Fall Travels

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Lynn

My husband and I are on our “Grand Adventure” as I have called it, traveling for four weeks in our fifth wheel.  I have often remarked to my husband that we could very easily live in our little home on wheels permanently.  It has everything we need in a compact, easy-to-vacuum space!  The one set-back of course is that if we were to park our rig to live anywhere in Alberta over the winter months, we would never survive the frigid weather…which means we need to always be parked in sunny, warm climates…hmmmm, this sounds better and better all the time!

But seriously…

We are heading south into the States for a little R.& R. and as I have said in a previous post, we areFlathead Lake, Montana retreating with the Lord and seeking His direction for the future.  We don’t like to admit it, but we are creeping up on those “Golden Years”.  A time to contemplate retiring and seek a new career purpose, other than the 9-5 work day grind.  For many retirees it means travel, golf, spending time pursuing hobbies etc.  For us, it means deciding whether or not to “downsize”, move, and figure out how we’re going to live these “Golden Years” to the fullest.  It means asking God how we can serve Him in these years ahead.

My husband and I like to explore new places.  We enjoy a good adventure.  Interestingly enough, our Pastor calls walking with God as the “Greatest Adventure of a Lifetime”.  I tend to agree.  Life has certainly not been dull for us.  Certainly there were some pathways God has walked us down I would have preferred to have bypassed, but it’s all part of the adventure I guess.

So, we’re in the touring mode, figuratively and spiritually speaking.  I’ve got my camera at the ready and I’m snapping the fall colours as we travel.  Truly we are just awestruck by God’s creation all around us.  We sometimes get lost and laugh or fret at the twists and turns and U-turns we “tourists” must make to get us pointed in the right direction again.  When we hole up in our trailer at the end of the day, we look at all the pictures I’ve taken and we talk about the new sights we’ve seen that day.  Then we praise God for giving us this opportunity to travel together and with Him.

The adventure continues…

 

 

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Traveling

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Lynn

Pumpkin RV'sWe started off this summer with a family reunion at a little lakeside RV resort in the Kootenays in British Columbia.  We have been going to this lake since our youngest child was a baby.  My husband and I set up our campsite, parking our fifth wheel, a week before our adult children arrived.  This was the first time we had been back to the lake in six years and it was sweet fellowship to gather once again, renew old acquaintances with fellow RV ers, and then spend quality family time with our children and grandchildren.

I’ll be honest, it’s been a tough year so far for the Doves.  My husband had to shut down his business due to the economic downturn here in Alberta and since then he’s been debating whether or not to retire or pursue something new.  It’s an ongoing prayer.  Our children have gone through several trials and struggles and being at the lake allowed each of them to escape (at least for a week) and just relax without worries crowding in on them.  Being surrounded by my children and grandchildren is always my greatest joy, but also my greatest distraction so for a week all I did was focus on being with them…the worries of the world were forgotten (at least for a week).

After a wonderful week at the lake, the children returned back to Alberta and to reality.  My husband and I decided to continue our travels and forego reality for a little while longer, so we spent two more weeks in beautiful British Columbia.  It was the first time in our thirty-six years of marriage we had ever taken a month-long holiday.  Exploring small towns en route, meeting interesting and at times quirky people allowed us time to discover what being “retired” may mean in our future.  Finally ending up on Vancouver Island to visit with family and friends, our hearts and minds turned to thoughts of retiring near the ocean.  Throughout that journey, we were in constant prayer for our kids and we were (are) praying for God’s direction in our lives.  It’s an ongoing prayer.

I was fortunate years ago to have a wonderful and candid conversation with Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God) when I was faced with a life crossroad that had me struggling to know which way to go.  His advice then is applicable now as my husband and our children face  crossroads: “Until God has given you clear direction, go back to the place where you clearly heard His voice and stop there.  Keep doing whatever God called you to do then and wait until He tells you what to do next.”

It is great advice.

I have a tendency to disengage when I struggle.  I turn away from church, from doing my devotions, from being around God’s people.  I listen to the voice of the enemy who says that God has abandoned me and is not hearing my prayers.  I drift in my spiritual malaise and wallow in self-pity.  The further away I turn from God, the quieter and quieter His Voice gets.  Oh, He’s still talking, I’m just not listening.

I know if I stay disengaged, it is harder and harder to re-engage.  So, I’m taking Henry’s advice, once again :), and going back to a familiar path I once traveled when I knew I was connected and engaged with God.

I am going back so I can move forward!

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Scandalous – A VW Bug

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Lynn

SmokeswagonMy first car was a 1959 seasick- green coloured Volkswagon Beetle.  I absolutely LOVED that car!  My father worked for Volkswagon, Canada close to thirty-five years and so I grew up knowing the insides out of every VW that was made from the 1950’s on. When I started university, Dad surprised me with a little red Kharmann Ghia and it was my pride and joy until my brother wrote it off on the slippery, slidey, wintery streets of Calgary.  If I were honest, I was probably more choked up about my car’s demise than the cuts and bruises my brother sustained in the accident.  Sorry, Jack!

When my husband was looking for a second car so I could drive to university in Calgary, he bowed to my pressure and bought a used 1976 VW Rabbit.  On the way home, my husband discovered that “lemon” was too kind a word to describe the car.  We drove it only when it would run, which was seldom. “Live and learn,” he said in frustration as he spent hours trying to figure out the ins and outs of German technology and design.  We had it a year and that was enough for my husband to declare that he would never own another VW vehicle in his life.  My Dad was retired from VW Canada then and held no ill-will towards us because we had lost favour with the brand.  He had served the company faithfully for so many years and was proud of the product even though he admitted that our car was one of the few “duds” he had ever come across.

When my Dad was close to retiring, he told me that all VW Beetles were soon to be retired in favour of a new look and because the company could not economically or mechanically bring the original Beetle up to the standard of current environmental standards of emission that was being expected of all vehicles on the road.  I was heartbroken to think that the Beetle would no longer be seen on roadways and I just couldn’t get excited about the “new and improved” Beetle.  The “punch buggy” I knew and loved was gone only to be replaced by other VW cars with obscure names: Passat, Jetta, Golf, Touareg, and Tiguan.  Is it just me or do those names just sound ridiculous?

But the names of the cars are the least of Volkswagon’s worries this week.

Shares of Volkswagen dropped after U.S. authorities accused the automaker of falsifying emissions data. “The company is said to have been caught cheating on American air pollution tests. Volkswagen installed sophisticated software known as “defeat devices” in diesel vehicles issued between 2008 to 2015. This only allowed emissions controls to run full-tilt during official testing, but emitted 10 to 40 times the legal amount while on the road.” http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/22/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-volkswagen-scandal.html

It is ironic if I believe what my father said about the old Beetle being scrapped because VW could not or would not upgrade their vehicles to meet environmental standards that this may be the same cause of the company’s problems now.

It would seem that Volkswagon’s motivation behind this is not due to lack of skill in modifying the cars to proper emission standards, it is all rooted in deception and greed.  When will businesses, companies, CEO’s and individuals understand that their sins WILL be found out?

For years VW has traveled smooth roads but now they are facing bumpy times and yes, there’s a great scripture to illustrate what lies ahead:

“Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.”  (ESV Proverbs 20:17)

 

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