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I’m asking that question of myself! Where should I go now?
Do you ever feel that way? Wondering whether or not you should go a certain direction, take a specific path, or pursue a different avenue?
I’m in that place right now – regarding my writing.
Where should I go now? I ask God. I know He will answer. Just not sure when or how.
Meanwhile, . . .
I’ve decided to continue, one step at a time, down a path, onto an avenue.
I know He will lead me as I go.
What about you? Don’t be dormant. Move forward. Don’t stand still.
You’re not too old, too busy, too sick, too discouraged, or too weary. You’ll find Him directly ahead of you in that direction, that path, and that avenue. “Come to me,” He says!
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” John 20:19
“. . . the doors locked for fear . . .”
Are you “locked in your room” so to speak “for fear of” talking to others? Fear of letting them know that you are a believer – a follower of Jesus?
What will they say? Will they laugh? Tease? Make fun of you?
How long have you hidden from others? How many times have you locked yourselfin, hiding your Bible, your faith, your Jesus?
“Jesus . . . among them . . .”
He is there in that locked room with you, offering you peace.
He suffered for you.
Died for you.
Resurrected for you.
You’ve seen His hands and His side. Isn’t it time you open the locked door, go out, and show Jesus to others?
He’s sending you. And He’ll give you the peace to go. Unlock the door.
On this getaway trip, Ron had been gracious to help me revisit and recreate scenes and moments from 1955, when I had first visited these sites in the Porcupine Mountains and surrounding areas of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with my family. On the day we packed up and hooked up our little “home away from home,” as we left the Porkies, we stopped one last time at the Welcome Center to pick up a souvenir in their gift shop. Two young women were just entering the park and happened to be coming from the two waterfalls to which we were headed: Bond Falls and Agate Falls. I showed them the photo on my phone – the one I wanted to “recreate,” taken of me at Agate Falls 65 years earlier!
Little Kathi at Agate Falls – 1955. Photo taken by her Daddy.
“Oh,” one of the young women said, looking at my photo. “That’s not Agate Falls – it’s Bond Falls. We were just there.”
“Oh thanks!” I replied, thinking I must have marked the photo wrong. “We need to be heading to Bond Falls.”
So we left the memorable Porcupine Mountains and headed to one of the most beautiful falls in Michigan: Bond Falls.
It was a lovely drive. The parking area was full. Even during this time of dreadful COVID, people ventured out – eager and desirous to seek beauty in nature. It took a bit of time to find area to park our vehicle and trailer, but we found shade on this hot summer day!
Yellow Birch – common in the U.P.
It was just a short distance up a trail to the waterfall, where we strove to find the location to recreate the 1955 photo my Daddy had taken of me.
Back and forth, up and down the old cement steps along the shaded east side we hiked, stopped, and photographed.
It just didn’t seem right. Had the direction of the water changed in all those years?
By this time, as you can imagine, Ron and I were just about “waterfalled out.” Bond Falls was beautiful. We had seen it, the mosquitoes were bothering us, and now we were ready to trek back to our truck and travel trailer and continue our venture. But we suddenly realized that another trail led over a footbridge and across the river to the opposite side – the west side. We brushed the mosquitoes off and followed it. On that west bank, I stepped down to the riverside and placed my feet on (what I assumed) was the exact ground upon which I had stood as a tiny girl in 1955. The scene was recreated! (or so I thought.) I squinted my eyes a bit as I looked at Ron taking my picture – but I didn’t see Ron – I saw my Daddy.
Kathi 2020 at Bond Falls
Now, this is the actual changing point of the original article. I initially made a correlation that if we hadn’t gone over to the other side of the Bond Falls, we would have missed recreating the scene . . . and I completed the article about it. The original article was titled, “The Final Waterfall of the Trip – And I Almost Missed it!”
As I had initially written, we were “waterfalled out,” so when we left Bond Falls, we had no desire to visit nearby Agate Falls, instead driving on to L’Anse Michigan at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula, to visit more familiar sites and recreate the last photos from so many years ago.
It wasn’t until weeks later, in making the final revisions to this article that I reviewed photos and realized my mistake: The original photo was indeed taken at Agate Falls – not Bond Falls. My childhood pic and another photo of Agate Falls reveal the obvious:
Little Kathi at Agate Falls 1955Agate Falls
I had missed the last waterfall – a most important re-creation of a most important memory.
I had quickly taken the advice of a well-intentioned, kind young woman, rather than double-checking my own photos and plans. Accepted her comment instead of following my own instinct and knowledge.
I was saddened but not surprised. It wasn’t the first time I had practiced poor judgment – was unwise in my decisions! And of course, it brought about regrets. Once again on this “… Getaway – Seeking Sounds of Silence, the Secret Place, and Wisdom,” I had learned a lesson about wisdom in a most unexpected manner.
Proverbs speaks much about wisdom:
There is a way that seems right . . . (but it isn’t!)
He who walks with the wise grows wise. (obviously the young women weren’t wise regarding waterfalls)
. . . and perhaps most important or applicable to my situation – in Corinthians:
my faith must not rest upon the wisdom of others, but upon God’s power. . .
Of course the lesson is much greater than finding the correct location – the correct waterfall. It’s in finding God’s will – following God’s plan instead of following people. People will never have the answers for me, but God will. He will lead me, if/when I seek Him. And I can always seek Him in prayer and through His Word.
The good news for me regarding Agate Falls is that there’s a possibility that Ron and I will be in the area again next summer. As we walk the path to the falls and hear the rush of water, my eyes will feel a bit of rush, as well, and a mist will roll down my cheeks. Ron will hold the camera. I’ll step close to the water’s edge with the beautiful falls in the background, and squint a bit, looking in Ron’s eyes, but seeing my Daddy holding his Kodak 35 mm.
Who would think that in the middle of a mountain drive, in the middle of a huge state park, within just one county and within only the state of Michigan, would be a time zone division? Well, there is! This huge park has two different time zones.
So, by the time we reached the Lake of the Clouds (Click here to read Post 5 about that experience) at the top of Porcupine Mountains, the time had changed from 1:30 to 12:30. Since we didn’t know about it or expect it, it was quite confusing! We viewed the beautiful lake and landscape, hiked 3.5 miles through the deep woods, over roots and red slate rocks, straight down .5 mile to the base of the huge lake and up again in hot, sticky damp heat, and were totally exhausted, so it was even more confusing! Again, I had packed a picnic lunch in a wicker basket, including a red-checkered tablecloth (in keeping with the “time frame” of the 1950’s when I had first visited this site). The clock in the vehicle showed one time – our cell phone showed another. So now we wondered ~ What time was it anyway? It was later than we thought! We assumed we had much more time than this!
You’ve probably heard the classic soft rock song, “Turn, Turn, Turn.” Pete Seeger composed it in the late 50’s, and The Byrds made it popular when they recorded it in 1965. Click it on and read the lyrics while you listen. (If the website music is playing, you can lower or mute it on the bottom of this site.)
Ron and I grew up with this song, so it really brought back some memories for us! I said that Pete Seeger wrote this song, but actually, he only composed the music. The lyrics were already written. Did you know that these lyrics are the first 8 verses of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3? God wrote these words through King Solomon. You’re probably quite familiar with it:
There’s a time for everything . . .
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
And so on . . .
If you’ve lived for a while like I have, you are familiar with these “times.” Some are pleasant – like laughing; others are not – like weeping. We’ve experienced most of these “times.” We know they are a part of life. It’s not surprising that Pete Seeger titled his song, “Turn, Turn, Turn.” The “times” of our lives are constantly turning and often become confusing.
Jesus knew we would get confused in this life, thinking we have much more time to do everything we want to do – much more time to live. Some people think that becoming a believer would detract from that “living,” but actually, it brings abundance of life! So, I think that’s why He told us that now is the time of God’s favor. Now is the day of salvation. He wants you to believe in Him and have abundance of life and the abundance of time!
I plan on living to be very old unless the Lord comes first to gather the believers, which could happen anytime! Either way, I’m ready and can spend the time I have left – living and loving and doing everything good I read about in Eccl. 3 and hear in Pete Seeger’s song: to plant and heal and build and laugh and dance and mend and speak and love and make peace. Are you ready to meet the Lord when He gathers us? If so, join me in living life to the fullest with these good things. If not, get ready. Learn what Jesus did for you, and believe! Click here to learn more at www.kathiwaligora.com/become-a-believer
It’s all between you and God, your maker. He’s given you this time – so you can be sure. You needn’t be confused!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Hosea 10:12
2 Corinthians 6:2
Have you read my book, When Life Roars, Jesus Whispers? Click here to order. It would make a great gift, as well.
I had looked at photos and articles in the brochures, pamphlets, and travel guides of the park, considering which sites Ron and I might want to see. Much to my distress, one article had a photo of a bat, which I immediately covered up by folding the corner of the paper over it. I hate bats! Repeat – I hate bats! Please don’t try to convince me of all the good things about bats. It won’t sway me. They remind me of demons. I hate bats.
You see, the Porkies (Porcupine Mountains) have many old, abandoned mines – copper and iron ore. The article and photo I covered in a brochure, so as not to see, described a strategy conservationists of the Porkies are taking to keep bats from getting some white-nose disease. As you can imagine, I didn’t read the article. (I kept it covered – out of sight.) So anyway, I said, “This is one site here in the Porkies I don’t care to visit.” End of story.
It was not really the “end of story” because as we were driving up the mountain to the Lake of the Clouds(Click here to read my last Post 5), we stopped at a beautiful site where there was a small spot to park and to look out over the beautiful Lake Superior from quite a height. We walked to the lookout point. I took a pic of Ron and of the nearby sign.
It was lovely, BUT, on the opposite side of the narrow road, dug into the side of the mountain was an old abandoned copper mine, and – you guessed it – was the very site, placard and all, about the story of the bats. Evidently thousands come out of that mine shaft at night . . . you know the story. Another reason they remind me of demons – there are thousands, and they love to work at night. – in the dark. Well, we “hightailed it” out of there!
Have you ever tried so hard to avoid something, like I tried to avoid the bat cave, but you run right into it? Sin is like that. Your intentions are good, but that devil just keeps chasing after you.
He’s dark – the prince of darkness.
His work is dark.
His intentions are dark.
His actions are dark.
My sin is dark.
Your sin is dark.
But Jesus came, and Jesus is light.
I just have to repeat it! Jesus came, and Jesus is light. He is the Light of the World. He brings light into our sinful lives – if we let Him.
The Bible tells us to submit ourselves to God and to resist the devil, and he will flee from us. Resist him, just like I “hightailed it” away from that bat cave. (Well, not really just the same – but you get the idea.) I’ve lived in the darkness of sin before – and you have too. I’ve come out of that darkness and into the Light: Jesus! Have you? If not, it’s time you do!
Contrary to the report on Ron’s weather app, the sun was shining today, so we drove up the mountain, 1000 feet above Lake Superior to the “Lake of the Clouds.”
With my Mama in 1955
It was a beautiful drive to the top of the mountain. And today, as we parked and walked the 100 yard embankment to the cliff above, years of imbedded memories surged in the form of droplets in my eyes, welling up and rolling down my cheeks. I’m sure that my daddy and mama would have never thought that the memories of this very place, which they had created within me and had kept alive through photos taken with Daddy’s new 35 mm Kodak in 1955 would stir up fresh within me all these years later. You’ll see me as the little blonde girl in the older pictures. See more pics below.
Until today, I had never been back to The Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains.
But I’ve wanted to.
I’ve hoped to.
And I’ve thought about it ever since.
This was a desire of my heart.
Today was the day.
Oftentimes God grants us the desires of our hearts. He loves to do so. He knows those things – even the little things – that will delight us. In fact, He surrounds us with His favor. His favor is like a shield around us. I had lived much of my adult life unaware or unknowing or not believing that I was favored by God, but about eight years ago, in the most difficult time of my life, I became cognizant of it. I believed the Word of God. And I embraced it, finally trusting that God loves me and wants to show me favor.
The Oxford dictionary defines favor as “act of kindness beyond what is due.” And that’s just what God did for me once again – at the Lake of the Clouds. He granted me an “act of kindness beyond what is due.” He allowed me to go back to a very peaceful time in my life, remembering all those years ago, on the edge of this same cliff but feeling absolutely no danger because I was protected by my Daddy and my Mama. And God allowed me to know the same serenity of this peaceful setting today, completely protected by Him, my Heavenly Father.
My Mama 1955 (My Daddy stands in the same spot in the featured picture at top of post.I’m standing in nearly the same spot as my mother – 65 years later. My heart is full!
Then He opened my eyes to see even more: the beauty of this place. He filled me with the joy of being there with my husband, Ron.
We hiked miles across the encampment and down to the base of the lake below. My heart was full-of God’s favor.
God loves to give you the desires of your heart. Ask Him. Then look for it. Sometimes it’s huge. Sometimes it’s in the little things.
Undeserved. Unmerited. But it is mine. And it’s yours: the Favor of the Father. And it is all because of Jesus. Grasp it. Hold on.
The Porcupine Mountains are unbelievably remote. Our campsite is at the Northeast tip of this huge state park; the mountains and thousands upon thousands of trees are in the middle; and Ironwood, the only big “town” in this part of the U.P., is near the Southwest end of the park, probably 30 miles “as the crow flies.” Click here if you’d like to see a map of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Porkies_Unit
Lake Superior covers all the North side of the park, and as I wrote in my Day 2 post, forests and small townships or four-corner villages border the south side of the park. (Click here for a short video “Under the Radar – Porcupine Mountains” to see the magnificence of this State Park – the largest in Michigan.) So in this park, I have no Internet connection. In fact, I rarely have cell service. Now, it’s easy to say, “So what? You don’t need Internet during this time,” but it’s quite another thing to actually be the person without it! That’s me. So without connection, I haven’t been able to work on my website or “post” my blogs as I had planned. Each day, Ron and I have gone to the “Welcome Center” here in the park, and I have lugged my laptop, connected to their WiFi, and worked on various writing projects for a while. We were headed there this morning when . . .
I’ll come back to this, but first I’ll touch upon the “Seeking . . . wisdom” part of the title of my writing series during this getaway.
Have you ever asked God for wisdom? I know the Bible tells us to do so. And I’ve asked Him for it many times – generally regarding a specific issue, i.e. “God, grant me wisdom to know what decision to make . . .” We read that He liberally gives us wisdom when we ask. When I “titled” my series of pieces I’m writing during this getaway, I included “Seeking . . . wisdom.”
Anyway, that’s how I expected it during this getaway. I expected to gain wisdom from His Word. But this morning, the wisdom He gave was simply spoken directly to me – oh, not in a voice, as such, but . . . well, here’s how it happened:
We regularly discuss plans for our days here at the park. Ron always checks the weather forecast, so we know which day would be best to hike, which day would be best to drive to waterfalls and other points of interest in the park. You get the idea. Well, each day has also included a bit of time at a place near the entrance of the park where I can “connect” to the Internet and get good cell connection, as well.
Suddenly this morning, with maps on the table and the weather forecast in front of Ron, God spoke to me, you know, like I just mentioned above. It was like He was saying,
“You should not be using this time to get ‘connected’ to the Internet. You should be using this time to get ‘connected’ to Me. And to get ‘connected’ to Ron. You’ll have plenty of Internet ‘connection’ time when you get home. Don’t use your getaway time, struggling for connection to anything else.”
I responded,
“Thank you, Father, for wisdom.”
You can ask God for wisdom, too. The Bible tells us He’s so very generous in extending wisdom to us. Wisdom speaks to us, gives us knowledge and understanding, blesses us, and so much more. It’s exciting to think of how He will give it to you. We know you’ll always find it in His Word!
Further reading: James 1:5;
Proverbs Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4
You’ve just read Post 4 – From “The Getaway – Seeking Sounds of Silence, the Secret Place of Rest, and Wisdom”
If you have not yet readPost 1,Post 2, or Post 3 from this series, you might want to click on each post to read them in sequence.
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If you’re a subscriber, look for Post 5 – “Mid-Morning Favor from God” tomorrow. Otherwise, find it on this site! Bless!
Ron and I have a passion for waterfalls, so today we made plans to see five waterfalls in surrounding areas outside this huge park as we drove to Ironwood on the Wisconsin border. Five waterfalls.
We saw one.
It was just a mile out of the campground, the remaining four to be seen further on. This one was striking.
Now I know why the rocks are red here. It’s the iron. The water flows over red rocks. Iron ore was pulled out of these mountains for years. I suppose iron will always be detected on these shores.
So we were off to a good start. On to the next waterfall.
And we drove and drove and drove, seemingly following the directions in the brochure, “Western Upper Peninsula Waterfall Guide.”
“Turn left on USSF222, which turns into 400.”
So we did. We turned left.
It was a beautiful drive down a gravel road through Ottawa National Forest. Miles and miles. But it didn’t lead to a waterfall – or even to a river. Perhaps if we’d gone further?
We did not find the waterfall on the West Branch of the Ontonagon River.
On toward Ironwood we drove, enjoying the beautiful landscapes, slowly but steadily progressing to the next two waterfalls on the Black River.
“North on Blackjack Road. Past the two gas line clearings. Park off the road.”
So we did. We passed the gas line clearings and parked in a low spot off the road.
No signs. Was it private property?
We did not find the upper and lower waterfalls on the Black River.
We drove on, stopping for lunch at a roadside park on the way. I placed a red-checkered tablecloth on the table , pulled lunch out of my vintage red picnic basket. It was a true picnic! As we ate, we enjoyed nature around us. A yellow butterfly drank nectar from an orange flower. We sat in the warm sunlight, at a picnic table, on the side of a small mountain, in a desolate area. Like the butterfly, we were drinking nectar – the nectar of the moment. We listened to the sounds of nature and ever so slowly started to unwind and leave behind some of the burdens we had carried with us to the north. Afterward, we drove on toward the waterfall on Planter Creek, but we never located . . .
“Wertanen Road on M-28 north after County 519,” so . . .
We did not find the waterfall on Planter Creek.
So we arrived back at campsite earlier than expected, and I stretched out on my new gravity chair, one I’d had for several weeks but had never taken the time to relax in. Now, in the warm, late afternoon sun on what had begun as a cool day, I was extremely tired. Soft waves lapped the red rocks. My body rested. Then my mind rested. It was the Sound of Silence I was seeking when I came to the north. It brought rest. Physical rest often precedes spiritual rest, the kind I’m seeking by dwelling in His Secret Place. I had made a day’s worth of plans of discovering and enjoying a number of waterfalls. My plans didn’t work out. It was certainly not the first time, and I’m quite sure it won’t be the last!
As I rested, reclined in a most comfortable gravity chair, in a most tranquil setting, I listened to His Whisper.
Jesus whispers,
“Kathi, you are good at making plans. But I’m better. Listen and I will give you the right answers. Dwell in my shelter and your plans will be great.”
Are you good at making plans like I am but realizing that most importantly you need to be listening to Jesus Whispers?
Further Reading: Proverbs 16:1,3; Psalm 91:1
While you are here on my website, please “subscribe” to future posts. Thank you!
You have just read Post 3 – From “The Getaway – Seeking Sounds of Silence, the Secret Place of Rest, and Wisdom”
(If you have not yet readPost 1and Post 2 from this series, click on each.)
Contrary to the report on Ron’s weather app, the sun was shining today, so we drove up the mountain, 1000 feet above Lake Superior to the “Lake of the Clouds.”
With my Mama in 1955
It was a beautiful drive to the top of the mountain. And today, as we parked and walked the 100 yard embankment to the cliff above, years of imbedded memories surged in the form of droplets in my eyes, welling up and rolling down my cheeks. I’m sure that my daddy and mama would have never thought that the memories of this very place, which they had created within me and had kept alive through photos taken with Daddy’s new 35 mm Kodak in 1955 would stir up fresh within me all these years later. You’ll see me as the little blonde girl in the older pictures. See more pics below.
Until today, I had never been back to The Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains.
But I’ve wanted to.
I’ve hoped to.
And I’ve thought about it ever since.
This was a desire of my heart.
Today was the day.
Oftentimes God grants us the desires of our hearts. He loves to do so. He knows those things – even the little things – that will delight us. In fact, He surrounds us with His favor. His favor is like a shield around us. I had lived much of my adult life unaware or unknowing or not believing that I was favored by God, but about eight years ago, in the most difficult time of my life, I became cognizant of it. I believed the Word of God. And I embraced it, finally trusting that God loves me and wants to show me favor.
The Oxford dictionary defines favor as “act of kindness beyond what is due.” And that’s just what God did for me once again – at the Lake of the Clouds. He granted me an “act of kindness beyond what is due.” He allowed me to go back to a very peaceful time in my life, remembering all those years ago, on the edge of this same cliff but feeling absolutely no danger because I was protected by my Daddy and my Mama. And God allowed me to know the same serenity of this peaceful setting today, completely protected by Him, my Heavenly Father.
My Mama 1955 (My Daddy stands in the same spot in the featured picture at top of post.I’m standing in nearly the same spot as my mother – 65 years later. My heart is full!
Then He opened my eyes to see even more: the beauty of this place. He filled me with the joy of being there with my husband, Ron.
We hiked miles across the encampment and down to the base of the lake below. My heart was full-of God’s favor.
God loves to give you the desires of your heart. Ask Him. Then look for it. Sometimes it’s huge. Sometimes it’s in the little things.
Undeserved. Unmerited. But it is mine. And it’s yours: the Favor of the Father. And it is all because of Jesus. Grasp it. Hold on.
Post 1 – From “The Getaway – Seeking Sounds of Silence, the Secret Place, and Wisdom”
Today’s highway is paved, flat, barren, and ugly, but adequate and necessary, nonetheless, for our purpose of journey – pulling our little “home away from home,” headed north to our destination, yet 600 miles away. My driver, the man I’ve journeyed with nearly 50 years must scan the road, follow the lanes, obeying the signage and lineage. I choose to observe the landscape instead of the road.
Tall, straight birch and poplar border the edge of the thick, dense woods, filled with pines and hardwoods with wider foliage, but also tall and straight, and as the birch and poplar, all evidencing their struggle to reach the sky, all in search of sunshine. The forest floor beneath them is plush with seedlings and saplings. Green life is unending in these groves of the north. Neither wind nor fire has squelched the growth. We see indication of past attacks of those enemies, as they have tried, time after time to destroy, but they have never fully succeeded. And it’s all because of the new growth, found deep in the womb of the soil, rooting and rising – toward the sun.
The sun is the sustenance of the green life, its reason, its purpose.
Today, as we drive north, the sun is reflecting off the flora around us, revealing deeper and varying shades of emeralds and olives and limes, and sages. Up and down the hills of the fallow path we travel, the trees stretch upward. We sometimes view them at levels below their roots, sometimes above their tops, looking down at an unending pillow of forest jade.
Intermittenly, a sandy trail weaves through its thickness. I wonder who, if anyone, has traveled that trail today, and if so, where was he going? And why?
I travel to reach a quiet spot where I hope to avoid daily routines and distractions. I seek a deeper communion with Jesus. I hope to find rest in the Lord and rid myself of the distress of unrest flaunted by the media. I hope to calm my heart. I hope to listen and to hear.
There are a billion people on journeys today, and I know very few, yet God knows each one. He knows you – your needs – your desires – your hopes. And He wants you to rest in Him. In fact, He offers it.
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