Why I love Oregon. (Part I)

Anyone who knows me much at all knows I love Oregon.  I always have.  Oregon combines all good things into one—rainstorms, perfectly deep gray skies silhouetted by green trees, crashing waves against the rocky coast, and romantic cold beaches. 

Eugene, OR is my favorite layover.  The hotel is slightly creepy.  It’s the kind of place that ghosts likely visit.  The jagged black chandeliers look like objects people might have once been hung from.  That being said, I still love this hotel.  I love it because of of the bike path that runs along the Willamette River, adjacent to the hotel.  I love this river.  I love the miles I have spent running along side it.  I love the ducks, the rain, the bridges that cross it, and the rainbows I have seen after the rain. 

On one particular cloudy day, as I ran, I was stopped by the sun peering through the clouds.  I wouldn’t have been surprised to see an angel, or maybe more.  My IPod was playing This Is the Christ (sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), and at that moment I was reminded that Christ lives.  Now when I go back I remember that feeling.  He lives!

That’s just one reason that I love Oregon.