Good News!

                             “Praise to the Lord our Savior who daily bears our burdens.” * One of the common interests that drew Al and I together in 1982 was backpacking. He was an avid backpacker, having climbed several peaks in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and having been a participant in many outdoor adventures from coast to coast. My first experience was as a teen-ager when I spent the summer in the Olympic National Park with my friend Wendy, and her family.   Wendy’s mother and younger brother had hiked to a shelter cabin on the coast for a few days, taking in most of the supplies except food. We were going to meet them the next day, packing in the rest of the food.   We had only covered part of the distance and were hiking along the beach when a storm front moved in. The ocean rose quickly forcing us to climb up to higher ground, through thick underbrush. After what seemed like a ve...