Hi my name is   Lizzie.  I came to life on Sunday July 27^th when the children of Trinity made me and entrusted me to Don & Nancy to accompany them on their journey. I will be checking in with you letting you know what it is like to be on the road with them.

It was fun to see all the other puppets - with the children during the puppet chat talking about "Going on a Journey."  My frog and I will enjoy seeing many new things. Thanks for sending me on this journey!

 July 30th

         Hi!  I was told that I could take one toy with me on the journey!  I chose my froggie Croak. There will be many things to see and do along the way, so Croak will keep me company.  We will be going to Canada today on the train.  Nancy tells me that they use a different kind of money in Canada.  I wondered if that was something to be afraid of.  She said, "No, Fr. Don and I will handle the money."  I was still worried about things being different, so she told me that I am a child of God no matter what, and that would be always the same.  That God loves all of God's children, and knows us by name.

August 2, 2008

Hello, everybody!

We just spent 60 hours on the train from Toronto, Ontario to Jasper, Alberta.  We had our own bedroom, and it was just big enough for Fr. Don, Nancy, me (Lizzie) and Croak.  You can see a picture on this page.

I want to tell you about something very special.  As we were getting on the train, and a few times while we were on the train, Nancy got teary.  When I saw the tears, I thought she was sad – but she wasn’t!  She said she was very, very thankful for the wonderful gift of being able to go on this journey. 

She said it is a good thing to be thankful for the gifts that are given to each of us, because it is God who has given us a whole big world and every good thing.  She said she is thankful for this train ride, and for eyes to see the beautiful scenery, and for legs to walk around the train, and for sunshine, and for blueberry pancakes.  Then she asked me what I was thankful for.  I told her that I was thankful to be able to come on this journey, and for eyes to see, and for help to look out the window, and for a good room to sleep in. 

Then she asked me to remember last Sunday (July 27), and to think of things on that day that I was thankful for.  So, I closed my eyes, and remembered really hard.  I told her I was thankful to the children of Trinity who helped make me.  And for the older children who wrote a prayer for us all.  I’m thankful for them sending me on this journey.  I was thankful for the wonderful picnic, and for Croak. 

She told me that it is a good thing to take some time every day to name the things and people for which I am thankful.  She says an ‘attitude of gratitude’ is a good way to start or end my day, and that it would be fine to have a mommy or daddy listen, or help if asked.  She suggested that I find five things (one for each finger on one hand!) that I am thankful for, and to name these out loud, and to thank God for each one. 

I thought you might like to try this, too.  Nancy says this is a kind of prayer.  Here’s my prayer for today:

                  Dear God, I’m thankful for a safe train ride, I’m thankful for a yummy lunch.  I’m thankful for the big mountains that

                  God made.  I’m thankful for a safe place to sleep.  I’m thankful for a nose to smell the fresh mountain air.  Thank you

                  so very much.  Amen.

PS.  I wanted to tell you that our bedroom on the train had a tiny toilet room so we could go to the bathroom.  And, there was a shower in the car, where Nancy could wash her hair! 

August 10, 2008

Hello, everyone!

I have something wonderful to tell you.  It’s about a question that I asked Fr. Don and Nancy. 

But first, you need to know that we drove halfway around a big lake – Lake Tahoe – today.  It took 45 minutes by car!  Nancy told me that you all live by bigger lakes, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.  She said that it would take at least a whole day to drive around those lakes.  Wow!

Next, you need to know that Fr. Don and Nancy have been praying in the morning and evening of each day.  They sometimes talk about the Spirit.  I heard them say that the Spirit is inside us.  And I heard them say the Spirit is everywhere. 

I got a bit confused, so I asked them about this.  Here’s what they told me.  The Spirit is like a great big lake, made of zillions of drops of water, and that each of us, and all of the plants and animals God has made are like drops of water in the huge lake of Spirit.  So, the Spirit is inside us AND everywhere.  And, that God’s divine love and wisdom is always available to us.  We are never alone. 

Here’s the wonderful part.  They said that “there is not a spot where God is not.”  How wonderful it is to have God everywhere, including within each of our hearts. 

Love,

Lizzy

PS.  I am thankful for lakes, for tall trees, for ice cream, for smooth roads (bumpy ones make my tummy feel funny), for clean sheets on my bed, and for knowing that the Spirit is always with me.  What are you thankful for today?

August 17, 2008

Hello, everyone!

Wow!  I have so much to tell you.  We went to Yosemite National Park.  It is huge!  It took us four hours to drive from the east entrance to the Mariposa Grove very near the south entrance.  There we saw the giant sequoia trees.  Then, the next day, we drove to Yosemite Valley, where we saw really tall trees, and humongous gigantic rocks!  We even saw some rock climbers – they looked like ants to me!  We drove to Glacier Point, where we got a view from high up of the Valley and the rocky cliffs, and some waterfalls.  It was amazing.  I’m glad I got to ride in the backpack, and didn’t have to hike on my feet all day long!

Nancy says that the tallest rock, El Capitan, is over 3000 feet.  That’s as tall as 500 daddies standing on each others’ heads (mommies are usually shorter, so it would be maybe 600 mommies)!  Can you imagine?  The tallest sequoia tree is about 300 feet, or 50 daddies tall.

Then, in the morning, I listened as Nancy and Fr. Don prayed Morning Prayer.  This is part of what I heard, “Come, let us sing to the Lord; let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.”  It’s part of Psalm 95 (a group of songs in the bible).  I was wondering about how they could call God ‘rock.’  Was the really big rock I saw God?  How was God a rock?

Nancy gave me a good answer.  She said that there are ways in which God IS like rock.  God has substance (importance and being big) like a rock has.  And she said that there are ways in which God IS NOT like rock.  God is Spirit and is found everywhere, not just where there are rocks.  What is important in the Psalm is that God is the substance, the source, for bringing us into his family.

She said that this is the way it is with all the names for God.  So, God is like a father, and unlike a father (God cares for us as his children, but God is not a person, but spirit).  And God is like a king and unlike a king (God rules his people well, but God does not make different rules for different people like some human kings have done).  And God is like a mother hen and unlike a mother hen (God will protect us, but God is not a bird).  Can you tell me what things in your life God is like and not like? 

Love,

Lizzie

PS.  Today I am thankful for backpacks, for the wonderful smell of pine trees, for beautiful blue skies, for water to drink, for ice cream at the end of a hike, and for seeing lots of stellar jays (they’re like blue jays, but have black and blue instead of white and blue).

August 26, 2008

Hello, Everyone!

We went on three more trains!  We took Amtrak’s Coast Starlight  from Sacramento, CA to Los Angeles, CA.  Then we rode Amtrak’s Southwest Chief from Los Angeles, CA to Flagstaff, AZ.  And then we had a real steam engine pull the train to the Grand Canyon.  I would like to tell you about two of the things I saw on this part of our journey. 

Nancy had showed me the ocean while we were in San Francisco, CA.  It was very pretty.  There were waves in the water, and birds, and rocks at the shore.  Some areas had sandy beaches, too.  But, when we got on the Coast Starlight she told me that we were going to ride right along the ocean for about 90 miles.  She said that it would take about an hour and a half on the expressway to drive 90 miles – that’s a long way!  I didn’t know the ocean was so BIG!  We really enjoyed riding along the ocean.  We saw pelicans, egrets, and gulls.  We saw people surfing and playing in the sand.  We saw boats and kayaks, too!  And this is only a very small part of the ocean!  Then, we went to the Grand Canyon!  It is really BIG, too!  So deep, that I can’t even tell you how many daddies tall it is ( Nancy says it’s almost 1000 daddies tall).

With such BIG things like the ocean and the Grand Canyon, I felt really, really small.  Do you ever feel small?  I felt like I was so small, that I didn’t matter at all.  Have you ever felt like that?   Nancy told me that I DO matter.  She told me that I am a child of God, and each child of God is precious.  And that each child matters.  She said that we matter to God as much as the Grand Canyon is deep and as much as the ocean is wide.

Love,

Lizzie

PS.  I’m thankful for windows on trains and cars so I can see out.  And I’m thankful for trees that give shade, and for people who care for me, and for really, really BIG things because they remind me of how very much God loves me.

September 4, 2008

Hello, Everyone!

Some questions are easier to answer than other questions!  This week we drove through northern Arizona into southern Utah.  On this drive I saw many amazing things!  I began to ask some “why” questions.  They just popped out of my mouth!  

¨      Why are the rocks so many different colors?

¨      Why are there so many different kinds of birds?

¨      Why don’t the trees grow tall here?

Since Fr. Don was driving, Nancy answered me.  She said these were all great questions.  She also said that there are different ways to answer these wonderful questions I had.  Some answers are better understood by grownups – like the different rock colors come from different minerals ( Nancy said it was OK if I didn’t understand this).  Another answer is that God painted the rocks that way so we would enjoy their beauty!  Different rocks in different places are different colors!

She also said that one kind of bird is interesting, but that many different kinds would be more interesting – they have different feather colors, and sizes and shapes, and they eat different things so that they can live in different places!  In just the same way, some trees (the shorter ones) grow better here in the desert than the great tall trees we saw in California. 

God made everything so that we could enjoy it, and take care of it so that our grandchildren and their grandchildren could enjoy it, too!  Nancy said to keep my eyes watching so that I could see all the wonders God made.  Will you watch, too?  Look where ever you go, to find parts of the beautiful Creation God has made (which includes people, too!).

Love,

Lizzie

PS.  I’m thankful for eyes to see, windows in the car, roads to drive on, eagles and squirrels, trees and especially the whole rainbow of colors!

September 10, 2008

Hello, Everyone!

Since Fr. Don is at Rail Camp this week (at the Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, Nevada) learning about all the tasks involved in running a railroad, Nancy and I have a lot of time to spend together.

Today we packed up her back pack (with water, a few books, lunch money and the laptop computer) and walked around town.  First, we walked to the library, where we sat and read a book.  Then we went to see the geese which are in a pool next to the library.  There are white ones, and some brown ones.  Some of the geese have a little “poof” of feathers on their heads!  They all raced toward a man who was throwing bread to them.  You should have heard their noise – they were honking loudly! Then we went to the local drug store to get lunch – Nancy said it is an old-fashioned soda fountain (she doesn’t know if there is anything like it where you live).  We shared a tuna fish sandwich and lemonade!  It was fun. 

As we were walking, Nancy suggested that we spend a bit of time paying attention to our breathing, and our heart beats, and how our muscles felt when we moved our legs and arms.  Wow!  When we ran in the park, our hearts beat faster.  When we sat on the bench, our breathing slowed down.  I even felt my stomach rumble!  My legs knew exactly what to do to run, to walk, and to sit down!  Have you ever taken time to feel your body at work and play and rest?

I noticed that we use our bodies in many different ways – to dance, to play computer, to help set the table, to hold our pets (can you think of other ways?).  Nancy told me that our bodies are gifts from God, and that we should take care of them.  This means getting good rest, and exercise, and eating good food.   How have you used your body today?  Perhaps you can take a few moments to pay attention to your body today or tomorrow.  And take some time to make sure that you are taking good care of your body, too. 

Sept 16, 2008

Nancy and I did something very interesting last Thursday and Friday.  We spent several hours with a medicine woman of the Shoshone (one kind of Native American) tradition.  She told lots and lots of stories, and answered many of Nancy’s questions about the way she lives her life, the things that are important to her, the way she prays, and things like that. 

I thought that you might like to hear about one thing – how Native Americans (who do things the “old way”) greet the morning.  They wake up before the sun is up, and they get dressed and then they go outside.  They face east (the direction the sun comes up), and say their prayers, which include greeting Grandfather Sun!  Imagine that, calling the sun your grandfather!   But they do, because they believe that all people share grandfather sun and grandmother moon, and that the earth is their mother and the sky is their father, and that all plants and animals and rocks are brothers and sisters! 

After grandfather sun is greeted, he is thanked for all the gifts he gives: light so we have day, and heat so we are warm and help given to the plants to grow, which gives us good food!  These prayers are important because the Great Mystery (or the Great Spirit, which are their names for God), who made everything there is, deserves our thanks.  This is just like we Christians believe, it is good and right to thank God each day for the things we have been given.

Lizzie

PS. I am thankful for meeting this woman, for being able to see, for having blueberry pancakes for breakfast ( Nancy especially likes these too!), for cars to take us places, and for trains we can ride.  What are you thankful for?

September 22, 2008

Hi everyone,

This week we rode a train again, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (which goes from Chama, New Mexico to Antonito, Colorado). But this time it was a big old steam engine – like Thomas the Tank engine, but without the face.  It was BIG!  And, it was exciting.

Don told me a steam engine burns coal (in the firebox) to heat water (in the boiler) to make steam (just like a tea kettle works).  And the steam is what makes the engine move.  The steam also makes the whistle sound.  The first time I heard it, I was scared because it is so very loud.  But Nancy told me that the whistle is the way the engineer and other workers on the train communicate with each other.  And it also lets other people know that the train is coming so that they can get out of the way.  She also told me to cover my ears, just like she does, when it is too loud.

            I noticed that while we were riding near a road, people in the cars, trucks and motorcycles were waving at me!  And I didn’t even know these people!  Nancy said it was OK to wave back, so, I did!  And the people just kept waving whenever they saw us on the train.  I asked why they were waving, and Nancy said that they waved because they were excited to see a steam engine, and wanted to be a part of the experience, and share in the joy of the ride. 

            I think this is a lot like being a part of a church.  We gather together because we are excited about being part of creation and knowing Jesus and the Spirit and God the Father – and we want to be able to share our joy with other people.  We can share with people who are part of our church community, and even people who aren’t part of our church community.  We share, because we love God and God loves us!

September 28, 2008

Hello, Everyone!

Traveling by train in the Rocky Mountains today, we saw the prettiest sight.  There were lots and lots of yellow leaves on the aspen trees in the midst of the deep green pine trees.  Are the tree leaves turning color where you are?  What colors are they?  Here we only saw yellow leaves.  But, it was fun to look way across the valley to see the splotches of yellow on the mountains.  It almost looked like a giant puzzle of green and yellow pieces! 

Nancy says that the yellow leaves are a sure sign of autumn.  Fr. Don pointed out another sign is cold nights, and cooler days than summer.  Croak and I huddled for warmth this morning, and were glad when the sun warmed us up later in the day.  The next season after autumn will be winter.  We will be home to Rochester before winter begins.  Then, after winter comes spring ( Nancy says that’s when the trees will grow green leaves again).  And after spring, summer will again bring its warmth to us all.

Sometimes the trees have leaves (late spring, summer and early autumn), and sometimes the leaves have fallen off of the trees (late autumn, winter and early spring).  Nancy says noticing the trees leaves is one way to tell what season we are in.  I wondered if God had seasons, too.  Nancy says no matter what season we are in, God is always there. 

Lizzie

PS I’m thankful for the warmth of the sun, and for colored leaves, and for the seasons. What are you thankful for, today?

October 15, 2008

Hello, Everyone!

We came to Mexico to ride the Copper Canyon Railroad, which runs across the Sierra Madre mountains.  It is a beautiful ride.  We saw many mountains, canyons, waterfalls, rocks and trees.  We even ate some meals on the train, in the dining car!  But we didn’t sleep on this train, we got off and stayed at hotels. 

Along the path of this railroad live the Tarahumara (tah-rah-who-mah-rah), who are native peoples of Mexico.  They are people known for running long distances very fast.  The mothers and children sell the things they make at the train stations.  We saw older sisters with babies strapped to them, and children taking care of very young children. 

Have you ever had to keep track of something or someone?  It’s not always easy, is it?  Croak didn’t always want to sit with me.  He wanted to stand in the vestibule (a place at the end of the train car that has the upper half of a door open to the outside) with Fr. Don and all the other photographers.  And Croak didn’t always tell me where he was going to be.  I got very worried about him sometimes.  But he was alright.  The people in the vestibule watched over him.

I wondered how God cares for all of these people.  Over our travels we have seen many, many people.  Nancy tells me that God knows each person by name, and cares for each person (it’s in the Bible).  But the way that God cares for each person is through the caring actions of other people!   Nancy says that this can happen with a smile, a helping hand, a listening ear, giving someone a ride to a doctor’s appointment, donating things we no longer need for people who can still use them, putting money in the UTO box, and lots of other ways.  Perhaps you helped God care for someone today. 

Love,

Lizzie

PS.  I am thankful for our guide Carlos who has helped us a lot, for the people who cared for Croak, for beautiful mountains, for the sun so we have light to see, and for delicious meals.