August 12th

I now live in Seattle, Washington. Everyday I use my electric bike to commute the 6.5 miles to work at my new school. During these rides, I navigate up and down massive hills with the use of my thumb on the throttle of my bike; I can zip by at 20 mph as I please.

There are mornings where I find myself in the zone of concentrating on the ride, the people and my long to-do list for the day or week. Sometimes, I slow down and just take in the beauty of my new surroundings. One of the newest additions to my views is Mt. Rainier. Mt. Rainer is one of the first visible telltale signs that tells me I’m not in the DMV anymore!

The picture above shows a clear and distinct visible mountain. The series of photos below, show the day-to-day view of Mt. Rainer. As you can see from the photos, you can’t actually see Mt. Rainier! While this bridge is part of my views, please take my word for it, it is there.

The clouds/ smoke/ haze blocking Mt. Rainier provide me a powerful moment of reflection. Today, this reflection falls on the three-year anniversary of the passing of my father, Stanley Lee. While I cannot see my father, I know that he served as a mountain of a man in my life. I want to be that mountain to my family, my friends and my community.

Even though he is not visible to my eye, I know that in my heart he is there with me! The foundations of love, respect, and God remain constant within me.