Sabbath Road

Its been a full, very full 10 days since my last entry... On August 16th I arrived in St. John's to begin preparations for the Annual General Meeting of the Board of Directors of Kairos Pneuma Chaplaincy Inc.  On the 17th my colleagues arrived and on the 18th and 19th we held our meetings filled with cautious hope for the future. I had planned ahead for the 20th.  This date would have been Anna and I's 27th wedding anniversary and I knew it would be a difficult day for me... grief and sadness mixed with all the other feelings of self affirmation and hope that were part of making a very difficult decision.  I knew that Dad would understand and I wanted him to be close.  And so it was on this day that we rose and did a little 'tour around' as they say in Newfoundland: Signal Hill, Quiddy Viddy, Outer Cove, Middle Cove, Torbay, Flat Rock and Pouch Cove.  At Pouch Cove we did a little off-roading trying to get to Biscayne Cove... lets just say the adventure spirit do

It was a rather uneventful day on the Sabbath Road... I spent the morning working in the the room and connecting with folk back home including Zack, hearing of his hopes and plans for travel and with Justin, and of his new kitten and furniture building project... awesome boys... so proud of them! With my work done I packed the bile and headed to the Courtyard Marriott - my home for the next week.  I checked in with their new app and was disappointed to learn that my room was not ready... Oh well... there must be something to see in St. John's! I put my meagher possessions in storage and headed off: Signal Hill, the Battery, Water Street and back to Duckworth Street... It was hot... and humid... a rarity for St. John's this summer!! I enjoyed the air conditioned room and ironed my clothes... and boy did they need it after being in compression bags for a week!  I should have taken before and after shots!! With the clothes ironed I went looking for the swimming pool a

Today was a huge loop followed by a fast and direct drive into St. John's and as I rode I found myself thinking about another individual who has come full circle and the pain and trauma that has resulted... I was up at 6AM or so and shortly thereafter Leo arrived back from Marystown with Tim Horton's coffee.  Its a morning ritual of his... to drive the 15 minutes or so into Marystown, get coffee and sit with a few of his friends and catch up before the day begins... he'd said last night, with a sly grin, that he was taking the day off... Shirley rolled her eyes and smiled... he is retired and has been for a while! Leo and I enjoyed our coffee and we swapped a few hunting stories.  We have this in common: the game need not fear us as we are both poor shots!  Leo then got on to telling stories of moose collisions in the area... and these stories were fresh in my mind when I hit the road that morning. As he told stories Leo made me breakfast: toast and eggs.  Boy was

Following a quiet evening of visiting with the Legge family and their daughter and company where I was presented with a gift of moccasins, I slept like a log and was up at 6AM.  By 7AM I'd consumed a breakfast of champions (toast and peanut butter) and was ready to hit the road. The day was overcast but the sun was working hard to break through the clouds!  A great day for riding east... The scenery was breathtaking!  At every turn I was reminded how small and insignificant I am in this vast land... and that I was not alone. At the Borgeo turn off I briefly debated turning south and going to Boergeo - just to say I'd been there... and, I'll not likely be this way again... after doing the math I quickly vetoed the idea - an hour and half down, at least an half hour to poke around, and an hour and half back... too far as I had a lot of ground already to cover... The road was in fine shape.  No hidden rim crushers... nice packed gravel and it stretched o

By noon time it was time to move on... the presentations were engaging and deeply meaningful but I had accomplished what I set out to do: have conversations with senior executives, make connections with potential chaplains and reconnect with colleagues from across the country. As I was walking out the building Commissioners were heading toward the ballot boxes for the second time to choose a new Moderator... Why do the direct route when there is a curvy option? And the day was spent riding in the light drizzle trying to enjoy the scenery through the drops... It was only after arriving in Flat Bay, NL and sharing supper with my hosts that I learned that Jordan Cantwell had been selected as the new Moderator.  I had a delightful conversation with Jordan on Wednesday afternoon reminiscing about Augustine United Church and its Oak Table and the many individuals who found warmth and acceptance there - including me - as an intern during the summer of 1989.  Jordan a