Zion, Blackberries, and Honey


2 weeks ago, I went with a group of singles to Zion National Park. One of my good friends and I were the planners for the trip (really, she did all the work and I was just a backup to bounce ideas off of and take care of a few small things.) 3 days before the trip, we were barely above 50% of our expected turnout, and realized things were going to be tough in order to make ends meet for the cost paid for our group campsite.


One of my newfound friends was coming, and bringing his 2 kids...so after my co-planner mentioned possibly bringing her nieces and nephews to fill some spots if we had a lot still available, and mentioning that it didn't look like we were going to be able to do any of the harder hikes, it seemed like a fantastic idea to bring my niece and nephew along. The kids would have someone else to play with...and I would get to be Auntie Becca for a weekend...something I love!!


So I proposed the idea to my sister and brother-in-law and although everything was rather last-minute, I ended up taking my 9-year-old nephew and 6-year-old niece with me. We rode up with my friend Dave and his kids, and had an absolute blast playing games and getting to know each other.


We camped overnight at Lake Powell (it was around midnight when we got in, so we just threw down a tarp and slept in our sleeping bags under the stars.) The weather couldn't have been nicer, and waking up to the scenery there was amazing!


Aside from a stomach flu which my poor niece and nephew had to suffer through while camping, the trip was full of lots of laughs and great memories created. We hiked, we sang, we joked, we lounged, and we enjoyed the amazing beauty of Zion. There's not much more you can ask for in a vacation.


I knew prior to going on the trip that it would be very different for me if I went with kids than if I went by myself. I really had no idea how completely encomassing it would be, though. With the stomach flu running its course the first day, and energy levels being lower than normal as the kids recovered the 2nd day, I ended up having a very isolated vacation from all the singles. I had initially planned to take the kids and accompany the groups when they went for hikes, but weren't able to. We were, however, able to do some hikes with Dave and his kids the 2nd and 3rd days, and had a great time!! It was different than I expected in that sense, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I will never forget the time spent with my nephew and niece, their quiet courage as they endured their sickness without complaint, and their joy and optimism and humor and smiles. I hope they know that they are a source of great love and light in my life.


I was so appreciative to Dave for all his help as well - it was inspiring to see someone in a father role who has clearly taught and raised his children with love, patience, respect, and kindness, and to see those attributes reflected back in the way his kids responded to him and interacted with others. I was also so honored to be the aunt of such wonderful kids, and thought numerous times how much I admired my sister and her husband for their parenting style and choices. Those kids are DARN good kids, and they're like that because of DARN good parenting. It's people like this that remind me that the future is still full of bright and beautiful things, and that the world will be in good hands as long as there are children like these growing up and going out into the world in the upcoming generations!

As for the blackberries and honey, I went with a friend to his grandparents' property in Aravaipa, AZ this last weekend to pick blackberries and extract & rob honey from his grandpa's bee farm. It was such a trip down memory lane as we pulled up to the house, opened the screen door, and entered one of the most love-filled homes you'll find anywhere. Everywhere I looked, I was reminded of my own grandparents' house where I grew up...the tile on the floor, the kitchen setup, the storage room with things piled up for 'just in case you might need it someday', the washtubs outside, the clothesline, the farming equipment on the property, the drinking cups in the kitchen...and the side yard of grass with trees, and the orchard. Ahh, the orchard - there were fruit trees everywhere...peaches, plums, apricots, plumcots, apple trees, pecan trees, almond trees, grape vines, blackberry bushes, and a garden with corn, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and all kind of other things I didn't get the chance to see...and to make things perfect, there was even a grandpa, kneeling down and weeding the garden. He even had his hat to keep the sun off his neck and face.


I love my memories of growing up at my grandparents. There are so few places left like that, that I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had the chance to walk in a place again that seemed so similar.


We picked blackberries for probably 2 hours...I loved getting lost in the vines and the calm, timeless sense of being outside with the warm sun on my back and hearing the 'thup thup thup' of the berries hitting the bottom of the plastic containers we were filling, and the birds in the background. The silence was warm and peaceful, and the intermitent conversation was simple and fun.


After picking for a while, we heard someone hollering...which made me smile. When someone comes to visit, that's what you do. You stop in the house and say hello to Shirley, and find out that George is out in the garden somewhere - just go holler for him. And sure enough, he found us. We talked for a bit, shared our blackberries, and then he went on over to talk to George. Shortly after, our visitor's wife follows out into the orchard and we all stand around together chatting, laughing, and then say goodbye. There's something so simple and so perfect in moments like that...it makes me wonder if they're perfect to me because that's what I remember from childhood, or if it's perfect to me because it really is perfection...I'm guessing it's the first one, but I also guess it doesn't really matter, does it?


Extracting & robbing the honey (I think I'm using the terms correctly!) was SO much fun and such an amazing and interesting experience. My friend lived with his grandparents for 2 years as a teenager and helped out with the bee farm on a regular basis during that time. It was amazing to stand back and watch both he and his grandpa fall back into their quiet habits of working side by side and going through the process with only a few words shared. They're 50 years apart in age, but cut from the same mold, and it was both comical and reverential to see their physical similarities as well as similarities in character and temperment as they worked together. It was like clockwork...but so much more amazing. It was fun to be a part of everything, to learn about the process, and to be able to find ways to be of use. Hands down, though, the funnest part was picking up remnants of the honeycomb and eating it, or getting a taste of the sweet, sticky honey as it streamed from the vat. Between the blackberries and the honey, I was sugared out for the day, but so happy!!

There's something inspiring and miraculous in being in a garden and orchard which has grown from tiny little seeds and has been tended and cared for on a daily basis over the years...and which is still being maintained in the same way. There really is something timeless in it all...and there are lessons on patience, timing, effort, and beauty in everything. There are seasons for planting, for nurturing, for growth, and for harvesting. You can't skip over parts. You can't fast-forward. You invest the time and effort today, with the hope and promise of a harvest later. And you rely on heaven above to keep the sun shining and the rains coming which provide the life-giving power to your crops. And you get to get your hands dirty! : ) I love it!!


If you can't tell, I loved every minute of this experience & trip! I'm so grateful for my grandparents and for the choices made by all involved which allowed me to grow up the way I did - even the seemingly unfortunate choices made which led to my parents' divorce & our family's move to St. Johns. Tractors, wheelbarrows, hoes, skunk traps, woodpiles, trees everywhere, irrigation ditches, homemade swings hanging from tree branches, pots simmering on the stove, axes, kindling, woodburning stoves, outside clotheslines, drinking from tin cups and Mason jars, the smell of apples in the cellar, fresh-cut blossoms on the table, the sound of slamming screen doors, and so many other little things that make up the idea of heaven and home for me.


I love that little plots of heaven still exist on earth!