The theme of the day is mud and rocks

Today is sponsored by Advil. 

Rowardenan-Inverarnan 

Friday September 2, 2016

 

Day 3 was hard. And long. And I was tired. But then a bit of Advil. A whole lotta well here we go. And off again...

 

Today was muddy. And and so many rocks. All the rocks really. Some large ones helping you to cross streams or rivers. Others to cross mud pits. Some to form alms or staircases up and down parts of the hills (surely designed for people much taller than me). And some just to be in the way. 

It got me thinking about obstacles. Those we put in our own way, making our journeys more difficult and those we see as obstacles but are actually there to help us. We encounter both all the time. And some of the way obstacles give way to he coolest things (like finding Rob Roy's cave) and some ease our passage (like crossing some of those streams) and some we make out the be worse than they would have been. 

I was trying to avoid a bit of mud (although by that point there was no reason to. I was very very muddy). And so I stepped to the side on a large rock. Turns out the rain that had made the mud also made the rock slippery. And I fell. Not far or particularity hard (which is lucky as I was walking near a very large drop off down to Loch Lomond) but fall I did. Into a thorn bush. All trying to avoid the simplest of obstacles. A little bit of mud. Scratched up I learned that lesson but wondered about all the other times I (and I'm sure others) make things harder on ourselves then we really need to. 

Somedays you just gotta go through some mud. 

 

The voices in our heads

Drymen-Rowardenan

Thursday September 1, 2016

 

One of the things they don't warn you about on long distance walks is the voices in your head. Who will be speaking to you today? What will they be saying? Will it change moment to moment?

Here, for me, it changes constantly.

Sometimes I found myself singing hymns. Especially the old ones. How great thou art especially. But many others. 

Other times it was Dory (from finding Nemo) she showed up when my feet hurt the worst. Just keep swimming just keep swimming. 

Sometimes it was a drill Sargent. Especially on the large hills. Get yourself up that hill!!

And other times it was actual people! I've met several folks along the way. There was a group of us that all stayed at the first place together in Drymen. And we've kind of been looking out for one another. Some walk quicker than others so you pass each other and then meet again at the end of the day. But when we meet on the trail the faster (sometimes me, sometimes not me) will slow down and chat for a bit. How are things? Etc. 

One couple also from Canada that I've seen a lot of I walked with for a longer period of time on my second day. And it was hilarious how we would all groan at the sight of another hill at the same time. And now I hear their voices too. Just one step at a time. You can make it. One step at a time. 

 

They've joined my cloud of witnesses. They've been my cheerleaders as I've been theirs. 

The voices we hear that support us, offer us guidance and help. Ground us spiritually and give us so much room to do things we never expected. 

I am grateful for all those I hear in my head. Including all those folks from back home who I am missing! 

Here my soul rejoices

Milngavie-Drymen

Wednesday August 31, 2016

 

Have you ever been exhausted and yet so calm or happy or fulfilled that it didn't matter?

This was day one of the West Highland Way. The first day of 154km hike (+ the km to your sleeping destinations no one warns you about). 

The hike was beautiful. As promised. And very tiring. Also as promised. But somehow my soul just lifted. As I crossed my first 10km and entered the actual highlands it was as though my soul has always known this place. I had come somewhere I had been missing and didn't even realize it. 

 

My soul sings in these hills. Even as my feet ache. 

My soul waits on the Lord...or airplane parts

My soul waits on the Lord....

Or airplane parts. 

Monday August 29, 2016

 

Before departing for the 5 weeks of my sabbatical that are to take place overseas I felt myself getting more and more anxious. And I could not figure out why. Part of me was over the moon excited. And part of me thought I have made a terrible mistake and this was a terrible plan. I was both ready to go and sure I would never be ready. 

How often do we all feel like this?  

Once I arrived in Halifax for my 5 hour layover I thought ok. It'll be fine. But I'm not one for waiting.  I hate waiting. Patient I am not. 

And soon my five hour layover was 7 hours. Then 9. Finally, after a 4 hour delay I was on my way again. Anxiety completely gone. Now I was ready. 

It seems that God was reminding me that sometimes, waiting is ok. That I don't have to be in such a rush ALL the time. Sometimes I can relax a bit. 

And an airport full of slightly grumpy yet still pleasant employees and travelers was an excellent reminder of this! 

When God said stay.

Amsterdam has never been on my list of cities to see. It was always one of those, well if I'm there I guess, but wasn't on my wish list. I don't know why, it just really wasn't. So when it ended up being the place we would leave for Scotland from, I thought of it as that. A city to maybe see a bit of while we were there. One day. And then we would catch a boat and head to Scotland. This was the plan. A far as I was concerned it was a good plan. Evidently God thought otherwise. Due to a series of unfortunate events, our boat to Scotland was a day later than we thought. So, we had an extra day in Amsterdam. So, then it became a matter of trying to figure out why. What exactly God wanted us to experience that we would have otherwise skipped.

So we went to the museums (more on that in a later post). And I went to the Anne Frank house. The house she and her family hid in during the Second World War. I remember studying her diary in the 5th grade. But standing where she stood, smelling the rooms she hid in, hearing the church bells ring that she would have heard, all while hiding because of her religion.

It was all so powerful, I'm not sure I can find the words. It certainly brought that diary to life. It gave the war a human side I'd never experienced that powerfully before. The very air of that place changed from when you stepped inside to when you stepped out. Walking through that space had me praying with my whole being. Without knowing how, without any words. It is a series of moments I will carry with me forever. Stepping out into the sunshine, I could only imagine the longing to be able to do that. The desperate desire to feel the sun on your face again. To be able to breath fresh air. It was an occasion to ponder all the ways humanity has managed to hurt one another throughout the years. I kept recalling Jesus saying we should love one another. Giving wholeheartedly of ourselves. How are we as a church doing that now? Who are we failing? How can we do better? How can I personally do better? These questions and more stuck with me through the rest of the day and on our track to our next hotel. It was in a small town near where we would catch the boat. Walking around the small town that evening and the next day allowed me to feel like I had actually seen the Netherlands, gotten a much better feel for the land.

It is amazing all I would have missed, everything I would have passed by. I am infinitely glad God said "stay"

Midnight Voyage

As I'm writing this, I'm sitting outside on the deck of our overnight ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle. It is very very windy. But stunning. The views are amazing. Although I'm not sure how long I'll be able to type while outside as it really is very windy, and the wind is chilly. But it's nice to get some silence and solitude. It's almost 10:30 local time and much of the ship has gone to bed, or at least moved inside so I'm alone on this deck. Pretty impressive considering the size of the ship.

I'm a prairie girl. Always have been. Give me some open fields, throw some mountains in the background, and I'm a happy camper! But even I had to admit, something about being on the open water takes my breath away. I'm waiting with bated breath for the stars to come out. And anticipating an evening of watching them appear one by one, and then being rocked to sleep by the waves. God's creation really is amazing. Days like today remind me of just how large our world is, how varied the landscape, and how blessed we all are that God made all this. Tonight is a break from the deep thoughts, the questions and the wondering. Tonight is a night to put aside the questions of the church and the future. Tonight is a night to give thanks. Tonight is a night to praise God. Tonight is a night of awe and beauty. Tonight is Sabbath.

Where a child shall lead them

When John and I set out on our little pilgrimage to Wittenberg, we decided to stop in Berlin for the better part of the day on our way back. And we made a deal. Since Wittenberg is where I wanted to go, and pretty much all of the sights had been chosen by me, he could plan the Berlin part of the trip. He had already been for the weekend with his mom, but this time would just be the two of us. I said I wanted to see the wall, but when and how that happened was up to him. And anything else - his choice. I couldn't have made a better deal if I tried! He was a wonderful tour guide. He knew the train stations and the subway in the city. I saw a Berlin I would never have seen of it wasn't for John. To start off we went to the technology museum. Certainly not something that would have ever made my list. But it made his. And we had a blast. We learned a lot, spent a ton of time in the history of the sea and the sky, so boats and planes (he is a nine year old boy after all). And we talked about inventors and their inventions. What drives people to try new things. To risk a lot. To dream bigger, to imagine what and where we can go next, and then to try to make it happen.

After the museum we went on a bus tour of the city. One of those ones were you can sit on the upper deck. It was a great way to see Berlin. We passed a lot of the sights, had the chance to learn as we did so, and got to relax a bit! It was fabulous. Finished off the day at the Brandenburger Gate and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews. And just when I thought he couldn't teach me much more, he reminded me that after being in that space, even for a couple of minutes, your soul needs ice cream, and an impromptu game of tag and chase the pigeons. It was restorative.

I learned a lot on Friday, from God, tour guides, and brochures. But mostly I learned from John. He reminded me of the importance of balance. Do some very touristy things, and also see the local favourite field trip location. Use public transit. Do some activities simply for fun, and some where you're learning and experiencing the history. He reminded me, that even as I'm studying the history and feeling a city, it's important to see where a city is going and not just its past. He reminded me to have fun and laugh. That its okay to not be serious all the time. That ice cream really does make you feel better. And all this had me thinking about how Jesus came as a baby. He entered the world as a child. He saw the world as a child. And then he told us to do the same. But do we? As a church do we listen to our kids? Are we paying any attention to them and what they really think! How they really see the world? What are they trying to teach us, that we are completely missing, because we are sure as adults we should be leading the way. It wasn't Berlin as I would have chosen to see it. Thank God. Wg