It's North to Alaska, goin' north the rush is on...

     Well, the bags are packed and standing by the door.  There's (maybe) a little room left to bring something home for the family, some little trinket like a key ring or potholder. The house is as clean as it's going to get, because the oomph is all gone. It will be pleasant to enter, but not good enough for a BHG spread.  So now it is time to review the packing list one more time, knowing that no matter how many times I review, I will always leave something behind.
     I've checked for my passport at least a dozen times, and still fear I won't have it. Can you tell I am an unseasoned international traveler? When I went to Canada, it was basically just a quick greeting, and off we went to the real purpose of our trip.  Times have changed.  We'll have fun with it, too, because we'll be going in and out of Canada a few times.
     The beginnings of  this journey actually reach back more than four years. Beth had moved to the Atlanta area, and her girls came to this school district.  Katie, the second grader met a new BFF she could not quite talking about at every possible opportunity.  A couple of miles away, Lily kept talking about the Katie in her class who was just her best friend.
      Of course, good mothers got curious, and decided to both accompany their daughters to "Skate Night".
The girls skated, fell, laughed, fell, and generally giggle most of the night. The moms became great friends, and both of those friendships continue to flourish.  When I arrived on the scene the two moms thought it would be fun to do something with their two moms, so dinner and a play gave the two grandmothers a chance to get acquainted. Sue-Ann and I had pleasant conversations discovering similarities.  We had lunch or dinner a few times, and then she invited me to her Traveler's Club.  One of the potential trips was an Alaskan vacation, and I just set that off to the side as something to think about. That fell through, but Sue-Ann was just reading her emails from Holland America and saw a cruise, calling me when I was in Arizona.
       I decided retirement money should be spent before it's all spent on a nursing home, so the cruise was on. And now the cruise is here, I'm about to turn thermostats up and water temperature down, check windows and doors. run the dishwasher, grab a bite and go to a hotel near the airport, so we can get up at 3 AM without someone from our family having to get up them, too.

So, it is my hope, based on absolutely no real idea of what will happen to record some of the memories here. I'll post on Facebook, but for those who enjoy reading a little more of a story, I'll share the link to whatever short or long thing I've done along the way.
   
So join with me as the journey heads North to Alaska.

A Little "Miracle", A Big Blessing

Retreat To Be Renewed, Refreshed, Redeemed.

Last weekend, I attended a retreat with my daughter's church, though not with her per se as she and her friend were going together.  Ladies from the Wednesday evening dinner and Bible Study invited me to attend, so I decided to go, just to get away and meet some new people.

One part of the retreat was a Secret Angel activity.  Those who wanted to participate could sign up on a sheet of paper as they checked in and then pick names out of a basket to get the person they would give three little gifts to over the course of the retreat.  You pretty much had to commit to doing the Secret Angel before you left, because we were out in the hills so getting things after arrival was not a good option. I was already psyching myself up a little because I was a tag along.  Beth was really there with her friend, so I was on my own, knowing a few of the ladies from the Wednesday night supper and Bible study I attend there.  I am more naturally an introvert, so jumping into an unknown situation with people I don't know is always a challenge, but where better to practice than among God's people?  So, I decided to suck it up and not worry what someone might think and just go for it.  I went out shopping for little gifts.  I started at Target and found three gift bags with big flowers on sale.  The theme was "Renewed, Refreshed, Redeemed" with a butterfly as the symbol for the weekend, so I bought some butterfly stickers to put on the bags.  From the initial decision, I thought a little candle and candle holder would be a good gift, so I picked up a pretty aquamarine votive cup and matching candle, thinking that the redeemed become a light to the world, so bag three was done right there.

The next thing I saw was a little bin of play-dough.  Something just made me want to get it, certainly not anything logical in my mind, and a bit scary since I was giving whatever I gave to an unknown woman.  My mind started working around the idea that one way to refresh was to just play or color, so the theme of the second bag was set.  I felt it was pretty likely that the play-dough would go in, but gave myself permission to keep it if I chickened out.  Next, the colored pens called to me, so they went in the bag.  Nothing else seemed quite right, so I moved on to Ross to just wander their section of home and office stuff.  I shuffled through aisles of "stuff" thinking of ways to incorporate items into the weekend theme.  Halfheartedly, I put a couple of things in my basket. Then I saw it.  Sitting in the front a a bin of address books, notepads and other paper products was a  journal.  Butterflies flew in a lavender background, and unlike a similar journal in another store this one was a reasonable price. Experience teaches me that writing is renewing, so bag one was complete.  That left me with two done and one that just did not feel complete and nothing more at Ross.

Across the parking lot, the Marshall's beckoned, so once again just perused the store waiting for something to look right.  I put pretty towel with butterflies in the cart but still didn't feel quite satisfied. Then the little artist's box of pencils, pastels, and crayons jumped out and confirmed that the renew bag would be all about being a child again, playing with color.  If I had known sooner it might have included an grown-up coloring book.  I took everything home and began wrap it in tissue and stuff it in the bag.  My insecurities finally forced me to say, oh well, if "she" doesn't like the bag, she can regift or give it away.

On Friday evening after drawing my recipient, I sneaked down the hall with the bag clutched to my chest, hidden by my quilted vest.  The hall was quiet and no sound came from her room, so I dropped off the bag and fled, hoping for the best.  Saturday morning, I went to the meeting room just a little early.  Only one person was sitting at the first table, and it was "my lady" so I decided to sit down, play it cool and get to know her a little.  She was busy recopying her notes from the night before into her new journal.  I got to visit and know her a little bit before the morning session. Later in the afternoon, the second bag was put by her door with a prayer that she would understand the message of the little card from my stamping files.

Sunday morning, at breakfast was the last gift and the big reveal.  When I walked over to her table to give her the bag containing the candles, her eyes sparkled and she said that she loved the play bag.  "I always have to have something in my hands when I watch TV. I will enjoy playing with the play-dough and sharing it with my 20 month old granddaughter.  Coloring is one of my relaxations, and I buy grown-up coloring books regularly.  Thank you; this made me smile."

On Sunday after she opened the final bag, she came again and expressed how much each gift met a specific need in her life.  We found that we shared being stampers who are on hiatus because someone else has our stamps right now.

I do not believe that was coincidence, but God at work in the little miracles He does even through us.  It reminds me to be open and listening, that everything doesn't have to be a big deal. He delights in us and delights to use us to bring joy to each other.

Zephaniah 3:17