Apparently, when I was 3, living in Edmonton with my parents, I wandered out of my room, opened the front door and sat myself down on the front stoop to watch the thunder storm as it rolled through the neighbourhood. When I was 5, I woke up one Sunday morning, got myself dressed and headed to the church next door for my first Sunday service. That same year, I took my 2 year old sister by her chubby little hand and lead her along the main street into Kelowna’s business district. At 14, I took the train from our home in Bellevue into Seattle’s core. At 18, I flew to Zurich with a friend for a week in the Alps, then headed by myself into Austria to attend Capenwray. At 19, I took a night train down the east coast of Italy, hopped on a ship to Greece, flew from Athens to Tel Aviv and bused into the desert where I camped on the beach.
Nowadays my travels are much more civilized. I sleep in hotels rather than city parks, beaches or trains. I eat three meals a day, shower regularly and pay entrance fees. But I continue to wander.
I love Tolkien’s quote, “Not all those who wander are lost.” It follows on the heels of, “All that is gold does not glitter.” Discovery is golden but it appears rather dark at times because of the sacrifice and cost requirements. Some of those costs for me are connection with community at home and my unpredictable schedule, not to mention its demands on my money and time.
I wander because I love learning. The hope of discovery is evident in those who seek and ask, so in a way, the longing to discover is a means of contemplative listening, a way of being in God’s world with eyes wide open to His mercies. At 54 I am finally ready to embrace my wandering tendencies and wait on tiptoe to see how God reveals Himself.
My wide and wandering work with Women in Focus is near closure as my term ends this summer. It feels like I’m coming home after a world tour of justice work for marginalized women and children. Good things are happening through local churches worldwide and I have loved playing a part in the work of God’s love. And to think it all comes of wandering.
I rest assured that I am not lost. I am living out of who I am created to be and discovering gold! The following posts are photos of our time in Portugal, Spain and Morocco; each one golden in its own right, the people, the scenery, the culture, architecture, language, children and more. You are most welcome to wander…
