“Never forget there is only one adventure which is more satisfying and thrilling than the attempt to discover the will of the living God, and that is the supreme experience of honestly trying to do that divine will. And fail not to remember that the will of God can be done in any earthly occupation. Some callings are not holy and others secular. All things are sacred in the lives of those who are spirit led; that is, subordinated to truth, ennobled by love, dominated by mercy, and restrained by fairness — justice.” The Urantia Book (1732.4) (155:6.11)
As soon as we got into Texas we stopped at the welcome center (mile marker 880!), they had a delightful boardwalk over the marsh where we saw an alligator, an egret and a couple of snakes. The campground in Highlands was large, with about 300 sites and was at that time completely full. After we parked and settled in for the night we celebrated our arrival in Texas by watching “Phantom of the Opera” on DVD. I fear we were a bit over the top with the volume because the next day the large motorhome parked next to us unhooked, moved one space further away from us and hooked up again. Perhaps they were not music lovers.
David, Alfonso, Cheri, Betty Lou, Betty Lou, Anita, Wandering Urantian in front
We met David and Cheri for dinner at Pappadeaux Seafood, where the food was excellent. Betty Lou and David had worked together at the Leadership Symposium in Chicago last summer and she was looking forward to meeting him again. The next day we had dinner at their home followed by their study group where we read Paper 37 “Personalities of the Local Universe,” this is the third group out of the first five that was reading the same paper; are our unseen friends trying to tell us something? This seems to be more than a coincidence.
What seemed to be the easiest way to move to Livingston was west on I-10 and north on I-45, the trouble with this is that would take us through downtown Houston on a Tuesday morning. Since this would be a short drive, we waited until the morning rush hour was over and made the journey without incident. The roads were not the best, but they were better than I-10 in Louisiana. As soon as we were parked in the next campground we called Matthew Fox, a Urantia Book student who lives not far from the campground; we met him and his wife Sandra for dinner at Bubba’s Bar and Grill, which was located near our campsite. Matthew has written a moving book about his experience being wrongfully accused and sent to prison; his book is “First in the Mind & Heart” subtitle “A True Story About the Resilience of the Human Spirit.” His is a captivating story and he tells it in a straightforward heartfelt manner; he has experienced the worst and still feels love for his brothers and sisters. The next day we enjoyed visiting them at their house in the woods that he calls New Eden.
Wandering Urantian, Betty Lou, Linda, Ralph, Skip, Carol
We drove to Conroe to the home of Ralph and Linda for a study group meeting; I had visited them last year and this time I got a picture of their table. Also, this year I was on time, last year I got lost and was about forty-five minutes late, nearly missing lunch. We read Paper 176, “Tuesday Evening on Mount Olivet.” I was looking forward to seeing Skip and Carol’s land in the country but she didn’t feel well and had to cancel, perhaps next year. Several members of the group were having health issues.
One night there was ferocious thunderstorm with both wind and rain; since we were parked at the top of a hill, we felt the full force of it and our house on wheels was really rocking; fortunately there was no rolling! The next day the Monster (Ford F-350) got stuck in the mud and needed to be towed out.
Our move from Livingston Texas was a pleasant drive through gentle hills; when pulling I generally stick to interstates but this drive was enjoyable and there were no cities on the way. We arrived in our other Livingston, this one located in Louisiana, safe and sound.
Baton Rouge group
We had the pleasure of visiting Virginia and Charles again for a meal, Charles had prepared a brisket and there were all the trimmings. The conversation was lively, rapidly crisscrossing the table. We read from Paper 111, “The Adjuster and the Soul.” Some of the group had travelled a considerable distance and their presence and contributions were appreciated. Anthony was there, we wanted to visit him on the Bayou but he was too busy; I met Jack for the first time, he has a considerable knowledge of the Urantia Book.
Fontainebleau State Park
This posting is getting a bit long, but I need to include an outing we had into the Louisiana lowlands. Betty Lou drove the Monster for the first time and we visited Fontainebleau State Park near Mandeville. This photograph shows part of the ruins of a sugar mill that was built in 1829 by Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville, founder of the nearby town. It was a peaceful walk around the ruins, into the coastal woods and on a boardwalk over the marsh. Later we explored portions of Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge that I had discovered last year.
The final quote is for this season, this posting was written on Palm Sunday.
“A warrior king always entered a city riding upon a horse; a king on a mission of peace and friendship always entered riding upon an ass. Jesus would not enter Jerusalem as a man on horseback, but he was willing to enter peacefully and with good will as the Son of Man on a donkey.” The Urantia Book (1881.3) (172:3.5)
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