Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Boilerplate

I’m Harold Dykstra.  I’m retired, but I go to food bank distributions all over Tracy and talk to people that need someone who will listen to their story.  My time is well spent.  A police lieutenant suggested that I write down the conversations that I had with an angel.  I did not know she was an angel at the time.  The angel, for a little over a year, indwelled a life-sized posable action figure my children bought me, so that I would not be perceived as travelling alone.  And in a way, she was training me for what I do while talking to the needy.  She probed my heart to find out what I believed and how I express love for others.  She changed my life.

In her leaving, she said someone would come.  I had thought that was Jesus, in His second coming, but a new Babs, a little older, the model for the posable action figure arrived.  While I had no desire to start over with romance, Morrie helped her move in, thinking she was the other Babs who had returned.

This Week’s Question

Last week, Babs was planning a nice vacation get away for the two of us.  By the time she was finished, she had invited Willie’s children, Jayke and Janella.  Along with them, Tony Painter and Little Joe would come along.  To top everything off.  She planned one week and we left less than a week later.

This week Babs was awaken by Janella who was staying with us.  Jayke stayed in the cabin next door with Tony and Little Joe.  We had stayed in Grand Tetons National Park.

Janella screamed, “Grabbabs, there’s snow on the ground!”

I asked, “Babs, can you turn the lights off a little longer?  I need a little more sleep.”

Babs sighed, “I am afraid that the lights are off.  Janella pulled open the curtains, and the light is the sun.  I am sorry.  We left extremely early yesterday.  We did not get here until after dark.  But come on, Harold.  Tony did most of the driving.”

We were at cabins at the Grand Tetons.  Other than the rustic accommodations, we had seen nothing of the park.  That is until we stepped out of the cabin.

Babs sighed, “Harold, look at those mountains and the glacier.  God is an artist.  Everything is so beautiful.”

I smiled, “Babs, God’s majesty is seen in great things and small things.  I think we are going to see a lot of the great things, but maybe some small things, at least smaller things.  ‘Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.’ (Psalm 48:2).  That is talking about where Jerusalem is, but there is beauty in these mountains.”

Babs scrunched her nose, “I thought you were going to say, ‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”’ (Isaiah 52:7).”

I smiled, “Babs, that verse talks about the feet of someone bringing good news.  That does not say that the mountain from whence the feet had come was beautiful.  ‘For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.’ (Psalm 95:3-4).”

Babs giggled, “Harold, that doesn’t say anything about beauty, but I will admit that I doubt God would own anything that was not beautiful in one way or another.  ‘You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.’ (Isaiah 55:12).  That does not mention beauty, but if they burst into song, there has to be some beauty there somewhere.”

I just shook my head.

Babs suggested, “Okay!  Have it your way.  ‘who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength,’ (Psalm 65:6).  Your safe Bible verse about it’s all God’s stuff, so He must think it’s beautiful.”

There was a knock at the door.  Before we could ask who was at the door, Janella had the door open.

Little Joe asked, “What are Pake and Grabbabs doing?”

Janella said, “What they always are doing.  They are arguing with Bible verses.”

Little Joe and Jayke came in and threw snowballs at us.

Tony followed them. “I know it’s fairly early.  But none of you are dressed.  Nice flannel pajamas, Babs.  No slinky lingerie?”

Babs scrunched her nose, “I made all the arrangements except the night’s stay on the way home.  We are with Janella for this trip.  The girls have to stick together.  That reminds me.  When you and Mary Jo get married, where is Little Joe going?”

Joe answered, “I know an ornery grandma down the street that will take me in in a heartbeat.”

Note: Joe is now old enough to know the difference between ornery and honorary, but Babs’ unofficial title has stuck.

The snow was already melting.  It was going to be a pleasant day.  Babs got Janella dressed and the three children made a snowman…  Okay they made two big snowballs and put one atop the other.

They got no further when we called them to the Pink 6 Party Wagon.

We ate some leftover pastries from the day before on our way to Yellowstone.  The rangers walked around our vehicle.  We could drive a vehicle that advertised a commercial product only if we had permission from the park superintendent.  A strictly commercial vehicle, extra wide, would be restricted, but the Pink 6 was the size of a normal large SUV. We explained that we had borrowed the vehicle from a friend.  All her vehicles were bright pink, but the Pink 6 had no advertisements.  It normally did, but they were magnetic and easily removed, which we had done that morning.  In some of Pink Lady’s limited travels, she had learned about that restriction.  Several vehicles had magnetic signs just for that purpose.  The rangers welcomed us to Yellowstone, and we gave them a couple of bottles of non-alcoholic freedom cider – to explain why we were driving a very pink SUV.

I told the children to look out the windows to find animals.  According to Babs, there would be more animals in the second half of our stay, but I knew that this first part was simply climbing the mountains up a winding road, mountain on one side and valley below.  Right when we got to the point where they could see Lake Yellowstone, we turned and went to Old Faithful.

Janella asked, “Pake, are there geysers in the Bible?”

I shrugged, “In a way, there are.  ‘In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.’ (Genesis 7:11).  But then, in the next chapter, ‘Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky.’ (Genesis 8:2).  So, from what little that I know about these geysers, there is a spring down deep in the ground.  The water drains down into the hole and the heat from beneath the hole is trying to get out.  It gets the water really hot and the water next to the heat source boils.  But the hole up to the surface is narrow.  The cold water near the surface acts like a stopper.  When the boiling water causes enough pressure, it spews out that stopper.  And a lot more water spews out with it.”

Jayke said, “But you said that the springs were closed.  How does that work?”

I smiled, “Well, Yellowstone has a lot of seismic activity underneath it.  The earth is constantly shifting.  And some of those springs line up with whatever is above them.  You might have water spewing one year.  You might have a mud pot the next year.  But Old Faithful is called that because it shoots water into the air every so many minutes.”

Joe asked, “How many minutes?”

Tony answered, “I was reading the website on the predictions.  It is from about 70 minutes to about 90 minutes.  And the reason that varies is that if the duration of the eruption is longer, it takes more time for the water to drain back into the hole.”

Joe asked, “So if it didn’t shoot so much water into the air, then the next eruption will be closer to 70 minutes?”

Tony shrugged, “That’s what the internet says.  But even then, it’s a give or take situation.  When we walk out to the geyser viewing area, we need to go early and prepare to wait for a while.  It might be late or early.”

Janella said, “I heard a Bible story about how Moses got water from a rock.”

Babs smiled, “Yes, Janella. ‘Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.’ (Numbers 20:11).”

I added, “And then Asaph wrote a psalm about the things that happened at that time.  The psalm talks about the great things that God did, but the people turned their back on God, and they would not do as they were told.  ‘He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas; he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.’ (Psalm 78:15-16).  If God brought water out of a rock, you would think that would get the people’s attention.”

Joe shouted, “Dad!  There it goes!”

Old Faithful was erupting.  We checked our watches to see how long the eruption was and then when we might go out and watch it close up.  We were going to be at Old Faithful Inn for two days.

Then, we were going to Canyon Lodge for another two days.  We could take a few little drives and walk a few trails over the next couple of days.  Then, from Canyon Lodge we could visit Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley, and Mammoth Hot Springs.  They say that in Spring, you have a good chance of seeing bear cubs and “red dogs,” baby bison.  But there are a variety of other animals that might be seen.

As we got ready for bed that night, Tony brought the boys into our room.

Tony asked, “What thought should we end this very eventful day with, Pake?”

I leaned back in my chair.  “We’ve already seen geysers.  We have seen a couple of elk.  We have seen the mountains.  All of this points to the wonders that God created on this earth.  ‘Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.’ (Psalm 36:6).  Let’s remember that verse as we explore this park for a few days.”

We bowed our heads, and Babs led us in prayer.

Credits

All these conversations remind me of my conversations with my wife.  We would talk about anything and everything.  And most of the time, it sounded like a discussion in a Sunday school class.

My wife never saw a bear in the wild.  We made a trip to a variety of national parks that are noted for bears.  The one we visited the most was the Great Smokie Mountain National Park.  When I was growing up, I never failed to see bears in that park.  Once I married my wife, I have never seen one in that park since.  When we camped at Philmont Scout Ranch, they had the Dads patrol the campsite during the night to give a bear warning.  There had been dangerous bear activity in the area.  Again, nothing.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.