The 10 days from December 24 through January 2 were, for me, among the highest energy and adventure filled days in recent years. And, I must say, most satisfying!
Since Shirley was in Maine assisting our Son with the care of his convalescing Wife and their Children Jonah (6), and Luke (3) there was a point in time when I was working on accepting being away from Family at Christmas. Due to the generosity of one of our destiny: Life! benefactors that changed and I had direct flight tickets to and from Boston which would make it possible for me to be with Shirley, Jonathan and his Family.
Christmas Eve was the date and time of my departure. Mel and Marcia Means, members of the destiny: Life! Board of Directors, invited me to join them and neighbor Friends for Dinner. It was a most pleasant evening. Delicious delicacies; quiet Christmas music in the background; and most stimulating conversation. After this pleasant evening Mel gave me luxury passage to the Airport as he and Marcia have done so often!
There had been all kinds of prognostications concerning the weather in the East and all sorts of “what ifs” were posed to me as this evening approached. But our Lord had paved the way and nothing would prevent this trip from taking me where it was supposed to. I slept most of the way to Boston. Once there I had to make connections with the Subway – the “T” – and an Amtrak train to Portland, Maine. The people of Boston were most gracious helping me to get tickets to the “T” and get on the right train. I met a member of the Mayor’s Staff. He gave me a tour of “North Station” and the Boston “Gaaden.” When he found out I was a Pastor he was ecstatic and proceeded to give me a tour of his life. It was one of those things our Lord does which leaves no doubt about how it came to be. This man insisted that when I and my Wife visit Boston again he will give us the “Royal Tour” of his beloved City.
The train ride to Maine was on the “Noreaster.” It was so relaxing. I especially enjoyed the scenery. The hardwood forests, through which we traveled most of the time, brought back memories of my youth in Northern Ontario, Canada. I felt as if I was being taken back and carried through those precious forests in which I’d spent so many never-to-be-forgotten hours and learned so much about the undisturbed nature of Our Lord’s Creation. I really felt as if I had come Home!
When we arrived in Portland Jon was there with the boys. How great it felt to catch them as they ran to meet me. Embracing our Son, I prayed we could, truly, lift some of the weight from his shoulders and bring encouragement to Larina.
Imagine Christmas Dinner waiting for you at the very moment you arrive on the scene. You will be imagining my Christmas, 2010 reality. And it wasn’t just any Christmas Dinner. It was Shirley’s Christmas Dinner! How delectable! Larina ate with us even tho’ she was – and still is – dealing with perpetual nausea and some vomiting. That meal stayed where it was intended to be and we had a most pleasant evening despite her fatigue. The snow began to fall shortly after the sun had set and the wind picked up. There’d been lots of predictions about the amount of snowfall we’d experience. A true “Noreaster,” not a train, they said, was comin’ in! It was, in the end, a blizzard. But the actual snowfall was moderate. How delighted I was when I awakened to an authentically “White” Christmas! Jon and I, with the boys, went to Church. Then, after a Dinner of leftovers – those tastier than usual Christmas leftovers – we took the boys on a hike. Apart from their terrifying encounter with an overly aggressive young dog the boys thoroughly enjoyed the outing. We had to keep them walking and jogging when they asked us to carry them because the wind, even in the woods, was so cold their skin would have been frostbitten. Memories lived around every corner and under every Conifer and Maple.
The following morning I went for a run through the forests of snowladen Conifers and frost stressed Maples snapping like pistol shots all around me. At times I was making the first tracks in the snow. Other times there were ski tracks. The frozen “Great Pond” invited me to skate. But I could see that the ice was still unsafe. I ran along the Atlantic Coast that morning with the sun glistening on the waves. The sand had been dampened by high tide and was almost frozen. What an unusual running surface. The trail away from the sea went through open fields where snow had drifted to knee and thigh depth. It lead again to the woods. I saw animal signs that I recognized immediately even though I’d been away from the Northland for most of my Adult life. I knew for sure that “there’s no Christmas like a Home Christmas!”
The next days came and went so quickly. We went sledding. The boys and I had a blast while Mom and Grandma – Pappa was working – watched and laughed at their antics. We built snow tunnels and worked on a fort Jonah had built after an earlier snowfall. We played every imaginable game. Their stories amused and sometimes amazed me. We watched their favorite movies. One afternoon I was looking outdoors at Jonah and Luke on the trampoline, dressed in full snowgear, while Larina met with her Speech Therapist. I overhead the therapist say to Larina, “You’ll no longer be needing my Services.” What ecstasy we shared as she left for the final time!
Larina is doing very well. The only areas of concern, now, are the nausea – perpetual “Morning Sickness” for those of you who’ve borne Children – fine motor skills still needing rehab especially in her left hand, and the intense fatigue she feels after doing something that would have been routine for her before; like putting on Luke’s snowgear or simply at the end of the day … Apart from those things she seemed just like the Larina I remembered. This is profound! Our God is showing us the “Grace” and “mercy” He’s promised we’d find as we “come boldly to the ‘throne of Grace’.”
December 31 I returned to Boston via Concord Coach Lines. Got a tour of Boston complete with extensive time in tunnels known as the “Big Dig.” Once more the crazymakers of Television News and Weather Forecasting had painted a grim picture of the would be traveler’s world that night. Again the “what ifs” faded into the East Coast darkness and I boarded a jam packed airplane destined for the West Coast. Boston to LA; as one guy said, “places on each Coast about as far from one another as it’s possible to be in the Continental US.” But again, the gift I’ve been given, to be able to sleep wherever the circumstances allow for it, turned the long flight into a very short one and we landed pretty much as scheduled. By the time my Shuttle came, though, it was Jan. 1. I arrived Home at 1:30 that morning. And crashed!”
The next morning I began preparation for the trip to San Diego where I’d be speaking twice on Sunday morning. I stopped in Escondido to pick up 100 just published Audio versions of “I Don’t Look Broke but You Can’t See the Cracks.” Arrangements were made for me to stay in a Home where Jason stays when he’s not in Norway during this Sabbatical. It was an “over the garage suite.” But it was “5 star” at the very least and, again, I slept soundly.
Sunday January 2 started early. When I arrived at Journey Community Church - http://www.journeycommunitychurch.moonfruit.com/#/weekend-services/4524878794 - I was met by a Team of people. There was a Book Sale and Signing Manager. A woman had been appointed my personal Hostess. The Producer of the Services – there’d be 2 – gave me a thorough rundown of what was planned. The Teaching Pastor, himself, met with me and filled me in on what he’d be doing when he introduced me. He was present the entire time in both Meetings. We met with the Musicians and Prayer Team for Prayer and were underway at 9:00 AM. We sold more than 60 books that morning and I signed most of them. A guy could get a swelled head given that kind of treatment. People were open to the challenging things Our Lord was prompting me to say. When I told them what I’d heard Larina’s Speech Therapist say – many of these people have been praying for her and Jon and the boys, as well as the Baby she’s carrying – they cheered! In both Services they shouted their praise to Our Father!
After the Second Meeting and the completion of all Book signing I had the privilege of reconnecting with a Member of the Church Shirley and I served in Calgary, Alberta. She and her Son have a timeshare at the Welk Resort. How fun to reminisce and learn about new developments in the lives of people we love and the City we so enjoyed!
My trip Home was through non-stop rain. But I found a Southern Gospel Radio Station and had my own little Camp Meeting. I called Shirley at one point and we shared some Southern Worship via Phone and I arrived Home safely!
I am still ecstatic about the goings on of these 10 days!
I am, now, working to set up a series of Renewal Events in Churches across the US and Canada. This book is a call to Spiritual Renewal and I am telling people wherever I get an ear that Our Lord has inspired me to write, and read it for that purpose. Pray that I will be scheduled for the next 2 years all over both Countries and beyond!
May 2011 be filled with reminders of Our Lord’s presence in your everyday lives and His inexhaustible love for you and all whom you love!
