From New York to London to Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Rainbow over the Kootenai River in northern Idaho

     I took this picture from the back porch of our home the other day.  Five years ago, living in Central London, I couldn't have imagined I'd be living in a place like this.
     Moving from a small town in Utah to the tiny suburb of an even smaller town in Idaho was more of a change than I expected.  But I breathed in the clean, fresh, pine-scented, oxygen-rich air and began to see and feel the beauty all around.
     Life, here, is real.  It's not as complicated.  Everyone's just trying to live, to make ends meet, to take care of their family and neighbors and community.  There isn't time for society's trappings.  There isn't time to judge someone else; no one cares what you're wearing or how your hair looks or what kind of car you drive. 
     There are deer and grizzlies and eagles and mountain lions.  Last month, we saw a girl roll her car after swerving to miss a deer.  The car was totaled, but thankfully the girl was all right.  We pulled over to help.  So did stranger after stranger.  Everyone was concerned; people wanted to do anything to help.  No one knew this girl, but that didn't matter.  Sometimes crisis brings out the best in people.  
                                        Simple joy: people helping people