Over the next few posts, I’ll be writing
about my reflections from my time away on holidays. I wrote them all at the same time, and they
are al quite long, so perhaps make a cuppa first!
For starters, holidays for me, is a
difficult concept. It’s difficult to set
aside the time in the year. I really
love my life, so it’s difficult to be away for a significant period of time,
knowing that you’ll miss out on the special events, as well as the day-to-day
events. It’s also difficult to prepare
for – being super organized and having everything done in advance, plus
catching up on everything once you get back.
Despite all that, as holidays were drawing near, I knew I was ready for it,
and needed it! I was feeling exhausted,
drained (in more ways than one), and ready for a break!
There were some things I figured out over
the last three weeks.
Fear: I had to face so many experiences,
where I felt so nervous, to the point that I was afraid. Whether it was fear of things totally out of
my control – airport dramas – or fear that I would make a mistake and end up
spiraling into disaster! Of course,
everything always works out (something Biblical about that, right!) and I have
no need to fear, but it was good to be able to work through all that, and get
to a point where I could say, “It’ll be alright” … till the next thing!!
Experiences: Something that I noticed that
was interesting, was my emotional reaction to new experiences. On day 1, in Canada, I could not get over how
amazing the snow was. By day 5, I didn’t
even notice it, because I’d been wow-ed by the Rocky Mountains. And yet, I felt the same way at every new
experience! “It’s AMAZING!” Also, I was
thinking one day, how can the same girl, get so excited over a frozen lake, a
basketball game, and the Declaration of Independence. It’s weird how the different things I
experienced were so broad, one individual couldn’t possibly be interested in
all of them, but I was so excited about all of them! Then I realized, it’s probably less about my
love for the outdoors, sports and history, and more about this intense
excitement over experiencing something new, something so out there, I felt like
I was in a movie! “This doesn’t happen
in real life!!”
Church: I could not believe how refreshing
it was to attend different Churches while I was away. It’s not just that they were new, and
different, but I was so encouraged and refreshed to be able to just attend. As I thought about it, I realized that there
is something amazing about following someone into Church, being welcomed as a
visitor, worshipping and learning, meeting new people, without the burden of
ministry. Of course, all of life is
ministry, and it’s possible to minister even as a visitor, but to go to a
Church where you didn’t have to serve, to welcome or to work was so wonderful,
and just what I needed for holidays!
No phone:
I haven’t had access to my phone since I’ve been away. While I’ve been checking and responding to
emails, not being able to use my phone has actually been amazing. A few people have emailed asking to call me,
and had I had my phone, I know I would have done that, despite being on
holidays. But not having access to my
phone has been pleasantly isolating!
My day by day journal is here: http://www.tripcolor.com/user/50783/trip/49369-North-American-Adventures
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