Thank God for Fortuna

After my first night with Mike, I tried to find a place to camp in Redwoods National Park. All of the campgrounds were full, so I returned to Mike's house. He was overjoyed because he wanted to share his church with me. This was a special blessing because you can't imagine how much I miss my Community and my church.
I feel like I am starting to peel off some layers of business and consolation that I had used to make my year as a teacher easier. I remember not enjoying conversations after school because I was completely zapped from work. School became easier, but I don't remember engaging in life to the depth that was a hallmark of Me before teaching. More on this later.
Mike's church was a seeker-friendly, Evangelical American church. I enjoyed their worship band and the good teaching practices of the pastor. As a first-timer, I didn't feel the connection to the message that a normal member may have, but that was only the first part of my 'church' for the day.
After lunch Beverly, Mike's girlfriend, took me on a tour of "The Avenue of The Giants." Though this is the tourista section of the Redwood forest, it was an amazing road trip. In Beverly's generous nature, she bought me a sapling of a Giant Sequoia. Check out the pictures of the Immortal Tree and us as Tree Huggers.
It was such a refreshing trip. I felt calmed by the slow life of the Coastal Redwoods. A certain tree that fell was measured at 2200 years old. That is almost too much to comprehend.
Later that night, I was refreshed again by the Church. Mike was listening to a sermon online and I was reading. He paused and asked me about my faith story. Our discussion of Christianity, politics, life and love made me remember that aspect of my personality. That deep reservoir of conversation that I used to be able to dip in whenever I wanted felt like it was being filled back up after it had dried.
I am thankful to Mike for this conversation and for Bev and his constant giving over the weekend.
I left yesterday morning preparing to go to Redwoods National Park to hike the 16 mile trail to the Tall Trees Grove.