Off a mountain and into a canyon

The West Fork of Oak Creek canyon has been a part of our (extended) family history for generations. Mom and Aunt Teona have a mental file folder of childhood memories from this place, and my sisters and I and all of our cousins have our own memories in this place. I absolutely love watching my boys build their memories now too. The smell of Oak Creek is something that I would know blindfolded. As soon as I enter the canyon, all feels right in the world. 

As the boys raced along the trail at a full gallop (with a closer resemblance to elephants than horses) I gave thanks; these are the things I will treasure in my heart for all my days. 

Lochlan has been doing incredibly well. He still has challenging days, sometimes battles headaches, and gets a rough night thrown in here and there, but overall he is developing and growing and learning and becoming. He has integrated so well with this band of brothers. I know that their unconditional love for him and their willingness and true desire to include him in everything will change the whole trajectory of his life for the better. The long hikes we've been taking to help ease his anxiety and raging are working incredibly well so far. He not only keeps up, but sometimes out-hikes us all! He is also learning the love - the love of the creation and all that's in it and the love of wandering in that creation. Watching that in each of the boys does my heart good. Most of our hikes are between 7-8 miles, and last week we took on Mt. Elden, which was almost a 3000' elevation gain and closer to 6 miles. Lochlan beat us to the top! 

This past weekend, we went to the Grand Canyon to meet Ankie Tae and her friends who were visiting AZ for a couple days. It was Lochlan's first hike down the canyon and we went a couple miles down the South Kaibab trail. Bumpy, who has recently been certified as a service dog for Lochlan, led him all the way down and pulled him all the way back up the trail. Aberdeen wanted to go, but she is not really big enough to do the "heavy lifting" with Lochlan because he's now so tall. It was incredible to watch them working together. Lochlan was really nervous about the drop off the trail, so he kept Bumpy on his outside and she willingly obliged. Madigan was the first to get out of the canyon and he was mighty proud! He said he pushed himself to see if he could do it. It always surprises (and delights) me to see how the boys choose to push themselves in the unexpected places, to help when it's not expected, to find the hidden treasure in an adventure, to do or be more than they would naturally expect of themselves. 

Some days are dark and stormy and the sun struggles to break through, but we push hard to find it. We know all too well how everything can change, life can be altered, and this broken world can be ruthless as it weaves through the fabric of our lives. In these moments I find comfort and encouragement in what I SEE.