10A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL August 26, 2015
c.g.
Daytripper
Daddy-daughter days
S
ure, there were small disagree-
ments. Sure, Mother Nature
foiled our plan to bring home dinner,
and we arrived back home with a coat-
ing of coastal grime that would take
generous scrubbing to remove later that
evening. But looking back, it's diffi cult
to consider it anything other than what
it surely was — a perfect day.
As we’ve all no doubt noticed by
now, locales near Cottage Grove of-
fer a lifetime of adventures that can
be accessed with a quick car ride, and
the summer’s bounty draws to a glori-
ous peak this time of year. But with an
unbelievably packed summer schedule
thus far, it’s been diffi cult for my fam-
ily to set forth and enjoy it all. That is,
until last week, when our new favorite
traveling companion joined me for a
world-class adventure by the ocean.
This summer marks four years since
my wife and I welcomed the newest,
most dynamic and engaging member
of our little family, and evidence of
our life’s many transformations since
abounds.
Early on, two separate work sched-
ules offered Heather and me ample time
on our own with a very needy newborn;
this period was quite diffi cult for my
wife, and I recall the times she took a
much-needed break while I counted the
hours until she returned.
Soon, though, I realized that watch-
ing the clock was a poor substitute for
true togetherness for Annabelle and
myself, and so on the days we now en-
joy together, I do my best to spring out
of bed and propel us toward something
amazing — whether it’s a full day’s
journey, a special picnic or just an en-
lightening conversation.
And there’s so much to talk about.
On our way to the Coast last week, we
talked about the Umpqua River and
how the fi sh there would love a little
more cool water. We talked about the
special dinner we planned to make for
Mommy. We talked of nothing much
and laughed endlessly at the sound of
our own voices — perhaps the greatest
gift a four-year old can give her father
is the inclination, nay, the requirement
to be completely goofy much of the
time.
There is so much learning, so much
science at the beach, and we won-
dered why we caught only large female
Dungeness crabs but no males. We ate
fi sh and chips at a fl oating restaurant
and wondered what the ducks in the
bay were saying to each other. We ran
aimlessly but ferociously over the wet
sand, me knowing that my days of eas-
ily winning footraces are undoubtedly
numbered (she keeps reminding me as
much.) Later, my plan to tire her out
so I could fi sh a little came to fruition,
though the fi sh themselves did not.
Somewhere along the line, we’ve
watched as our lives and our priorities
have changed. Days that once offered
madcap excitement and impossible
thrills now hold something so much
nicer, so much sweeter in store. And I
wouldn’t have it any other way.
Great weather and great com-
pany make for an amazing day at
the Oregon Coast, as the author
learned again on a recent trip
with his four-year old daughter.
J OYCE
Continued from page 8A
an outer life. Your inner life is
your soul life, which includes
your mind, will and emotions.
Your outer life is your physical
life. And while God cares about
every detail of your life, He is
more concerned with your inner
life than your outer life.
I have found that it’s pos-
sible to give your body rest but
not your soul. For example,
have you ever had trouble go-
ing to sleep because you were
worrying about a problem and
couldn’t stop thinking about
it? This kind of activity just
wears us out inwardly. We can
also wear our souls out with too
many thoughts running on, too
many decisions to make, too
much talking, and too much
multitasking. Worry, fear, exces-
sive concern about what other
people think and insecurity are
also common reasons people
are worn-out and don’t have any
peace.
I remember when I used to be
jealous of Dave and the peace he
had. I was worn-out most of the
time, worrying about problems,
but he wasn’t. Now, we had the
same problems, but while they
wore me out, Dave was still
peaceful and happy because he
would cast his cares on God.
One of his favorite scriptures is
1 Peter 5:7, which says, “Cast
all your anxiety on [God] be-
cause he cares for you” (NIV).
And even now, anytime some-
one goes to Dave with a prob-
lem, he’ll encourage them to
“cast your care” and give them
that scripture.
It used to make me so mad
when he wouldn’t get upset
when I was upset, but eventu-
ally, I got to the place where I
was desperate to have what he
had. So I prayed and told God I
would do whatever I had to do
to be peaceful, and He taught
me how to change my approach
to life.
The revelation that changed
my life
I came to realize that the world
is not going to change, the devil
is not going to change, and all of
the people who bother me prob-
ably aren’t going to change, so I
have to decide to change.
In John 14:27 (AMP), Je-
sus said, “Peace I leave with
you; My [own] peace I now
give…to you. …Do not let your
hearts be troubled, neither let
them be afraid. [Stop allowing
yourselves to be agitated and
disturbed; and do not permit
yourselves to be fearful and in-
timidated and cowardly and un-
settled.]” So we can be peaceful
and make the decision not to be
troubled, afraid, agitated and
disturbed, but it won’t just hap-
pen automatically.
The truth is, we won’t have
peace if we don’t pursue it on
purpose, because there will al-
ways be opportunities to get
upset or offended about some-
thing. For example, you lose
your car keys when you’re run-
ning late, or you get caught in a
traffi c jam, or someone at work
gets the promotion you wanted,
or the electric bill is higher than
you expected it to be…and on
and on. There can be an endless
cycle of stuff that happens that
we can get upset about.
We also have to remember that
we have an enemy who wants to
keep us worn-out. The devil is a
peace stealer and he works hard
to set us up to get upset. But we
can learn how to change our ap-
proach so we don’t live upset all
of the time. And Jesus gives us
the best example to follow.
The key to living in peace
Jesus didn’t conform to the
world—He walked in the Spirit.
When He felt tired and pres-
sured from the crowds who
wanted Him to help them, He
took time to walk away and get
rest. He spent time in prayer,
alone with the Father, because
He knew He wouldn’t be any
good to anybody if He didn’t
get refreshed.
It’s so easy to let other peo-
ple’s needs and emergencies
control and manipulate us. And
when we let others run our
lives, we can get to the point
that we’re falling apart! It’s not
wrong to want to help or please
people, but we need to take care
of ourselves, calm down and
stop getting upset about things
that usually don’t really matter
anyway.
All of these pets are looking for their forever home...
To fi nd out more about adopting these
pets contact the
Greenhill Humane Society, SPCA
at 541-689-1503
OLD MILL FARM
STORE
541-942-3042
LITTLE CAESARS
PIZZA
541-942-2551
ERICKSEN GRAPHIX
541-942-0883
PAM’S SUNNYSIDE
WHOLESALE FLORIST
541-942-7041
PAM’S SUNNYSIDE
WHOLESALE FLORIST
541-942-7041
ERICKSEN GRAPHIX
541-942-0883
ANNETTE SIMARD
CHIROPRACTIC
541-942-9031
COTTAGE GROVE
SENTINEL
541-942-3325
ANNETTE SIMARD
CHIROPRACTIC
541-942-9031
OLD MILL FARM
STORE
541-942-3042
COTTAGE GROVE
SENTINEL
541-942-3325
COTTAGE GROVE
SENTINEL
541-942-3325