Freedom
Yesterday was a great day! Fourth of July, y’all—woohoo!
Chase, Karen and I started out the day with an 8-mile hike. How could that ever be less than fantastic? Oh, don’t be a hater on the hat.
Later, we had dinner and then watched the movie Free Solo. That guy was like Spider-Man, only he climbed El Capitan without the luxury of sticky webs shooting out of his wrists to help him scale the thing! It was un-human what he did!
As the sun started to set, we walked down to the Rancho Santa Margarita Lake to watch the fireworks. This is the first year I’ve put down a blanket to save a spot, and lo and behold, it was still there when we arrived! It touches my heart every time I hear God Bless the USA while fireworks burst and light up the night.
We owe a debt of gratitude for every drop of blood that has been shed, every life that has been sacrificed, so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have here in America.
On July 1, 2019, Chandler Willis Espinoza found ultimate freedom. He now exists with no limits, no gravity.
On July 4, 1983, Ruth Taylor Vickery, my mom, found ultimate freedom…her suffering from lung cancer ceased, and she was reunited with all her family and friends who had gone before her. And now she has met her grandson.
What a week it’s been. All the memories, emotions, thoughts. The love. The missing. The celebrating. The grieving. The hope.
Thank you, God, for the hope of ultimate freedom. We don’t need to fear what’s next or whether our loved ones are OK. After this, there is greater freedom than we could ever fathom. Amen.
And more Chandler-ness:
7-3-99 We were visiting Palm Springs. It was 105 degrees. Chandler: In Palm Springs, when you run, it gets hotter.
8-13-99 You know what I like most about Jesus and God? It’s that they love us so much. And we love them back. I like lots of stuff about Jesus and God.
2-8-01 Yesterday you came home from school and (as you peed in the bathroom with the door open) you nonchalantly said, “Mom, you know what seems to be a problem? There’s this kid that sits next to me in class, and he smells like boogers.”
