It felt like a scene from “The Grapes of Wrath” and the “Beverly Hillbillies” as we pulled out of our driveway.  We were just missing Grandma riding in the chair.  Just so ya know-  we DID bring the rocking chair. Hey!  Camping with Arthritis?  I have Needs!

“How was camping,” people keep asking me. I have two choices when I answer, well, rather two directions I could take.  This is a place for me to be real, so here goes it…

My first reaction is to say that it was really hard.  These words do not do justice when it comes to explaining it all, but it sums it up enough. My body is still screaming from the trip, but I SURVIVED!  I did it!  Did I do it with a smile?  Well, I certainly tried!

I am still in “Recovery Mode.”  That means I will have to conserve movements and try not to get swept up in any torrential downpours or whirlwinds that come my way, even if I have created them.  Just being Mom and managing the household feels like I am overdoing it.  However, I am a PRO at operating in this mode.  My mid-afternoon peak offers a 2-3 hour window where the stiffness has lessened and I am able to get a majority of basic things done. The biggest hurdle is fighting the pain.

I have to put on my boxing gloves and Stand against all the fleshly pain; it is then that I can see the Blessings, the Moments that made it ALL worth it.  I have to hold on to those moments with a death-defying, white-knuckled grip. I cannot let how I feel RIGHT NOW Rob me of those Precious, Amazing Moments!

Camping with the Johnson Family?  Well, 59 turned out this year. It was Priceless.  Beautiful.  Amazing.  Such Love and Joy and Willingness to Serve I have rarely witnessed.  The Comraderie is Absolute, the Attentiveness is Full of Genuine Care and Compassion.  The Excitement to be together and “Play” is a buzzing Energy that swarms camp. All Ages are Helpful, Teamwork Abounds, and the Games… FUN FUN FUN!!!

So I am THANKFUL I got to experience this Family in action.  I am Blessed to be a part of it. I did have a hard time walking and my scooter fell on the “woulda coulda shoulda” list…   Numerous cousins, Aunts and Uncles, my Dad, and even my eight year old son escorted me all around camp.  The pain was intense, I longed for my scooter, BUT these loving arms that helped me were also the bearer of Moments I will never forget!

Moments to laugh at myself for how I was getting around.  Moments to gaze up at the cliffs along the Columbia River Gorge and see the warm colors as the sun set.  Moments to stop, breathe, and just SEE what was all around me.  Moments to visit on the pathway as my escort held me up so I wouldn’t fall.

Moments with Family are just downright PRICELESS! What’s helping me get through this recovery mode is these memories.  Our kids got to spend time with their Great Grandparents!  Good, solid time.  I am focusing on how much this trip was worth the cost- that small cost of comfort that I mentioned before.  It WAS good to push myself and make this happen. Moments are the Gold that shines in the memories.

These Moments enter in during the still quiet second that we stop.  I am practicing this a lot lately.  Letting it all just go.  Fly fly away all the little nagging things.  Fly far far away.  Shifting to “the here and now,” and enjoying what is around me comes easy to some.  I have to work at it. My husband and I balance each other out that way.

Life is made up of a bunch of Moments. Which ones do you focus on? I just want to share that it IS possible to retrain yourself!