Our reasons for coming here probably still exist. I love this quiet way of living. I love the puttering in the greenhouse and coaxing things to grow. I love watching my husband play with a chain saw all day long ... although the trees seem to disappear while he's playing. I love listening to the train in the quiet of the morning. I love watching a squirrel run up and down trees looking for snacks. I love waiting for the moose to come visit in the spring and am thrilled when she brings her babies with her. I love the fact that I don't need sunglasses in the summertime because the sun is too high in the sky. I love watching the snow line on Pioneer Peak and judging the seasons by when the sunlight streams on the parking lot at work or through my dining room window. I love the people of Alaska. The stories I have heard of the things they have experienced will forever live in my heart. The kindness of everyone. I could go on to fill many blogs with the things I love about Alaska.
Along with the delicious experience of living here, we've certainly experienced our share of heart break and tough stuff in the time we have been here. We've climbed personal mountains. Many times we have celebrated small, even miniscule, victories after stumbling off emotional cliffs. Along the way we have come to appreciate even more so what it was we left behind when we moved. So we have prayed. Prayed that our loving God, who knows our every weakness and our every need, would lead us in the way that would be best for both our children and for their parents.
Either way, we feel blessed to have been able to experience this kind of living. This past week a dear old friend of ours, Walter, was called to Heaven. I was just talking with my sister, Heather, this evening who still lives down the road from where Walter and Sylvia have lived as long as I've known them. Walter often talked of moving to Alaska. I am still smiling about one of his ideas. You see, moving to Alaska would have entailed moving not only Walter & Sylvia, but Heather & Shawn as well ... along with all the farm equipment and animals ... on a rented military plane. I love it. Tomorrow when I drive into the face of the snow capped mountain to meet the school bus I'm going to spend a special moment just thinking of him ... and live a little of his dream.
2 comments:
You're a very talented writer, Anita! It's always a pleasure to read your thoughts, and pieces from your life and your family life.
I especially like this posting! You have expressed so well just how Ami and I have felt - God paves our path that is our road of life. Sometimes we come to a point where we must unlock a gate (one of several possibilities, sometimes) to continue walking this path, and it is as if God gives us a key to open a gate - we must find which gate the key unlocks. Sometimes we try all the other gates before we finally find the one that opens - it seems that's how it was when we came to Finland almost 2 years ago. We tried all the other gates, because we didn't really want the key to fit into the gate that brought us back to Finland. But the Finland gate is the one that opened.
Yes, lots of prayers have been raised to the Heavenly Father during our moves, too. Sometimes my worries have been so burdensome, I realize I have to put ALL my trust in God, and that's how I can continue a new path when one is put ahead of me.
God's blessings to you as you figure what is meant in your future!
That's great that Walter dreamed of moving to Alaska. A person has to keep those hopes and dreams going their entire lives I think. We had a good chuckle last summer when we were visiting our friends who had just sold their Ford 8N tractor to Walter. They were surprised that he was inquiring about it and asked him who it was for, Walter said it was for his use of course. We went over for a visit and admired his new purchase. I love that he LIVED to the very end.
God bless your hopes and dreams for the future as well as those logistical details. We bloom where we're planted they say. Alaska, Arizona, Minnesota, wherever.
~AnnMarie
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