When I travel around the country, I tell people that I live in a desert. They often find this hard to believe since Washington State is known as the Evergreen State! But it is true. It’s hot, dry and arid around the Tri-Cities, which include Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland. I live in Richland.
Our saving grace, though, is the Columbia and Snake rivers which flow through town. They are grand majestic rivers that deliver plenty of water to irrigate the dry ground and bring the desert to life. We have one of the richest agricultural areas in the country here, the Columbia Basin.
Last Saturday, I held my Association meeting, which is an annual gathering of all students who have gone through Primary Class with me. We held the meeting at the Hampton Inn, which is perched on the bank of the Columbia River.
One of my pupils, Jeff Johnstone, loves to take photos wherever he goes, and is very talented with a camera. When I saw two pictures he snapped from the balcony of his room at the Hampton, I thought you might like to see a bit of the scenery from my hometown. So I posted them below.
As you can see, a desert can be a very beautiful place to live!
Alertness to the blessings God has bestowed upon us, including the beauty of the place where we dwell, is crucial to our practice of gratitude. I couldn’t help but think as I drove through the agricultural country of eastern Washington state to the meeting in Tri-Cities last Saturday that we are truly dwelling in a beautiful place. There’s beauty everywhere and it’s good to be alive to it. KW
It’s hard to see such a beautiful body of water and think “desert.” Rather makes me think of entertaining angels unaware…..that where there might be a thought of desert there really is vibrant richness supporting life and growth. A good lesson.