Are we supposed to be "happy" all the time?

Were we really created to be "happy" all the time?  I find I often blind myself to God's reality if I get down or depressed when I feel "my" needs are not being met.

"There is a hard truth to be told: before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck.  I have walked in the early spring through fields that will suck your boots off, a world so wet and woeful it makes you yearn for the return of ice.  But in that muddy mess, the conditions for rebirth are being created.”  Parker Palmer

Mt Emily Recreation Area, MERA

Strawberry Lake

Zumwalt Prairie, Wallowa Mts

Strawberry Lake and Strawberry Mountain Wilderness

The Strawberry Mountains are the eroded remnants of a volcanic explosion fifteen million years ago. Strawberry Lake is a small glacial lake, not very deep, with transparent water that shows off the bottom and reflects the mountains above. Its evocative name came from an early pioneer who named the creek that flows out of the lake for the abundance of wild strawberries that grew in the area. The lake is about a mile and half hike from the campground at the end of the road.  Beyond the lake, Strawberry Falls cascades down from a height of eighty feet.

This area lies in Grant County, Oregon, about half an hour from the town of Prairie City. The Strawberry Mountain Wilderness is relatively small--70,000 acres, but the pines and firs are deep and the beauty intense.

Strawberry_Lake

Strawberry_Falls

Strawberry_Lake

Strawberry_Lake

Strawberry_Falls

Strawberry_Falls

Strawberry_Lake

Strawberry_Lake

Troop 514 at Strawberry Lake

Strawberry Lake sits in a basin surrounded by colorful, eroded andesite, a mile and half from the trailhead into the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. Five Scouts from BSA Troop 514 in La Grande just spent a delightful weekend there.  Four of the scouts were young and new, carrying packs that challenged their stamina and energy. Yet, they remained cheerful. They worked quickly and efficiently to pitch their tents. They played in the water, and then we hiked up to Strawberry Falls.  They cooked a one pot meal of couscous and chicken on a one burner stove, and in the morning made up blue berry pancakes.

Their enthusiasm for working together and for learning new skills was excellent.  I think I am becoming younger on each outing!  

Troop 514, Strawberry Falls