...across the room to Barnes & Noble.....

What happens to a person when you leave the comforts of home along with your scheduled busy life and hit the road on motorbike for three weeks for an unstructured, mostly unplanned getaway?! That's what we experienced this summer. We had some ideas about where we would like to go but we are always mindful of the weather systems and how it somewhat dictates our direction when we leave home. Who wants to head into a wild weather system on motorbike or any other vehicle for that matter?!

Since we both ride our own bike we spend a lot of our days with our own thoughts. How interesting?! It wouldn't be much of a good time for someone who doesn't like to think their own thoughts. We all know people who do not like silence so they establish ways of being distracted from their thoughts as much as possible. I am not one of those people. It would drive me crazy. I need periods of silence every day.

I usually take books with me and did so this summer as well but for some reason I just couldn't get into them. My husband read one of my books as well as what he brought with him and I just simply never felt like reading. One day as we were browsing in a book store after dinner I picked up a very nice looking boxed book with a leather like cover and I do admit it was the look of it that first caught my eye. I was actually looking for a gift for someone but as I paged through the book I realized it was exactly what I had been looking for since January! I know. A little late in the year especially since this was to be a book I wanted to read in every day this year! LOL! God works in mysterious ways, let's not forget! I love when I feel like I'm on to something really good and this was one of those times. This book was for me for right now! I couldn't wait to get to our hotel room to start reading.

"My Utmost For His Highest" daily devotional journal by Oswald Chambers is the book I bought. The readings start January 1st but of course that's not where I started! I started the day I bought the book! So what's the big deal? So far EVERY DAY has been a reading about the things I was thinking about, struggling with, praying for, searching out during this time on our bike trip! My heart is about ready to leap out of my body with sheer excitement and thankfulness of how this all came about. Was I ready to read this stuff in January? Probably not. However, God knew what I needed now and so He guided my steps to the restaurant, close to the book store which was close to our hotel and made sure I got what I needed! Ironically one of the first readings in the book was something I did not agree with but instead of being discouraged about it or the rest of the book I marked that page with my own thoughts which further cemented what I believe the Bible to say about that topic. I think it was a matter of Chambers trying to say something but not actually speaking the words on a matter that to me was very important to be clear about.

We can take a break from our lives and surroundings but as Christ followers we take God with us wherever we go and He is just never silent. Not even when I'm on my bike! He can get my attention above the roar of the engine and speak absolute peace into my soul! We have an AWESOME God!

....across the room to end this....

If this looks really good to you I would suggest a drive through Creston, BC to enjoy these bottomless cups of coffee and the biggest cinnamon roll we had ever seen. The topping had a decidedly syrup-ee taste to it. Different and yummy. I'm sure it's not necessary to mention here that this giant roll generated a number of comments from passers by as we smacked our lips and licked our fingers, not to mention enticing a few new customers into the bakery as well!

The best part about this coffee break was the sunshine, warmth, friendly strangers, and most of all the relaxing pace of the day....that is to say, we are in slow mode.

Our ride today brought us into Fernie with no room at our favourite hotel. We were about to leave when the hotel clerk came running out to let us know he called a place on the ski hill that had all kinds of rooms available. We made our way up to a great place with a big balcony, leather sofas, and a bed so tall we almost need a ladder to get into it! The bonus? There's nobody up here! We haven't heard this much quiet since we left home three weeks ago! What a perfect ending to the best holiday ever! Tomorrow, we're homeward bound and I can't wait to get into my kitchen to bake something. Cinnamon rolls, perhaps?

...across the room to make some notes...

The day started off with a nerve-wracking ride across a 7 km. bridge laden with various and sundry road kill.

We kept turning in the wrong direction although in the end it turned out to be the right direction. I was having one of those days where left felt right again.

I wanted to stay in the town where we had lunch because the food was just that good.

We stopped to buy a set of head phones for the GPS and a guy came to talk to us. He asked where we were from and then told us that he came down from heaven in 1972 but he only told special people about that and we were special people.

Our GPS kept telling us to go right so we went around the block.

We finally found a beautiful Hampton Inn, Starbucks and Olive Garden all in the same town.

We stayed!

It was a very good day!

...across the room to remember a little song.....

We arrived in Oregon today and made our way up the coastal highway taking in scenes such as this along the way. I don't know when I've ever enjoyed the ocean as much as I have on this trip. The wind, cooler temps, annoying motor homes, truck/trailer combos etc. didn't even get to me! We found interesting places to stop and little sea side restaurants and coffee shops to unwind and talk about the scenery and the ride.

As I looked across the water as far as the eye can see I was reminded of a song I learned when I was a kid...."Wide, wide as the ocean, high as the heavens above; deep, deep as the deepest sea, is my Saviour's love. I, though so unworthy, still am a child of His care; for His Word teaches me, that His love reaches me EVERYWHERE!"

I couldn't believe I remembered all the words to this little song. Actually I remembered them better than I used to sing them. When I was a kid, not thinking about the words, just enjoying the melody, I used to sing "I, no so unworthy!" I also used to sing "True patrot love, in all our signs command" during the singing of "O Canada"! I could go on! I was always more interested in the melody than the words! Today however, the words spoke to me. That water is looks so enormous, sounds so strong, and seems to be everywhere at the same time. I sang this little song and basked in the assurance of God's great love for me no matter where I am. As another song says "He's as close as the mention of His name". It was a sweet moment in the middle of my day to be reminded of God's love through a song I learned as a kid.

Parents, I hope you don't think that taking your children to church and sunday school every sunday is a chore or not important. The scripture they learn there through memorization or songs or in stories will speak to them throughout their lives. It will get them out of tough situations, help them make the right choices and draw them to God. Throughout my life God has used what I learned as a child in sunday school and church in my life to teach, help and encourage me. Make the sacrifice, take the time, and remember, children learn by example. While I was in church or sunday school my parents were there as well. You'll never be sorry for putting in the effort to be a spiritual leader and example to your children.

...across the road to keep my pants down....

I bet that title caught your attention! Normally I like to wear chaps when I'm on my bike but honestly this heat has got me 'taking 'em off'! In fact when we arrived in Redding, CA this afternoon I had to shed the new "mother of all leather jackets" I got for my birthday this year too. I felt the heat stroke coming on and it just had to go! One of the problems of not wearing chaps is that the wind catches the hem of my jeans and hikes them up over top of my boots. Hence the handy dandy jean straps! These babies are leg savers! It was so nice not to have to worry about baring my legs and accidentally burning them on the pipes!

Something else I bought at the Harley shop that saved me from heat stroke today was a tube band, long enough to tie around your forehead, neck/throat to keep cool on the ride. The tube is filled with some type of beads that expand in water so the trick is to soak the whole thing for about 30 minutes which is long enough to cool you for a two day trip! Ingenious invention! They even have vests that are made of the same stuff (I just don't know that I could wear a wet vest under my jacket all day!)

We rode from Chico, CA this morning through the Lassen Volcanic National Park. As soon as we entered the park we felt like we had found a new world! Everything looked brighter, sharper, greener than where we came from! Stunningly gorgeous and comfortable temps. Then we got to Redding and almost sweat to death! I think it's possible to see the heat in the air. Looks like fog! Even the palm trees look tired here!

Speaking of tired, there's a king bed waiting for me! G'nite!

...across the room to Silver City.....""

I love doors and doorways and like to take pictures of them when I see one that especially interests me as this one did. The picture didn't turn out well but I still remember the feeling of standing here, looking at this doorway and wondering what the history of this place was. I hope it was a haven, shelter, refuge and safe place to walk into.

As I got on my bike to resume our ride for the day I remember thinking about all the doorways I've walked through in my life. There have been many. So many were great experiences and opportunities to learn and grow.

Some of the doors I walked through were painful experiences and as I thought about those I was asking God to clarify some things for me that I do not understand. I asked Him to speak specifically to me in order for me to be in that place with Him where there is nothing standing between me and God that would block our communication and fellowship. I knew that I was dealing with some things in my life that are not pleasing to Him and I wanted to be forgiven and made clean in those areas.

He brought to my mind a passage from the book of Proverbs 3:5,6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight."

I have to admit that I simply do not understand everything in my life and sometimes I have to just let things be and trust and believe that God will direct the outcome of the parts I do not understand in the way that it needs to happen. My part is to acknowledge Him in everything that I do and say. That's the tough part.

For instance today we stopped at a place to fuel up our bikes and I ran in to use the washroom. I looked around and saw no washroom facility signs so I asked the clerk where they were. She said "Oh, it's broken!" My eyebrows automatically rose to my hairline and my lips mouthed "Don't you ever have to go?" "Oh," she replied "I have a washroom through the back office where you can't go!" I said "PLEASE! You've GOT to be kidding!" as she pointed to a restaurant across the street and said "But you can use their washroom!" I wanted to scream "I HAVE JUST PURCHASED FUEL FROM YOU. You won't let me use the washroom but you would like me to go to the restaurant across the street where I do not want to eat because I just had lunch and use their washroom! Do you not even feel the slightest twinge of shame suggesting something like that?" etc. but I heard that little voice inside me saying "In ALL your ways, acknowledge HIM" and I had to ask myself how that applied in this situation. I don't know what their policy was. I don't know if the toilet was broken. She probably just works there and is not the owner. I have no idea and it doesn't change anything. I had a choice to make and I chose to walk out without making a scene and I'm glad I did.

The Word of God is sharper than a two edged sword and it cuts right through everything. Just when we think we're a special case or start making excuses for ourselves that Word cuts our excuses into bits and exposes them for what they really are. So often we want to make an exception for ourselves for what we would consider wrong for everyone else. But if we actually acknowledge God in everything we do and say He really will make our path straight.

At the end of the day, that's what really counts!

The picture was taken in Silver City.

...across the room to Carson City and Starbucks...

This picture was taken at the beginning of our trip. Our second day, actually. We decided to stay the night in Fernie and the next morning as we were packing up our bikes we struck up a conversation with another biker couple who almost instantly became our photographer, posing us this way and that way (I thought she might run off with my camera. She couldn't stop herself from taking pictures!).

Tonight we're in Carson City, Nevada after a 500km trek on "The Loneliest Road in America". After settling into the Gold Dust West Casino Hotel (I'm not sure there are any hotels in Nevada that are not Casino hotels!) we went for an early dinner and a walk which wonder of wonders ended at a rather lonely Starbucks (not too many coffee drinkers in Carson City I guess)! We settled in on their outdoor patio, just the two of us, to enjoy our refreshments and watch our fellow bikers ride by, looking for hotels or places to eat I suppose. As usual, our conversation drifted from one topic to the next until we settled on "what constitutes a date within the marriage relationship" (thanks in part to our son-in-law's blog!) I have to say I enjoy nothing more than going out for lunch with my husband and I think he feels the same way. We would just as soon cook our own dinner at night and enjoy the comforts of home in the evening but there's something very special about having lunch together during the week when he has a day off and these lunches often turn into two hour "dates"! We are both rather spontaneous people and I have to say that the enjoyment of these spur of the moment decisions to do something together far surpasses any planned date we've ever had. One of my friends and I often talk about how our expectations can spoil or ruin things for us. Spontaneous dates are free of expectation and usually end up being full of surprise! For me, a date is enjoying being together even if it's something as simple as going for a late evening stroll, coffee on the deck after the kids or grandkids are in bed, or cooking a meal together at home. And THAT dear friends, is a rather abbreviated version of our coffee date tonight!

...across the room to Park City, Utah!....

If we could find it in our hearts to stop whenever we travel an exceptional stretch of road I would have pictures to post today but honestly, the best thing to do it seems when you're on your motorbike and you suddenly find yourself on a spectacular road is to just do what comes naturally (shout for joy, smile, let the jaw hang, stare in wonder, shed a tear of disbelief) and keep going! Such as been our pleasure and sheer enjoyment as we've travelled through Montana, Idaho and now Utah. Oh the beauty that is ours to enjoy!

Every day so far I've thought "This is the most amazing rock I've ever seen" or "the colour on that mountain is like nothing I've seen before" only to be even more surprised the next day that there is something even more stunning than the day before. Can this continue? Really? I'm in awe. That's all I can say.

At the moment we are in Park City close to Salt Lake City, Utah. This is actually a ski resort. We only go to ski resorts in the summer on our motorbikes! We love the down town area with all the unique shops and restaurants. Everyone is out and about in the evening and it's just a pleasure to be part of the crowd. We ate on an outdoor patio tonight and enjoyed a little 3 yr. old photographer two tables from us. He chose my hubby as his target and kept calling "Hey man" to get his attention so he could take his picture. I'm sure he took 37 pictures of us eating! He sure was cute!

Arizona, California, here we come!!

...across the room for a GREAT PLAN....

"Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say you will not understand. When you see what I do you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them." Acts. 28:26,27

Those were the final words from Paul to the Romans before he left them although those words originally were spoken by the Holy Spirit to Isaiah (Isa.6:9-10). Everywhere Paul went he told people about his experience on the road to Damascus and how God changed his heart. He told them that God had a plan for his life before he was even born. And so it is with each of us. God has a good plan for each of our lives. The thing is, it won't just happen like magic. We have to participate in His plan for us with open ears, eyes that look for Truth, and hearts that are receptive to His instructions to us in His Word.

However, just like the people Paul spoke to who refused to believe the words God gave him to encourage them to believe in Him, even today, in spite of all the access we have to Bibles and solid Biblical teaching so many have deliberately closed their ears, hardened their hearts, and focused their eyes on lies instead of truth. Truth is so easily accessible. Inside the pages of God's Word, the Bible, He introduces Himself. He tells us that He knows the plans He has for us. Plans for good and not disaster, to give us a future and a hope. In Jeremiah we read that the Israelites were going to be away from their home for a long time but that God had good plans for them and would bring them back. Still, I'm sure they must have despaired at times during those years and felt pretty hopeless about being away from home for such a long time.

I read today that our sins often make us feel hopeless and despair and sometimes it could even be someone else's sinful decisions or actions that make us feel this way. We can't control other people but often their sins directly affect us. I think in these circumstances we just have to remember and believe that God has a good plan and future for all of us. If you are confused about what that plan for your life is or how to hear from God personally, I would love to pray for you or converse with you.

...across the room for cabin number seven.....

This morning I did something I've never done before. I dropped one of my grandchildren off at camp. I couldn't believe how hard it was to leave him in this cabin, walk to my car and start my 4 1/2 hour drive back home!

He seemed a tad nervous so I decided to make it a two day outing. I picked him up at home for the drive to the big city to find a nice hotel where we could spend the evening and night. He chose the hotel (with my approval) and seemed quite pleased with his choice. The food was "the best" "awesome" and "very tasty" and his queen bed was "the best bed ever"! While I checked into the hotel he made conversation with the desk clerk who seemed quite taken with him. After checking our room I escorted him to the hotel restaurant which included a slight detour to the hotel gift store which he decided was an "antique store". I'm not quite sure why. Before entering the restaurant proper he read the menu posted in the entry and then discussed it with the host. Together they decided he would not leave hungry; the clincher being that ice-cream would be included with his meal! After cleaning our plates it was obvious the pool was beckoning and he had little patience to wait for our check. I had to make it clear we could not leave without paying for our meal and then made the mistake of glancing out the window by which time he had left the table in search of our waitress with said check!

An hour in the pool with two new friends prepared him for a good night's rest. Good enough to sleep until the alarm woke both of us at the same time! This is unusual for this early bird!

I can find my way around the big city but I never get anywhere fast due to the fact that I lose all sense of direction and simply always feel the necessity to turn right. Right always seems right to me! Lucky for me this 9 yr. old is fluent in map and helped me find my way out of the city including a stop at the Golden Arches where he ordered a "sausage and bacon McMuffin" (something they don't have a key for on their till! LOL!) I guess he's the first to order one! It was, of course, the "Best Ever Breakfast!"

We arrived at the camp in record time, thanks to my little navigator! Registration was a breeze and meeting his camp counsellor was a very pleasant surprise. Since this was his first time at camp I had hoped that he would get a great counsellor. Someone he would mesh with. I liked him immediately and I could tell he did too. In fact he walked us to cabin number seven where wonder of wonders the top bunks were not spoken for yet! We got my little man all settled in and introduced to another first time camper. I could see he was settling in for the duration, got my hug, and said my good-byes. After a short walk back towards my car I decided to go back to the cabin and take just one tiny little picture for my little "grandchild picture collection". I couldn't help but smile as I walked in to find him as well as his new buddy sitting on their bunks writing in their notebooks! I got my picture for my collection and left. Again!

On my drive home I kept remembering his cabin with the closed door and I wondered what this experience will be like for him. I also thought how trusting it is of his parents, his Papa and I to leave him with total strangers like this. The family that usually protects him, cares for him and watches over him are hours away from him. Then I thought of the people in charge of the camp and all these little campers! What a tremendous responsibility they take on every year as they welcome these kids into their care. It didn't take long for me to start praying for everyone there. Not just my grandson, but the other campers, and everyone involved in providing this experience for these kids. Some are obviously college students who could be making a lot more money elsewhere. I admire them for basically donating their time during the summer months so that kids can have a place like this to come to. Working at a camp is not something I would enjoy but I can participate by remembering to pray and committing all to God's care! I am also in a position to send kids to camp which is what we did for our grandson this year. What a great way to be involved in this fantastic ministry!

...across the room to quote Mark Twain...

"Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry."

Mark Twain

This quote reminded me of my days in the funeral service industry. One of my favourite aspects of my duties as a funeral director was to help families write an obituary. I was always disappointed when they offered to write their own! With experience I developed my own way of getting the information I needed to come up with a write-up that would be honoring to the deceased and a special keep sake for the family. Through family feed back I also realized that this exercise was healing for them as they laughed and cried their way through memories and special events they related to me.

Sometimes of course I was given information that was not conducive to printing in the local newspaper and editing would be necessary. Death can bring to light the most awful truths in a family. Like a secret mistress who suddenly feels she has some rights and needs to participate in the funeral proceedings. I could write a book on the terrible things that people sometimes have to deal with in addition to the loss of their family member!

Thankfully though, the norm was to meet with families who had a good relationship with their loved one. I have always loved biographies and auto biographies so it was just natural for me to listen to families reminisce and talk about their loved one. As they talked I would make notes and ask questions. I preferred to do the write-up after they left the funeral home. It meant that I didn't have to hurry but more importantly, I would usually make an appointment with them to meet at their house so that we could look at it together and I could see where and how they lived. Often by the time I had their stamp of approval to send it to print i would find myself telling them "I really wish I could have known your "loved one"! Many times I just knew I would have enjoyed knowing that person.

Every person has a story to tell. Another aspect of funeral service is to prearrange funerals for people. This is not nearly as intense or sad because nothing has happened yet. There has been no loss. I remember one couple in particular who came to see me in the office to prearrange their funerals. We laughed and talked as we made all the arrangements. Later she told me that when she went home she called her sister and told her "We made our funeral prearrangements today and did we every have a great time! You should go too!" Her sister's response was "You are crazy!"

Often as I heard people's life stories I would tell them "Why have you not written a book about your life!" There are some amazing stories and heroes living right in our neighbourhoods! Do you know your neighbour? Your might be very surprised at their life story! These are the people I got to meet, know and enjoy before their time on earth is up!

Have you ever wondered about your story? Have you ever tried to write your life story or at least a certain aspect of it? It's a great exercise to get it down on paper even if it is just for your own eyes. You may just start dancing for JOY and THANKSGIVING for the life that you have. Or it could help you sort out some of your difficulties if you are experiencing struggles. There's nothing like seeing your life in black and white to gain insight, provide clarity, and pave the way for tomorrow!