little tiny window in that teeny tiny place

When I posted this photo as my cover shot back in 2012, there were lots of comments about the lovely view. 

But I see more than the view outside the window.
I see and remember and can almost feel the darkness in that little loft...
The black margin around that cheery picture.
The frame of darkness.

And I see a symbol of some of the process we chose to maintain our mental health.

I can remember that the time in this tiny place definitely had an edge to it.
Yes, there was the edge of excitement and crazy abandon and wild adventure.
But there were also moments that could better be described as the edge of despair.

What's the word?
The being closed off inside this tiny space ...
The vulnerability...
Claustrophobic!
That's it.

As I look at this picture today in December 2020...  not quite solstice, with the darkness still encroaching, it feels painfully familiar.  I can see a bit of light and beauty and life but it is still framed in a lot of darkness.

The place we now sit definitely has an edge to it.

Yes, there is an edge of relief and a bit of hope...

But there are also moments of fear that could be described as the edge of despair.

I made it through those months in that small space.

I focused on the light and beauty and hope rather than the surrounding darkness.

Most days.

I can still make that choice today... to survive this depressing time and place.

I can choose to cling to that bit of hope even while not expecting too much...

October steps

Soft and steady steps on hard-packed gravel

Raucous joyful crunch

of brittle poplar leaves lining the pathway eventually surrendering to the hush of silent carpet

Whispered steps

barely perceptible

in the amazingly lush October grass

Curwood Castle

Built in 1922 in Owosso, Michigan, by author James Oliver Curwood as his writing studio, the castle is now open as a museum of his life and writing and his conservation efforts. I had first discovered the castle over a year ago (on a Monday when it’s not open!) and have been wanting to get back to see the inside.  

Such a cool place!
My young sidekick helped me push open the heavy wooden door as it creaked and groaned in protest… and we stepped into our adventure.

We perused the bookshelves filled with Curwood books.

We marveled over photos and stories.


So many stories…
33 adventure novels 

and countless articles

As we wandered around the large room on the main floor, we were careful not to bother the brown bear on the floor.

We sat at the big desk and thought about how many words had been written there and we wrote a few words of our own.

We climbed the narrow winding steps into the tower and found another writing desk between little port holes overlooking the river below.  

And then even more steps to the top floor of the tower with lovely tall windows all around the room.  I think this would have been my favorite writing spot.

We decided to check out the basement where we were discovered that many of Curwood’s stories had been made into movies.  In fact, we got there in time to watch a really exciting part of “The Bear.” 

It seems that James Curwood had been an avid trophy hunter in his early years until he had his own personal encounter with a wounded bear who let him live - after which he became a passionate conservationist and began writing from that new perspective.

“The greatest thrill is not to kill but to let live.”

 - James Oliver Curwood

Our adventure made us hungry so we went outside and found a lovely peaceful spot by the river for a little picnic.

What a great adventure!

...

Photo cred to Bob Sims at SimsShots Photography for the cover shot at the top of this article.

Snow day!!!

Another snow day!
Snow days are wonderful.

We’ve had lots of them so far this winter.  

Lots of opportunity to enjoy Michigan winter.

Disclaimer:  even though I am no longer a teacher or a student nor am I personally affected by snow days, I still notice them - perhaps because they were always such a wonderful part of winter.

…

During the years we lived “on the road” we were away from Michigan for four winters. Despite our fun adventures in beautiful places, I had begun to feel like something was missing.

The kids and grand-kids. Obviously. 

And friends.
And a sense of belonging and community...

And then one day I happened upon an article that grabbed my attention. 

…

I started reading it and then I stopped reading so I could write about it.
I simply had to interact with what I was reading.
I was compelled to try to capture these thoughts and feelings.

I found myself crying as I read some more and as I wrote some more.

I began to recognize some of what I was missing.  
Some of the nostalgia associated with Michigan winters for me.

…

Snow days...
  

Memories from my childhood.

The smell of fresh bread baking. 

Curled up with a good book.

Going sledding on the big hill on the dead-end road.

Clambering up onto the huge snow banks piled high by the snow plows.

Coming back inside the house chilled to the bone.
Standing over the huge floor register as the warmth rising from the furnace below spread through those cold muscles.

Maybe get out a big jigsaw puzzle.

Definitely a holiday feel.

…

And then there were the memories from our years as teachers and with our own kids...

A roaring fire in the fireplace.
Not having to do anything or go anywhere - unless we decided to walk to Grandpa and Grandma’s place.  
Or to maybe walk a little farther across the fields to the other grandparents!
Or just listen to our boots crunching the snow as we walked through the silent woods.

…

But it wasn’t just the snow days.  Even when life was moving along on a “normal” schedule, something was different about wintertime. Something special and valuable. 
A sense of coziness.  
Not really hibernation, but of feeling snug and at peace.  
Of having time to breathe. 
Time to BE and not just DO.  

Maybe I shouldn’t say this out loud, but I really loved January and February - because I felt like they offered a chance to slow down and think.  To process life.  To learn. To read and study.

…

And so on the day I read that article I remembered what I loved about Michigan winter. 

I learned that “Norwegians … have a word, koselig, that means a sense of coziness. It’s like the best parts of Christmas, without all the stress.”  

Yes!  That’s it.  Or at least, that’s part of it.

That’s what I was missing. What I was wishing for.

And so I kept writing and thinking - trying to articulate what I was feeling.  

And of course I wondered what hubby would think.

He had been the one who wanted to get out of Michigan winter.

He had suggested that we try it for at least one year and then maybe alternate - one winter in the south and the next in Michigan.  I had agreed to give it a try.  

We spent that first winter in the tropics and I was okay.  And then we got our RV and did two more winters in the south - as far south as we could drive the rig.  And then we flew to the tropics one more time. We found some great spots in each of those winters.  

So what would he think?

He quickly agreed that it was certainly my turn.  AND he even felt like he also was ready to come off the road and settle down for a bit.  So we decided to give it a try.  

And…

Not only did we survive a Michigan winter, but we found ourselves ready to buy a house and put down roots.  In fact that was his idea.  He realized that he was ready for some “projects” - as in to do some carpentry again.

…

Years earlier, when we put the tree farm up for sale we had decided to try out the life on the road and then see whether we ever felt like buying property again.

And here we are - in an old historic house with lots of projects to be done.   

And here we are - smack dab in the middle of a Michigan winter.

Granted; I have to admit that winter in the city is far different than winter in the country - but some things might actually be better.  

Like the fact that we can walk to The Local Grocer if we run out of supplies.

AND the cafe next door is still a bustling place - a community gathering spot - even on a snow day!  That’s fun.

But...
Snow days don't automatically mean a slower pace and a sense of cozy peace.
I still have my strong tendency to let my schedule get too busy - especially because there are so many fun opportunities that come with living here. Therefore I have had to make deliberate and even difficult choices to slow my life down so that I can once again bask in the glow of my Michigan winter.

And oh, yes, I readily admit that there are lots of things about Michigan winters that are NOT fun or warm and cozy.  Duh. Dealing with snow and wind and ice and sub-zero temps can be downright miserable - not to mention dangerous and unhealthy.

But still I want to make it a priority to focus on the good stuff and to celebrate the things about Michigan winter that I love.  The things that I need about this season.

So here's to snow days!

Here's to slowing down.

Here's to koselig.

Here's to the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven...
...or a pot of soup simmering on the back burner!

Here's to gazing out at the beautiful snowflakes.

And here's to shoveling them every few hours! 

Year-end letter

Consider this our year-end letter to you - with greetings from our house to yours for a prosperous and healthy new year.

...

What a year this has been!

January 2017 found us safe and snug in a little apartment where we had parked to enjoy a whole year in one place - that place being just north of Flint, Michigan.

After traveling for four years, I had been missing Michigan winters.  Yah, crazy; I know. So we came off the road - at least for awhile.  We had chosen the location because it was somewhere between our moms and a couple of our daughters and sure enough, it was convenient for those reasons.  Plus with the proximity to the universities in Flint, an old dream to welcome and serve International students had been awakened within us and we had begun to connect with some of them.

A few days into 2017, Bob started saying that he might be ready for some projects again and started talking about buying a fixer-upper house.  So we began house-shopping and quickly narrowed our search area to be near the universities. 

It wasn’t long before we found a place that is just right - located between Kettering University and UM-Flint and with enough space to host events and even overnight guests - AND with enough “projects” to keep Bob the Builder busy for the foreseeable future.  We made an offer in February, closed in March, moved into the house in April and by fall we were able to host several different events - for neighbors as well as for International students.

We really love our new neighborhood and our new city.  The move has brought so many happy surprises for which we are grateful.  The area is rich with culture and diversity and so many wonderful people. During our life on the road, there had been very little opportunity for community and I can admit that it got a little lonely, so I totally love the abundant opportunity for community and connections that we have now.

So here we are.  Bob has his projects. He moves steadily along, starting and completing one after another. I am working my way through my own set of projects and am loving the range of options and opportunities.

We often hear ourselves commenting about how much we love our life and this place.  We are grateful indeed for this new adventure of the past year and can’t help but wonder what the coming year will bring.  By this age we are well aware that there are any number of things that could mess things up so we plan to appreciate and enjoy every moment we have in this chapter.

Amazing Day #16: 5 years, 5 months

Well, this is interesting.

According to Facebook memories, it has been 5 years and 5 months since we moved out of the big house and started "life on the road".  


Five years and five months, huh?  Well, give or take a couple days...

Five years ago I wrote this blog post about it having been five months at that point.

And now here we are five years later.



It all feels kind of surreal.  Rather amazing.



So many memories.
So many miles since then.
So much fun to look back on.
So much to look forward to.

I love my life!!!

Buying a house?!?

Big news!

We are buying a house.

That's right.  After coming off the road a year ago, we've decided we like it.

I wrote recently about our one-year lease on a small apartment.

I described how that one year has been so right in so many ways.

It has been a time to get through the rest of those bins and boxes that got moved out of the big house five years ago and hadn’t been dealt with yet.  That is MAJOR accomplishment!

It has been a chance to try a winter back in Michigan and figure out that there is much about it that we like or at least can cope with. 

It has been a time to explore our new little town and to look for places where we could get involved. I have worked hard to make connections here but none of them have really been a good fit for either of us.

This year has also been a chance to explore the Flint area - AND to get acquainted with International students - which has been a long-term dream for us. We volunteer once a week helping students with conversational English. Through that connection, we have realized that that is where we belong. And that is where we long to live - near the university so that we can hang out with students on a more regular basis and so that we can serve them in other ways as well.

So, as the end of our one-year lease approached, we began looking at houses - and we found one!  It is smack dab between two universities.  In fact, it is within walking distance of U of M Flint as well as the old downtown area.  AND the farmers’ market.  I’m not even sure which we are most excited about - because there are so many things we love about the area.

Are there concerns about living in Flint, Michigan?  

Of course, there are.

Flint is often in the national news because of the lead in the water.

And yes, there are safety issues in any city.

But there are concerns about living anywhere. 

In any town or city.   

And even about living out in the country.

On the other hand, there is much to love about living in the city and I’m just beginning to explore them.  In fact, my list is growing by the day.  I’m guessing the things on that list will become topics for lots of blog posts in the coming weeks.

So this country girl is ready to try living in the city.

Stay tuned for the next adventures!

...

Two late notes:

First, we won't be making the move for about a month.
Secondly, you can read Bob's perspective on his travel blog.

The first month back

Once upon a time we were driving along rice paddies and rows and rows of tall palm trees on a palm oil plantation. It had been a good winter in Las Galeras, a little town at the end of the road in the Dominican Republic. We had adjusted to the heat and humidity and maybe even the mosquitos. We were happy with our decision to live closer to town this time. How fun to be able to walk into town each day - for groceries, for French pastries or just to walk the beach. Many days I made more than one trip to town and sometimes accomplished all of the above. But on that particular day we were enroute to the airport to fly home to the good ole’ USA - and had already turned our thoughts to the new happenings on our calendar and especially to our family. 

Once back in Michigan, the first week saw us both sick with whatever stomach bug was making the rounds and surviving an ice storm in our little RV but we also had time to hang out with our kids and grands and both of our moms. We also checked out an apartment that was immediately available to rent - and we decided to take it! Somewhere in there, life got  busy. Soon we were choosing a few things from the RV to take to the new place and moving things from our storage unit. Many of the bins and boxes have not been opened since we moved out of the big house four years ago. We succeeded in emptying the storage unit well before the deadline. Major accomplishment.

And THEN we cared for grand-kids for five days while Mom and Dad attended a conference out-of-state. That week brought great fun, much laughter, lots of hugs, AND total exhaustion for Gramp and Gram.

But, oh what fun to be available to do that! This is exactly why we made the decision to stay put for awhile - to help out with these little guys and just to be near enough to enjoy special occasions with them. Events like a super-hero race!

So here we are - entering a new phase of life. Looking forward to good times ahead. Enjoying the chance to settle down and stay in one place for awhile. Having fun exploring our new community. But no, we are not abandoning travel. To the contrary Bob has already been studying maps to plan the next adventure, but this time with a small home base to come back to in between.

And yes, we will continue to wander about here and there. Now and then.

…

In many ways living in Las Galeras is quite different than living in Michigan. And yet some things are actually pretty similar.

• While in the tropics, I was always hot and sweaty; here I can enjoy wearing sleeves and extra layers.
• While there our schedule was pretty simple; here things can get hectic if we let them.
• Down there I could walk along the beach every morning. Not here.
• Down there we did not have a vehicle - so we walked wherever we needed to go. Here we can jump in our truck and drive pretty much anywhere.
• Down there; I missed my grand-kids badly. Now I can get to them within an hour or two.
• Down there I hauled the laundry down the stairs to wash it and then back up when it was clean. Here in our new apartment, I do pretty much the same routine.
• While in Las Galeras, we could seldom get ice cream; here we can find about any flavor we want.
• Down there we didn’t drink the water; here at our daughter’s house in Flint, Michigan, we don’t drink the water either. At least we try to remember not to…

Daily Tidbits: first week at the lighthouse

Day One - Tuesday, 9-15-15

• We arrived last evening and met our team members. The place is so beautiful. It's hard to imagine we have this amazing opportunity. And so it begins.
• There is WiFi at the lighthouse!!! Wahoo!!! I am downright happy about that.
• After a brief demonstration from one of the other volunteers, I worked the video room most of the morning, re-stocked the cooler, gave tours of the keepers' quarters to some possible volunteer recruits, shadowed someone closing out cash register, learned to open safe. Bob worked in the tower and at various other jobs.
• I am on a steep learning curve! Lots we need to know to be lighthouse keepers. Glad we don't have to haul oil up the tower to light the lamp. Also thankful for a great team to work with and to learn from.
• Exhausted. Feet hurt...

Day Two - Wednesday, 9-16-15

• From our bedroom window, we saw the Badger leaving the harbor on its way back across Lake Michigan to Manitowac, Wisconsin.
• I learned a bit about running the cash register. 

 

Day Three - Thursday, 9-17-15

• Field trip!!! Craziness.
• Somehow Bob and I ended up having the place to ourselves for the evening. The whole freakin' lighthouse and the whole dang beach. How bizarre! Wonderfully peaceful and quiet after having those students here all day. Well, quiet except for the wild wind and pounding surf.

Day Four - Friday, 9-18-15

• Our day off - so we visited the new grand-daughter who is one week old today.
• Stopped at the famous House of Flavors for supper. Fish is excellent.

 

Day Five - Saturday, 9-19-15

• Busy day. I worked the video room all morning, the cash register in the afternoon, and then back to the video room.

Day Six - Sunday, 9-20-15

• What an awesome view. Nine miles to the south, the Badger is heading out of the harbor and across the lake passing a row of seven sparkling white sailboats as a speed boat zips by all of them. Several fishing boats are spread across the horizon as well.
• Lots of interesting and inquisitive visitors came inside and still more lounged outside. On a quick afternoon break upstairs, I glanced out windows to the scene below. Families were sitting and/or playing in clusters on the beach. People strolled along the boardwalks and hiked into the surrounding dunes. So lovely.
• One of my online writing friends came to visit today. It was our first chance to meet face-to-face after corresponding for three years. Fun times. Actually all of us on the team had friends or family visit this evening.

 

Day Seven - Monday, 9-21-15

• Another gorgeous morning - in a long string of beautiful weather. We sure picked the right time of year to be here!
• An interesting day. First visitors were from London, UK, and later some from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Then a keeper from Passage Island and Rock of Ages in Lake Superior. What fun to chat with him.
• It was 2 o'clock before I even knew it - and before I had chance for a break.
• I feel like I'm beginning to understand the process of closing out the cash register. We were one penny off.
• State park ranger, fire and rescue paramedics, and ambulance all showed up in our yard responding to a medical emergency call during the evening. Turns out all is well.
• Finished out our first week with a campfire out on the dunes.

Photo credit: Bob Sims at Where the Robert meets the road.

PJ sunset on the beach

Turns out everybody else on the team had plans for the evening - and we have the place to ourselves. How weird. And how fun!

And that after talking all day to the TWELVE groups of students about what it must have been like to live in a lighthouse. How isolated and remote.

So here we are...

Kinda' fun.

At first all I wanted to do was to sit and relax after a long and exhausting day of work. I didn't want to think about anything. I didn't want to have to figure anything out or solve any dilemmas. I was so tired I barely wanted to eat - and that doesn't happen often. I didn't want to get up and move. I just wanted to get off my feet and do nothing.

I sat gazing out the window. I began marveling at the lonely desolate beauty. At the wonder of it all. How stupendously amazing this is. That we get to live out here in this 15-room house "under the light" as they say in our historical video. And that we even get to have the big old place to ourselves for a few hours. Now 'tis true that we work hard for the privilege. But most of it is fun work - or at least quite interesting.

Here's the deal. I really, really like living where I can hear the waves crashing below our window. And what do you know? Here we are.

Of course, I also love living where I can walk on the beach every day. Unfortunately that part isn't working out so well - partly because the beach is not really walkable here and partly because I have been too busy and too exhausted.

But hey, even as worn out as I am, I can at least go out and sit on a bench for a bit - except that I already put my jammies on. Oh, well; I can go anyway. And so I did.

What a great idea. Wandering on the beach in PJs and enjoying the sunset - just because I can.
 

A big thank you to my photographer hubby
for documenting our time here and our life of adventure.

A touristy kind of day

The day was reserved to meet with friends, to have time to catch up and visit, but it also turned into a touristy kind of day. They gave us a guided tour of parts of their city that we wouldn't have known to look for.

Longway Planetarium was our first stop - an educational site that we WERE familiar with, having visited decades earlier. The largest planetarium in Michigan, the Longway puts on a spectacular show. However, I made a note to myself to also find an Astronomy 101 show - because although I am fascinated by the stars and planets, I struggle to grasp even the basics of the solar system - let alone the universe.

Our next stop was to the newly renovated Farmers' Market.

What a cool place to hang out. 



AND to have lunch!

Besides the predictable fare of freshly baked breads and colorful garden produce and beautiful items made in Madagascar and Ghana, there were lots and lots of little restaurants offering ethnic menus as well as the all-American hot dog or tasty BBQ. And don't forget the homemade pies and cakes and fudge and other sweet sensations.  In the last decade we have learned to love farm markets and this is one of the best we have seen.

I have had sporadic connection with Flint throughout my lifetime - and found myself remembering many forgotten moments. Visiting the planetarium brought back memories of field trips with our kids and maybe, just MAYBE, even one when I was a kid. There was Flint Central High School where I had played the piano to accompany a trio from my choir at solo and ensemble festival - a lifetime ago. We drove by Carriage Town Mission where I had served food in the soup kitchen and sorted through donated clothes for their thrift store and helped prepare the building that now houses the women's center. 

'Twas a good day. A fun excursion. When we were nearly home we suddenly decided to take a little detour. We had recently realized that we had not yet visited the nearby town of Holly and we wanted to explore it a bit before we move away in a couple weeks. So we did. We found the depot and the old hotel and lots of other cool stuff.

The depot was our first priority. We wandered around it - delighted to find it in good repair and wondered about what plans there were for restoration. I peered into the windows imagining what it would have been like back in the day - until hubby pointed out the little post-it note that said "If you can read this, you are trespassing." Oops. The rule-keeper in me began to argue with the adventurer but not for long - because just then we saw someone walking purposefully and directly toward us.

We assumed our exploration was finished. We greeted him and were pleased to discover that we weren't in trouble. To the contrary, he asked if we would like to see more. Turns out he had a key - a new one that he had just acquired and was wanting to try out! How fun! Having lived next door for 25 years, he keeps an eye on the place. He understandably has a wealth of information about its history and seemed to enjoy sharing it.
And then, still another bonus. As we wandered around the big rooms inside, he said "You are in luck; there's a train coming."

Cameraman* hubby scurried outside and quickly found a way to climb some scaffolding to a better vantage point in time to shoot the very long freight train coming through on the fast track. Yes, this depot has tracks on both sides - a fast track and a slow track. The so-called fast track comes through town on a fairly straight course (generally northwest/southeast) while the other comes in at a much sharper turn as part of a line north to Flint and south to west Detroit. I am fascinated with trains and railroads - something I seemed to inherit from my dad - so this was great fun for me.

We meandered through the rest of the historic downtown - enthralled by the old hotel and lots of other cool buildings.

I think we found the best eatery in town - thanks to Kevin, our helpful depot host. He had recommended the Bittersweet Cafe and we loved it.

It's the kind of place that we hope to find in our travels - a tiny store-front tucked in among other shops with an antique door opening into a long narrow row of tables.

How delightful to sit there and rest our weary feet and
gaze up at the awesome tin plate ceiling or notice the nostalgic decor covering the walls - AND to enjoy good food.

The perfect spot to end a fun touristy day. 

... or so I thought.

However...

as we were walking back to our truck...

there was one more sweet little surprise waiting for me...

We walked around a corner to see this...

... which felt like some kind of a secret treasure for me.

I love it!

...

* Photo credit: Almost all of the photos in this post are by Bob Sims of SimsShots Photography.  

** Later note - like four years later! 
Little did we know that we would end up moving to Flint. 
The day described above probably planted some of the first seeds that began to attract us to this city.

A lovely spot - for a season

Best campsite we've had in a really long time. We have all the shades open because there are NO next-door neighbors ten feet away on the next lot. We are nestled into evergreen trees. Lush bright green grass all around with bunnies hopping here and there and a mourning dove cooing overhead. A refreshingly cool breeze sneaks in through the screen door.

Maybe the best campsite ever! Well, except no sewer hook-up. But hey, we have a holding tank so it's all good. Probably I mean the loveliest campsite in terms of beauty and privacy and peace and quiet.

...

It really is beautiful here. Serbian spruce just inches from our dining window. We love Serbian spruce. Actually we are surrounded with lots of the kinds of trees that we would choose to plant if we wanted to create a lovely spot.

Oh, wait; we did. We planted these trees. Many, many years ago.

...

Perhaps an explanation is in order...

Well, you see; there is a big event happening here tomorrow night. It's a concert at the amphitheater that Bob and his "boys" built several years ago. This event was already in the planning stages when the property sale went through last fall. We could have looked for another venue, but the new owners said we could have it here. How cool!!! In fact, they seem to be rather excited to see how it works to produce a big event like this because they are hosting a wedding here in a few weeks. Talk about a win-win situation!

What this means is that we have come back "home" to Hidden Hollows for a few days to get ready for the event. Yes, it is a little strange to be back home, but have it not be home anymore. Except that we do feel at home because we brought our little home with us. And because the owners are letting our family use the log house as a staging area for the happenings. That old log house has so many memories from selling Christmas trees to college friends coming home for Thanksgiving, from celebrating Christmas with uncles and aunts and cousins to hosting youth group retreats - and most recently the two of us living there for a couple years.

...

This is just too bizarre. How can it be that we get to come back here and enjoy this place - even though we let go of it and it no longer belongs to us? Just terribly amazing!

How wonderful that we were able to create this place decades ago! That we were able to enjoy it through the years and to share the enjoyment with literally hundreds of other people. How wonderful that the new owners have graciously invited us back for this week. How amazing that so many of our old friends are able to come for this event. It is exciting to hear from so many that we have not seen for years or decades.

...

And here's the kicker.

Yesterday, we were sort of shaking our heads about all of this. Marveling that we get to be in this beautiful place for a few days and to enjoy such a fun event but also marveling that we don't have to stay. We are not tied down here anymore. We don't have to stick around to mow the acres and acres of grass every week. Hubby doesn't have to start cutting firewood for the winter - because we will be long gone before the snow flies. And he is pretty happy that he is not the one making the mortgage payment or maintaining and repairing everything around here.

...

To everything there is a season.

We have enjoyed so many lovely seasons here. And now we get to enjoy seasons in other places. Nice how that works!

Unexpected gifts

It was an ordinary fall day in Michigan. My brother came to the door as he sometimes did - for a visit. This time he carried a shopping bag which he handed to me. Curiously I opened it to discover a nice warm sweater with a t-shirt to go under it. Puzzled I was. It wasn't my birthday and it wasn't Christmas. It was just an ordinary day. But he had brought me a gift. An unexpected gift. Probably the best kind.

I wore that warm sweater lots of times that winter - and the next. And the next several winters. It was the kind that might have felt picky to me if it didn't have something between it and my skin, but he had that covered - with the soft, comfy long-sleeved t-shirt. How wonderfully thoughtful.

Every time I think of that sweater I have a warm feeling and I find myself thinking about unexpected gifts. And about kind and thoughtful people. And unexpected blessings of all kinds.

...

When we found the perfect RV that day a year ago, it contained unexpected gifts. The fact that we were able to find the floor plan we wanted AND the other important things on our wish list all in the same model... That was a gift.

And when we stepped up into the bathroom we were shocked at the perfect layout. Definitely a gift.But then when we came back to see it again and this time discovered the huge storage area under the bed, that was an unexpected gift! We were new to this culture; we didn't know RV's had cool spaces like that. I was so grateful and felt so blessed.

And THEN after we got the rig home and were dealing with all of the stressors that came with the moving process - and traipsing through the snow to load stuff... Yes, then, when I was trying to figure out how to make the best use of the small amount of drawer space in the kitchen... Then I happened to tug on the handles on the sink front - handles which we assumed were purely decorative - and discovered this wild drawer in front of and around the kitchen sink!!! Talk about unexpected!!! I was flabbergasted. This drawer was perfect to keep silverware and small utensils. I now had more drawer space than in my last two kitchens put together! Wahoo!!! What an unexpected gift!!! What a blessing!

Time after time we have looked around the inside of our rig and been astounded again and again at how perfect it is for us and our needs at this time. So many unexpected gifts packed into such a compact place. I am so terribly grateful.

...

Fast forward to another day in Michigan - this one cold and sad. Earlier as we were leaving cold and snowy Michigan, we had learned that Bob's brother was dying. In February his condition worsened quickly and we made arrangements to come home. After being in sunny California, the bone-chilling Michigan temps were a shock to our systems. There was ice in the toilet and we didn't know if we'd be able to get the old cabin warmed up enough to sleep here. While the furnace began its valiant fight against the wind chill intruding between the logs, we dug out the bins containing our winter clothes.

That's when I was surprised by that old warm sweater and the comfy t-shirt that went under it. Just what the doctor ordered for this cold weather! And unexpected it was. I had almost forgotten about it and would have thought that it had been hauled away to the thrift store years ago, but there it was. An unexpected gift to warm my body and my heart in a cold sad time. An unexpected reminder of unexpected gifts.

...

And now as I recall and attempt to chronicle this epic journey, this epic year, we once again find ourselves going through the stresses of moving and preparing for yet another journey and another year in another place.

 

We are once again facing the unknown. We once again feel excitement mixed with a measure of fear and trepidation. And once again I am wearing that old warm sweater to ward off the coming cold temps. And once again I am feeling grateful for unexpected gifts. Unexpected blessings on ordinary days and not-so-ordinary ones.