Tuesday, September 23, 2008

An Unexpected Gift

My friends and I just spent a wonderful week in Fairmont Hotsprings in the Kootenays of British Columbia. We planned each day carefully, making sure that we each got our "princess day" and that there was lots of time for geocaching, shopping, eating and hiking. Did I mention that we did a LOT of eating?

Then one afternoon, during a very "unplanned" spur of the moment, we decided to go for a quick hike, just before dinner, to find a cache that was hidden not too far from our resort.


The hike was not too hard, the air was warm and still and as we got closer to the cache co-ordinates we couldn't help but notice the growing cliffs on both sides of us. Then we saw it... this waterfall that looked like something that you would see in a National Geographic magazine. The pool underneath the waterfall was aqua blue and we soon realized that the water was warm. The falls themselves were as warm as a shower and the temptation to jump right in was irresistable. We went in...all of us...clothes and all.

What a magical moment that was for us. The excitement of being impetuous and spontaneous. We revelled in it until we were water-logged and all prune-y. I didn't want to leave. It was a 'once-in-a-lifetime-I-will-probably-never-do-this-again' experience.


Have you ever had someone beckon to you, whispering, saying "Come over here... I have something special to show you?" Do you say just a minute? It made me wonder how many times God has a gift to give me and I've been too organized to notice. I have a very busy schedule you know, things to do and places to be...

By the way... we never did find the cache that brought us there in the first place. And you know what that cache was called?

Kumbaya.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Do I Trust Him?

Tony and I just celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary last weekend and we celebrated like we always do every year. We go on a DA trip around British Columbia.

What does DA stand for?
Drive Aimlessly.

I know it sounds weird but we love it. Going down gravel roads that we've never been down before. Taking in as much as we can. Camping wherever we end up when it's dark. We've put on thousands of kms on our rusty, I mean trusty, 4Runner. We are never quite sure where we'll end up and that is all part of the fun.

I have been thinking about this since we got home. About the situations that we put ourselves in during our treks. Driving backroads that haven't seen a vehicle in months, braving deactivated ditches that punish my kidneys and sleeping in our SUV tent when he says that there are "probably no grizzlies around." Notice I said "probably" and "tent."

It made me realize how much I trust my husband.
When we set up our tent in pitch darkness and there are glowing eyes in the forest... I trust him.
When there is mountain on one side and cliff on the other... I trust him.
When we're going up an old logging road that's barely even there... I trust him.
When we see a grizzly (and then another one)... I trust him.
When he tries to get at a rattlesnake so I can get a better picture... I trust him.

I trust him to keep me safe, to protect me, that he knows where he's going and that he is an expert on wildlife behaviour. I trust that he's checked the gas gauge, he knows how to fix a flat tire and he's there beside me while we're sleeping in our tent.


I have had a few disappointments this past week... things not going like I planned. I had these things planned perfectly, in my mind anyway, but obviously God has another plan in mind. And I wonder... why am I so worried?
Do I trust God?
Do I really think that His plan is perfect for my life?
That he knows me best?
Does He love me more than I can imagine?
Do I trust Him?