this Christmas season is that we’ll search for, and purchase, at any cost, the PLBs that will enrich us, comfort us, and give us peace. They are as expensive as the electronic PLB because the purchase price is our own soul, our humility, our willingness to forgive and forget and let others into our life. The price is dear, but we'll want that PLB with us when we're on our own spot of danger and despair!!
Love to You All. Mom
