Escaping

Sometimes in life one just needs to escape. Not only to escape from the daily life of work and stress in one's life but to escape from the wider world and all of it's continuing horror.  This past weekend I did just that. I spent two days up in Comox having fun and sharing in lots of laughter. Laughter to me is the best medicine when life gets me down and laughter is at its best when you share it with those you love. 

Friday night we took a quick stroll down to the beach to walk the dog. The wind was blowing and the waves were large and foaming on the shoreline. Walking near the ocean in the wind is one of my favourite things to do and it always brings a smile to my face. 

It just feels so good to have the wind on my face and even better if the sun is shining as well. It's a great way to connect with creation and be thankful for the simple things in life. 

Saturday we took off to Nymph Falls and went in the opposite direction of the falls hoping to make it to Comox Lake and the damn approximately 6 kms away. It was a beautiful trail that followed the river for some time before heading off into the woods. It was very quiet in the woods and gave us a wonderful time to chat and catch up. We really didn't see any other people on the trail and at times the quietness of the forest was rather spooky. Looking across the river at the swans against the frozen snow brought a sense of peace and calm.

There was much more snow on the trail than we had anticipated so we had to turn around before reaching our destination. However I do hope to give it another go in the spring when the walking will be much easier and the scenery will be full of different colour.  

Sunday we woke to rain but decided to go forward with our snowshoeing adventure on Mount Washington. By the time we reached our destination just down from the actual ski hill the snow was coming down in huge large wet flakes. It was beautiful. 

We headed out and went off trail through the trees breaking our own trail. It was quiet and magical. 

The snow drifts were clear of any tracks and we felt like we were out in our own little world. Eventually the snow stopped and the sun came out and the whiteness of the snow and the views were just amazing.

 We stopped on the side of the small hill and shared in a lunch before heading back up hill to the vehicle. 

Upon reaching the crest of a small hill we posed for some silhouette pictures against the sun, however I stepped on my own snow shoe and tumbled backwards into my daughter sending us both into the snow with lots of laughter. 

It was a weekend full of fun and laughter and most of that laughter was at myself and to me that is the best kind of laughter. When one feels free and safe enough to just laugh at their own fears or silliness with people they love it restores. It drains away the tension caused by stress and just allows one to have relaxing fun and forget about the rest of the world, if only for a few minutes. 

I am thankful that I am able to escape from the "real" world and enjoy time out in nature. So many folks are unable to. They are dealing, on a daily basis, with the horror of others cruelty because of their race, religion or other factors in their lives. Today as I returned to work and folks shared with me their disgust over what is happening in our world this week, I was able to just sit and listen and be present thanks to my restorative weekend. I find the politics on our world frustrating because it gives me a sense of helplessness. I feel there is nothing I can to do that will make things right with the world. Thankfully, when life gets too full of cruelty and negativity I shall be able to look back at this weekend and remember the laughter and "escape" once again for a few moments of time. If only it was so easy for all. 

Reflecting Light

I love the moon and have for most of my life. This week as I drove to work I looked up to the moon, in its full state and admired it's beautiful bright white glow. Even though it is 384,400 km away from the Earth it shines down in the night casting a beautiful light across our planet.  I wondered why I love the moon so much and not the sun. After all the sun gives us warmth, it gives us light and is a requirement for all of creation. One would think that the sun should be more worshiped than the moon. On the other hand as much as the sun gives us life it can also bring us great harm, whereas the moon, powerful enough to control our tidal waters, doesn't do harm to us as people.

I realized that the reason I love the moon is because it doesn't shine its own light but reflects the light of another. It is how I want to live my life and what I feel we are called to do. We aren't here to stand alone and be boastful in our deeds but to reflect the light of our creator and share that light with others. It's what we do at my church,  every project we do, we do together, reflecting the light and gifts of each other and share it with others in our community and world. Without the sun the moon wouldn't have any light to reflect down on us in the night.  Without the support of each person, we wouldn't be able to do all that we do. We need each other. The light and love that surrounds us, gives us the hope and strength to work together to make this world a better place for all people. It all takes time and hard work but step by step, as a team, we make a difference in many people's lives. 

When I think of all the good work that non profit organizations do in our community it is just mind boggling. There are so many people who volunteer their time to help others through food banks, thrift stores, health programs and social groups that raise funds to support local projects. Every time we take part and offer our time and gifts we are reflecting the light onto others.

The other evening my daughter and granddaughter and I went to sit at the beach and watch the moon rise. As it rose it was a beautiful orange colour and was just gorgeous as it reflected light across the waters. My granddaughter who is two was so excited to see it come up over the mountain.  That night she had a sleep over and when she woke in the morning she looked out of my window and saw the moon. She was so very happy and kept saying "moon, moon, white, white"  She noticed that the moon when up high in the sky was white whereas when we had seen it earlier it was orange in colour. It's so wonderful to share some of the simpler things in life with younger folk and share in their excitement. 

So when you are out at night or just feel surrounded by darkness, look up at that beautiful white moon and remember the light and love of creation and  all that we do when we reflect that love and light onto others. Reflecting the light and love of others is what will make our world as beautiful as the light of the moon shining across the deep waters of our planet, bringing light to our dark times. 

Great day!

It's been a great year so far with a couple of days of hiking in our snowy weather. Today we decided to skip the ice and snow and head to the beach and cache. We walked along the trails and beaches at Rathtrevor Park and the weather was fantastic! Blues skies and yet still around 0 degrees. 

We spent more time taking pictures than we did anything else but it was a peaceful morning. The mountains in the distance were just spectacular with the sun shining down on their snow covered peaks. Not only were the mountains covered in snow but so was the beach.

Was I ever surprised to find snow at the beach! We are having one of our coldest winters ever and I have never know it to stay below freezing for so long. The waterfalls and streams are all frozen over but it never dawned on me that there would be snow at the beach! 

Never before have I seen snow on seashells and seaweed. It was just beautiful to look at. It just goes to show that one never knows what you might find when you head out on an adventure.

It's true with most things in life. Life changes, things happen unexpectedly, one just never knows what might happen or what they might find on their journey. I have to admit I am not great at surprises. I like to plan ahead and know what to expect when I go somewhere and yet when I am out exploring,  I love not knowing what lies around the corner. It brings mystery to the day.

Last year was a difficult year for many of my friends and folks in the world. The unexpected is not always positive or a good surprise. Sadness and difficult times can reach out to us without a moment's notice. It's what keeps us making the most of each day and taking nothing for granted.  

I pray that this year will continue to be a year full of wonderful adventures, filled with time outdoors exploring and connecting with creation and lots of positive surprises, like snow on the beach,  in everyone's lives.