To Everything, there is a Season...
This morning, we left our latest house/pet sit, in Nova Scotia and
enjoyed the ferry crossing to Saint John, New Brunswick.
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| The Ferry from Digby, N.S. to Saint John, N.B. |
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| Us on the deck with snowstorm in the background |
After an overnight
stop in Edmundston, we'll be heading for Quebec City tomorrow for two nights,
spending some time with our treasured friends from Vermont, Eileen and Dick.
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| Dick and Eileen - our Vermontian 'family'! |
The following day, we’ll be setting out for Ottawa, to reconnect with John and
Dianne, our friends from Elliot Lake – who put us on to this house/pet sitting
adventure in the first place.
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| Dianne and John - dear friends from Elliot Lake |
Our final sit of the year will be in Huntsville,
Northern Ontario, over the Christmas period, before we return home just before
New Years. We’re looking forward to meeting Phil and Heather, and their two
dogs, Holly and Maya, and spending the Holidays in their new home.
This afternoon, while on the ferry, I was overwhelmed with a
strong feeling of joy, and a sense of gratitude for the life we live. It really
seems, at times, that we are on a continuous holiday, going from sit to sit,
getting our animal fix, reuniting with friends, and meeting new ones. We both
feel such appreciation for the amazing people who have come into our lives –
new acquaintances that seem to become new friends so quickly, and those folks
of longer standing, who have been supportive of us from the early years, including members of our own families.
The ‘crème de la crème’ for me is that I get to share this
with the love and light of my life. Mark and I share so many ideals and dreams,
and love traveling together.
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| Mark is the love and light of my life! |
We especially treasure the times when we are driving on a long journey, reminiscing about previous experiences, appreciating what we are seeing, hearing, and doing at the present time, and discussing possible plans for our future – and our new car makes the experience even more enjoyable!
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| Our dream car - Toyota Rav 4! (We've had our eye on one of these for many years). |
This feeling of extreme happiness was tinged with a little
sadness as I realized that there are so many people out there who are not able
to experience this joy for one reason or another. Momentarily, I felt a little
guilty for being so happy, and I wish there was something I could do to help
others experience the same exhilaration for life.
Then I remembered the undying
the words of the song, ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’…
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under
the heaven…
…A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to
dance.”
I remembered that, this time last year, things weren’t so
rosy, as I faced some serious health issues; also, there have been times in my earlier life when it was difficult
to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
We all have our challenges – some obvious, some hidden. Things
happen which we didn’t bargain for, and these offer us an opportunity to
appreciate the better times.
The philosophy that we have embraced teaches us to move,
little by little, step by step, towards seeing the goodness in life and in the
people around us. Spending time in nature, and drinking in its beauty, helps us
to focus upon the positive, and to bring those negative moments into
perspective.
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| Our last view of the lighthouse at Point Prim, Digby, N.S. (The light shining in the fog is symbolic for this article) |
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| We drove until we found a pleasing view by which we could eat our lunch |
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| Appreciating the clouds in the sky, and the surrounding rocks and trees on our journey |
We don’t always succeed in doing this, but we never give up taking
those little steps, encouraging one another when setbacks occur. It is not
always easy, but we feel that, if we look for it, we will find a way to choose
to focus on something that makes us feel a little better, and then a little
better, until we have switched our attention to appreciation of what we have.
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| Not always easy, but well worth making the effort |
Life is not perfect, and will always offer
contrast into our experience; but with practice, we can lift our spirits,
negotiate the troughs, and ride the waves, once again.
I would like to share a very personal story.
When my dear beloved brother, Derek, became seriously ill,
four years ago, I remember sitting alone with him at the kitchen table in his
home. He was reading the newspaper and I reached over to him, touched his arm,
and told him that, although we try to focus on the positive, I wanted him to
know that I was heartbroken over what he was going through, and the inevitable
outcome. His response to me was one that I will never forget.
He told me that
he understood how I felt, but that Mark and I should not put our lives on hold
for him. He reminded me that he had lived his life, and he wanted us to do the
same. I promised him that we would do just that – live life to the fullest –
but that we would make adjustments, out of love, so that we could spend more
time with him.
I will always treasure that special moment in our relationship,
when our hearts met and our watering eyes held each other in a gaze of mutual
respect and admiration.
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| Me and my brother, Derek, when he visited us in Elliot Lake (May, 2014) |
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| My beautiful brother, Derek. (R.I.P. March 19th, 2015) |
Our philosophy teaches us that the best thing we can do for
others is to give them the example of our own alignment so that, in witnessing
our joy, they can be uplifted towards their own.
We are constantly being
reminded by our friends that they live vicariously through our adventures and
that the pictures and comments we post on social media give them a feeling of
well-being… and that makes us feel very humble and grateful for their kindness
in sharing that with us.
We’d like to thank our family members, and all of our
friends, both new and longer-standing, for continually supporting us and
helping to make our lives even richer.
