In the Peak of the Heat

This is a time of celebration like no other as those of you who may have a bucket list could relate to in terms of accomplishment.  What started as a prospective honeymoon destination in August 2009, was in its third attempt at completion just a couple of weeks ago.  What's this you ask?

Mike and I had plans for our honeymoon to drive to the east coast on his Harley, ride the Cabot Trail and enjoy the majestic scenes no painter could ever really duplicate.  Eleven days before our honeymoon, a block and a half from Mike's brother's home, a woman slowly drove through a stop sign directly into our path.  Had she hit us, it would have been broadside on the left and likely left us with significant injuries.  With Mike's history of riding, racing, safe driving courses and more, he carefully put the bike into a controlled slide putting the bike between us and the other vehicle.  We slid across the wet pavement in our rain suits as the bike kept moving along on its side, coming to an early demise.  Fortunately for us, the car immediately following us happened to be a Kingston Police cruiser with two officers as eye witnesses.  They were amazed we suffered no injuries other than a couple of minor scrapes.  

We decided then to wait until after the wedding, close our eyes, put our finger on a map and go where we might.  As things turned out, my brother in law from Pembroke had heard about our loss and proposed an alternate plan.  'Why don't you borrow one of my cars, meaning his Corvettes (yes it has an 's' on the end of it); take the blue one'.  A couple days later we were on the road to Pembroke, left our truck there and headed off on our adventure in the blue Corvette.  Mike still wanted to drive to Halifax but I was a little cautious as I believe God said no to our plan.  We were headed to the home of friends in Montreal to spend the night when, in Point Claire, we had a flat tire on the Corvette.  Yup, flat tire.  Thank goodness for 'run flats' which can be driven up to 80 km an hour to the nearest dealer for repair.  Now that God had said no twice we abandoned our plans to enjoy the Canadian east coast and ended up in Maine for a beautiful and restful time.

Last year my brother Andrew set out on a solo trip toward the Cabot Trail which we only learned about after he contacted our friends in Montreal and stopped for a visit.  Like a madwoman I emailed him to see if there was any hope of Mike catching up to him on the bike and me flying to Halifax to join them for the Cabot Trail ride.  Did I tell you my brother could be almost as stubborn as I am? Clearly my attempt was a failure as we really had no idea of his agenda.  Attempt number two or maybe three depending on your score keeping, we didn't go.

Earlier this year Mike's two friends from high school talked of riding down east to do guess what?  Yes indeed, the Cabot Trail.  This time I held back, offered no life altering plans, sat on my hands and waited as patiently as possible.  The moment arrived!  How about if the three friends drive down east and we follow a few days later, flying to Halifax to do the Cabot Trail?  YES!!!

It turned out two of us flew to meet them after the guys enjoyed a relatively leisurely ride around the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec.  We met up in Dartmouth, spent the night then rode to North Sydney the next day, Sunday.  It rained almost to Antigonish where we stopped for lunch.  While discussing the weather I suggested I could speak to my Dad as he is always my 'go to' for weather.  My friend (she and I worked together for a short while in the mid '80's so she'd known my Dad), right there in the restaurant prayed to my Dad for improved weather for our stay.  She was no sooner finished when the sun came out, shining over the rain touched patio leaving sparkling colours on the pots and pots of flowers.  We went outside to say thanks when we met Kenny Mac MacLellan (true name, honest) who suggested we take a little one hour side trip around what they call locally, the 'Little Trail'.  Off we went, enjoyed the view and continued our journey.  Not only did we end up with no more rain, we actually entered a period of heat warnings for the east coast.  Here we were riding in t-shirts and even the wind was hot. How glorious is that!  I cautioned them, my Dad always did like the heat!

Due to some mechanical challenges with one of the bikes, we did a trial run of the Cabot Trail as far as Ingonish, enjoyed a true east coast lunch and rode back to our B&B in North Sydney.  The third friend ended up having to leave his bike at a repair shop, had rented a bike for our practice run then rented a car and headed home as there was no quick fix to his bike.  Besides he had an international flight to catch yesterday.

On our get set, real ride of Cabot Trail we left N.Sydney on Tuesday and spent the day enjoying the scenery of almost three quarters of the trail with stops at various look outs and a great lunch stop at Neil's Harbour.  It was the perfect place, must be on some Nova Scotia travel commercials, we enjoyed true seafood for lunch, down east ice cream for dessert and a view of fishing boats with a large sand beach in the distance with care free swimmers bobbing around in the water.

Riding on the bike provides an experience unlike any other.  You're open to the air, all your senses engaged from feeling the wind and sun, to a little cooked when stopped for traffic.  On the open road you live the life of smelling the smell of lumber trucks loaded with freshly cut pine trees, the shifts in temperature from breezes high on top of the hills to heat in the low of the valleys. Leaning to and fro while following the curves and turns in the roads, chugging up and up and up, then braking almost all the way down all within God's majestic landscapes created for our enjoyment and appreciation.

The constant flow of air and sheer enjoyment of being outdoors heightens every one of our senses.  I couldn't help but absorb the view of the hundreds of acres of trees of all kinds and marvel how they stand in solidarity, most often touching one another but never moving away due to their differences.  They truly bloom where they're planted, all reaching for the common goal of getting enough sunshine and rain for their healthy growth.  They don't even ignore those which die among them, simply allowing the broken, leafless trunks and branches to lean on their neighbours for support.  Imagine if we as humans could be so accommodating with our neighbours.  We could learn a lot from those dense forests.  It's a refreshing reminder of how vast our country is and lush with nature's beauty.  I felt a renewal of my spirit and a heightened level of acceptance of whatever God has in His plan for my life.  I'm just such a small speck in the wilderness of God's creation, feeling humbly peaceful away from the urgencies of daily urban life.  

Our goal was to reach the Chéticamp area and stay the night before heading toward Halifax.  Our friend had booked rooms for us somewhere.  I say it sincerely as it was somewhere in the middle of nowhere, called Normaway.  It turned out to be a 250 acre property settled in 1829 with the Inn completed in 1928 and has been a favourite spot for vacationers and sports enthusiasts for over 60 years.  I just learned by reading their brochure, it's actually on a country road at the beginning of the Cabot Trail (if your plan would be to drive it clockwise that is).  We enjoyed our best meal ever in the dining room and listened to true Cape Breton fiddle music as our evening entertainment.

The next morning we went our separate ways with plans to meet in Halifax Thursday evening as Cathy and I were to fly home Friday morning.  Mike and I thoroughly enjoyed our ride along the coast, stopping at a sand beach to free my toes from days of protection in my Harley boots, comfortable as they are.  We also stopped at a tiny shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Manou.  Some of the best moments were being able to stop where we liked, take in the scenery and enjoy a hint of the local lifestyle. Throughout our travels I seemed to deal out business cards randomly and to whoever I felt drawn to.  They are simply my contact information with my 'job' as an Adventurer in Prayer & Medicine.  Who knows who might contact me or plug in to read my little blog.  I considered it my tiny bit of evangelization.  

We spent Thursday on the Boardwalk of Halifax, touring Pier 21, the Canadian Museum of Immigration, one I strongly encourage any and all Canadians to view.  A video of the contents and history of the museum is one I would advocate to be in every school across our country.  When I first toured Pier 21 in 2001, it was fresh out of the imaginations of two co-founders celebrating the million plus immigrants who came through the port in the first decades of the 21st century.  Since being taken over by the Federal Government in 2011 it has expanded to include global refugee issues and Canada's role.  The importance to me is my Dad came through Pier 21 on April 5, 1951.  It typically took a day to disembark the ship, work through immigration and finally, board a train to an unknown future in Canada.  It's a remarkable place with more relevance today than the original founders could ever have believed.  They were well ahead of their time as their original goal was to focus their attention on the immigrants, refugees and displaced persons from Europe.  

In the windy, humid, muggy conditions we continued our walk down the boardwalk to our second and final destination of the Marine Museum.  It included stories of ship disasters and sinking, models of many historic vessels, along with distinct exhibits of the Titanic including a few recovered artifacts.  The other major exhibit was the story and history of the Halifax explosion on December 6, 1917 at 9:04 a.m. where a large part of the city was razed as a result of a munitions ship striking a cargo ship in the Halifax Harbour, 2000 lives lost and 9000 injured.  I encourage you to look it up, a mere five years after the Titanic tragedy.  I often wonder about the east coast of Canada and how it seems to be a portal for lives coming into our country and, conversely, lives lost due to shipwrecks, sinkings and other maritime disasters.

As I wind up this story of our imaginary bucket list adventure, I do feel a sense of catharsis over being able to complete the trip without any negative consequences other than feeling a little worse for wear after riding approx. 1300 km. in five days.  One of my physicians wasn't happy about me taking on the challenge (concern over potential accidents) while my family physician remarked, 'I can think of worse ways of going than on a motorcycle on the Cabot Trail.'  I was in a state of flux in the few weeks leading up to the trip wondering if it was really going to turn out ok.  What I hung onto was a saying from my Dad over the years 'You can't live your life in fear of what COULD happen'.  And, as a backup, reminded myself of my own value and belief 'when it's your day, it's your day, no matter where you are.'  along with 'decisions along the way only affect the quality of the journey.'  Guess what, replaying those tapes in my mind helped get me packed, to drive to Ottawa, fly to Halifax and get on the back of that bike!  So yes, I can.  I can live my life as long as it's liveable and I can enjoy things that are important to me, without being reckless or careless.

You can do it too, and I encourage you to think of one even small thing you'd like to do but have been putting off or fearful of undertaking.  And guess what, the girl I travelled with has a similar 'bucket list' adventure to mine of taking a ride in a hot air balloon.  She has asked numerous people, none of who are willing.  I readily said I'd be willing to consider it.  Stay tuned, and until next time, let your spirit guide you along the path of life.

Until next time, God Bless,

Love and hugs,

Liz

dobbsjones@gmail.com

"Prayers wrapped in faith and sent with love are the greatest gifts we can receive."

A Friend of a Friend of a Friend in Doing Good Things

I just arrived home from Mass with thoughts percolating in my brain like an overdue coffee pot eager to pour forth its contents. Maybe once or twice before did I take out pen and paper during the homily making notes to share with others.  Today was one of them given the content of the message.

You may remember at the end of my last post I talked about how important immigration is to Canada even in this world of protectionism and how we need to make a conscious effort to be helpful and inclusive.  Today's sermon at church was about being missionary disciples.  We all have images in our minds about what missionaries do, typically in third world countries, helping to establish an infrastructure, learning and in most cases teaching the word of God.  Disciples, we may not all be clear on what they do.  By definition they follow the way of Jesus or Teacher.  Ok I know you might be prepared to sign off right about now but I promise this post is not about preaching to you but rather sharing my own learning and the impact is has on my outlook.  So if you can, stay with me a while longer.

I've spent the last couple of weeks practicing mindfulness, remaining in the moment, staying inside of myself and examining what is going on around me and how it's affecting my thoughts and emotions.  While doing this, external forces have been created, as though to chip away at me, carving off past views of myself which are no longer valid.  It's like I'm being carved into who I am meant to be for the upcoming phase of life.  It's quite amazing how much stress is relieved by not jumping into the future creating anxiety, or diving into the past and stirring up regret.

In all of this, my mind often wanders to the place of what should I being DOING.  In these moments, I've been gently tugging my thoughts back in to remind self, if I'm not sure, just BE, do what works for you to clear your mind.  For me it's praying or repeating a Psalm refrain over and over in my mind. (I most often use 'This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad') All the while waiting for the clue to the next step in my day.   For those of you who also make the effort to help others, in however small a way, think about what your story looks like. There are a couple of examples I'd like to share with you to help illustrate what I mean.

As I remain open to be guided on how I can do even one small thing to be kind to someone else, it's been amazing how things come around.  I've shared my story about 'Johnnie, the pool guy who plays music' and has even shown up at my home to play his accordion, harmonica, spoons and more.  Ok so keep that thought.

Over the past two weeks I attended the funeral of the husband of a friend I've known since moving to Kingston in 1984.  She and I had worked together and she and her husband credited me with bringing them together.  I prefer to say 'blame' but theirs was a long and happy marriage.  My friend Rosemary showed me a photo of her husband on his last day of life at Rideaucrest Home listening to and enjoying music from the east coast.  I immediately said 'That's my buddy Johnnie!'; she said 'You know him?' 'Yes' I replied 'I met him at the pool'.  'Well' she said 'Please make sure you tell him how much Gus appreciated his music and how nice a day he had.  He passed away between 3 and 5 the following morning'.  Still with me?

I emailed Johnnie to extend Rosemary's appreciation, only to receive a deeply heartfelt thanks from him for sharing such a wonderful story he otherwise would not have learned (one small gesture here on my part, easily could have been left undone).  His day was ignited into wanting to share his gift of music for others to the point of emailing someone at the hospital to share the email of his impact on Gus on his last day. Ok, here we are, Johnnie played for Gus, Rosemary so appreciative, Liz sends email with Rosemary's comments to Johnnie, Johnnie sends copy to hospital.

Isn't it strange when I receive an email from my very close and dear friend Brenda, who heads the Cancer Centre at the hospital, how she found it intriguing my name would be in an email thread from a fellow she knows by the name of Johnnie.

I asked back, how did Johnnie get your email?  She said she met him randomly at the mall a few years back and how Brenda's mom taught Johnnie at elementary school in Gander many years ago.
They'd exchanged contact information and here, several years later, Johnnie sends his message to Brenda.  Where it goes from here, who knows.  
Here is Johnnie's email to Brenda:

Hi Brenda,

This email inspired me to reach out to the hospital-a place where people get well and where people die-let their visit be pleasant and with joy

John

All I know is how terrific an example it is of listening to others, connecting the dots, taking action show others how the dots are connected and presto! several lives are made happier and relationships weaved a little more closely.  I commented to Mike last evening on how blessed we are to receive the gift of angels in our presence in everyday life.  

To sum up the example of this story, here is the email response to the message I sent to Johnnie:

Dear Liz,

Oh my god what a kind email,

As the song goes here I am Lord-I will hold your people in my heart-

I met rosemary-with Gus and told him I was playing for him -the man from stellerton Nova Scotia-scotland the brave and played on-...

I  am so overwhelmed with gratitude that god works with me this way-its my  resume from god—lol

Thank you Liz for sending me this message-its really hard to comprehend the entirety and the tears are flowing  and my heart is ready to explode-get me my accordion -I want to play more…

Johnnie

When following the lead of our 'guides' or 'higher self' or 'Holy Spirit' it's amazing at how our lives can be transformed so easily into joy we could never create for ourselves.  

Another very confusing example is  having committed to attend a show with a friend who, at the last minute couldn't go but wanted me to use the tickets anyway.  I hesitantly found someone else to go, only at the last minute to have our son call to say they may come for dinner.  Oh my, here I was being tugged by the external challenge when really, all I want to do is spend time with family.  My normal behaviour would be to totally overcomplicate things to see how I might 'fix' things so everything would turn out in a way everyone would be pleased.  Instead, I took a big pause, a huge deep breath, spoke again to my son to agree we would try for Saturday.  The show by the way, was excellent.  I asked a friend 'Do you ever do things others want you to do even if you don't want to?'  Needless to say she just laughed.  You may think this is such a minute matter, why am I even making the effort to share it with you.  It's to illustrate how mindfulness works in my mind.  Others, who don't feel emotions to the depth I do, would have no problem with a snap decision and happily carrying on with their plans.  I have to analyze, look at things from all sides, turn it upside down and inside out before necessarily coming to a decision and then, oftentimes, second guessing myself.  Oh wow, how did I ever manage to work for 35 years with this brain obviously working overtime all the time!  By taking each moment at a time I was able to look at things much more calmly, without going into the depths like in the past and letting the tiny details fly away like separating the wheat and chaff on a breezy summer day.  This was about trying to do something good with a friend, only to be tempted away by something in my mind, was more important.

Doesn't Friday come, still with plans for dinner Saturday night with the kids only to get an invite out to dinner by another extended family member.  The back and forth, seesaw activity was comedic to say the least with every effort made once again to accommodate everyone.  As things turned out we had dinner with no one, simply resting at home in each other's company.  The best outcome for me is I was able to relax and let it all go.  A big lesson for me out of these seemingly tiny examples is to marvel at how large families operate.  There clearly must be a system of sorts which families use to coordinate activities and get togethers.  

In the midst of all this, we had three of our grandkids overnight Friday with a fourth over for a visit.  They are getting to the age of thinking for themselves, insistent on knowing everything in some cases but still lots of fun to spend time with as we attempt to reason with these remarkable little people.  As we made slime without following directions, we learned sometimes paying attention to a recipe can be a good thing.  It's charming to observe the personalities reflected in these group activities and how some traits are so very much like their parents'.   

What I'm sharing today overall is a somewhat heightened sense of anxiety and uneasiness I've developed over the past couple of weeks.  I am on a new medication, replacing one daily injection of blood thinner with an oral dose twice a day.  Surely it should not affect my mood but I can't help but wonder. There are external factors influencing my frame of mind of late, hence the need for greater mindfulness.  It's a risk to reveal some of my thought processes but hopefully, maybe one person might be able to relate and gain an insight.  As I've said before, these posts come from seemingly no where but I am practicing trusting Holy Spirit with the words He is giving me to write.  

The next thing I will practice is to publish this message confidently with no regretful second thoughts.

After that, I will continue to practice, all day every day, doing some small thing to make someone else's day just a little brighter.  I will be a disciple in following what I believe to be the true path for me.  In my case I will continue to attend church which, by its very nature is missionary.  It's the station I can fill up with spiritual gas once I've emptied my tank. Will you join me in becoming a disciple in your own way?  

As I said to a friend the other day "Trust, trust, trust, and then trust some more." Until next time, take care, listen to the whispers of your guides, and live every day well, enjoying each moment!

Hugs
Liz

dobbsjones@gmail.com

"Prayers wrapped in faith and sent with love are the greatest gifts we can receive."