When you have asked for God's protection....

After heading out of Arizona we turned south toward New Mexico and Texas to spend some time with yet more family.

God has been gracious as we have traveled these hundreds of miles; to give us safe travels although there have been opportunities to pause for thanksgiving.

 As we were traveling in New Mexico, the traffic slowed.  Several moments later we passed a pick up in the meridian turned on it's roof with  personal belongings leaving a trail for several miles. After a prayer for the driver we continued on.
Later in Texas we pulled into a rest area for lunch and a little walk.  After an hour or so we buckled up and were ready to go again. It was evident immediately that our plans were to be delayed. The next 3 hours we spent reading the engine manual and attempting to 'fire it up." It was  Good Friday and Easter weekend so the hope of finding help was not very promising.  As a last resort Jim pulled out a safety chip and replaced it again. The roar of a running engine never sounded better!!
In the midst of frustration, we were reminded of something we had read several years ago. The author had challenged.."When you have prayed and ask for God's traveling mercies...don't question when you find yourself delayed.  Instead be thankful for His protection even though you may never know what was in your path!" We decided this was a perfect time to put that into action. Amazing how that changes the perspective!! He loves us THAT much!! (When we stopped for the night an impressive storm had passed through the area ahead of us)

Our travels continued and we arrived safely in Duncanville, TX to the welcoming hugs of our nephew, his wife, and later our niece and family.
In our 50 years of marriage, many of those years have been spent living a far distance from family. Separation is often difficult and family visits become a treasure. This certainly proved to be true as we spent hours these past few days sharing old memories and making new ones.

Easter was spent together,celebrating the ressurrection of our Savior and the blessing of family!

Today found us back on the road excited for the adventures to come.