Oh my, Diana. I’m not sure how to express how much sharing your experience means to me. I have looked to you many years for guidance. Your vulnerability is so touching to me. I have had several hairpin turns in my life, some of my own making. A huge wrong turn many years ago changed my life in unexpected ways. I admit that I have ruminated about the wrong road taken to my detriment. Your story is helping me to see that even what may have been a wrong turn, I still got home. For me, that home is not of bricks and mortar but of trust that I’m a child of God and loved. Thank you for being you - real, vulnerable, scared, courageous, faithful.
The paths and roads of your travels are astounding, amazing, and awesome as are the metaphors and memories that flood my mind and heart and spirit, bringing both tears and joy. The memories are of my experience at 12 years of age (1957/68 years ago) riding on the back of a large mule going down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. (My parents were on that trip, too.) Those hair-pin turns in the great outdoors, even then, took my breath away. I was not thinking of any metaphors then, although I do remember the awe & astonishment at the extraordinary beauty surrounding me in a way I had never known.
Thank you for sharing so beautifully & honestly about your travels this summer and for taking me back to all those formative years in my own life!
This post reminded me of when I was in Italy this past March when my son represented Canada at the Special Olympics World Games. His sport was cross country skiing and he won 2 gold medals. We had to go up into the mountains to get to the venue. The roads were two lanes but very twisty, poor (if any) guardrails with significant drops off the sides of the roads. Being afraid of heights myself, I can appreciate how difficult it must have been for you.
But the gift of this post was that it reminded me to look enough at what is happening in my life that I can find the message, the grace, the inspiration…. I do pulpit supply in the United Church of Canada and have been going through a bit of a dry spell. Thanks for this post.
I am certainly interested in your new book, but how come you refuse to publish the price? I am on a fixed income and need to know if I can afford to purchase it. I have made this request before to no answer.
Click on the link and you'll be taken to a page with a variety of purchasing options. All the information you need is on the internet. That's why there are links in every newsletter to a purchasing page.
I'm an author, not a book seller or publisher. There's a list price (I'm not sure I even know it because authors generally don't pay attention to these things). BUT - pricing is dependent on the SELLER (not the author). So, if you're a B&N member or an Amazon Prime customer, the price will not be the same as the list price. Also, other retailers offer various deals, discounts, and sales on the books they sell. There's NO WAY I could ever keep track of the options, etc for purchase.
You can also ask your local public library to buy the book for their collection and put you on a list to be notified of its arrival.
In short, I'm not "refusing" (which isn't a very kind word). I ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW THE PRICE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW YOUR STATUS OR MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS WITH VARIOUS BOOKSELLERS. I also don't know if you want hardback, ebook, or audio. I wouldn't want to mislead you or give you the wrong information. Only you can find a bookseller whose pricing options meet your needs.
Diana what you describe as a “moon-scape” above treeline is called Alpine Habitat. Too cold for trees to grow tall, so what little vegetation there is low to the ground. And Alpine Lakes! Sounds fabulous! I remember as a child, sitting in the passenger seat while my mother drove our VW bug up a steep windy road and I was on the outside of each curve looking down at the cliff dropping away! I kept asking my mom don’t let us fall! I was so afraid and upset she finally pulled over (at a safe spot) and explained to me that she had her hands on the steering wheel, and she was NOT going to let us fall! I calmed down after that! I was probably 10 or so at the time. Scary, but the view and the air are worth it!
That is another thing about our travels, whether physical or otherwise; we come home. We come home. And we are often blessed to have friends and loved ones waiting for our return, which is a returning-and-beginning because our travels and journeys and explorations have remade us in large or small ways.
So I welcome you home from all the variety of journeys you have taken over these weeks. I welcome you to returning and to beginning in the company of these friends.
Your video made me think of all my friends who are going through the switchbacks of cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery. It was very inspiring. Thank you, Diana! And Rosemerry's poem was great. I could identify, except that I call such slow vehicles "eejits" rather than "idiots".
Thanks for sharing your experience Diana and especially your fears. Love the analogy of the two metaphors -- the labyrinth and the hairpin turns of the road. Politically, life in the US feels like hairpin turns right now. It makes me want to cover my eyes and ears. But that hasn't stopped the unimaginable consequences. Oh! how I long for the stability of the turning of a labyrinth lived life.
Being afraid of heights, the view of the road woke my anxiety. Makes my palms sweaty. I can relate to the pure powerlessness you experienced during the car ride.
There is a similar road in Mallorca, but not as severe as the one you traveled.
I could tell where you were going and, listening to you recount the terror and the nausea-inducing turns, I could feel it, too. It's hard not to be in control of your destination - AT ALL - and to depend on the driver to stay on the road. Though i am pretty sure I wouldn't want to be the driver, either. Glad you had a safe trip.
Welcome home! The gift you gave all of us from your terrifying ride is the view from which to see the drive up the mountain. Thank you for applying to this time, and to life in general. (I was right there with you as you described the turns on the narrow road on a high mountain road. A terrified as you were. Widening eyes as yours did in the telling of the experience.) The gift
As I listened to this wonderful journey you had in both places, I was reminded of something I often tell myself when I am feeling at loose ends. My job is often to get in the back seat and trust the driver (God). He doesn't need me in the front seat, looking for maps and directing the way, my job is to get in the back, keep my yap shut and let him drive because he knows the way. He'll get me to the place he wants me to be. ( and yes, it's a daunting task)
I'm so glad you had this beautiful experience and a much needed change of place and space. Thank you for sharing your trip and I have faith that something more will speak to you about this time away.
Oh my, Diana. I’m not sure how to express how much sharing your experience means to me. I have looked to you many years for guidance. Your vulnerability is so touching to me. I have had several hairpin turns in my life, some of my own making. A huge wrong turn many years ago changed my life in unexpected ways. I admit that I have ruminated about the wrong road taken to my detriment. Your story is helping me to see that even what may have been a wrong turn, I still got home. For me, that home is not of bricks and mortar but of trust that I’m a child of God and loved. Thank you for being you - real, vulnerable, scared, courageous, faithful.
The paths and roads of your travels are astounding, amazing, and awesome as are the metaphors and memories that flood my mind and heart and spirit, bringing both tears and joy. The memories are of my experience at 12 years of age (1957/68 years ago) riding on the back of a large mule going down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. (My parents were on that trip, too.) Those hair-pin turns in the great outdoors, even then, took my breath away. I was not thinking of any metaphors then, although I do remember the awe & astonishment at the extraordinary beauty surrounding me in a way I had never known.
Thank you for sharing so beautifully & honestly about your travels this summer and for taking me back to all those formative years in my own life!
Yes, we have been on a similar if not the same road in Norway in a bus with our son’s in-laws the first time we visited him in Norway.
This post reminded me of when I was in Italy this past March when my son represented Canada at the Special Olympics World Games. His sport was cross country skiing and he won 2 gold medals. We had to go up into the mountains to get to the venue. The roads were two lanes but very twisty, poor (if any) guardrails with significant drops off the sides of the roads. Being afraid of heights myself, I can appreciate how difficult it must have been for you.
But the gift of this post was that it reminded me to look enough at what is happening in my life that I can find the message, the grace, the inspiration…. I do pulpit supply in the United Church of Canada and have been going through a bit of a dry spell. Thanks for this post.
I am certainly interested in your new book, but how come you refuse to publish the price? I am on a fixed income and need to know if I can afford to purchase it. I have made this request before to no answer.
Click on the link and you'll be taken to a page with a variety of purchasing options. All the information you need is on the internet. That's why there are links in every newsletter to a purchasing page.
I'm an author, not a book seller or publisher. There's a list price (I'm not sure I even know it because authors generally don't pay attention to these things). BUT - pricing is dependent on the SELLER (not the author). So, if you're a B&N member or an Amazon Prime customer, the price will not be the same as the list price. Also, other retailers offer various deals, discounts, and sales on the books they sell. There's NO WAY I could ever keep track of the options, etc for purchase.
You can also ask your local public library to buy the book for their collection and put you on a list to be notified of its arrival.
In short, I'm not "refusing" (which isn't a very kind word). I ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW THE PRICE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW YOUR STATUS OR MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS WITH VARIOUS BOOKSELLERS. I also don't know if you want hardback, ebook, or audio. I wouldn't want to mislead you or give you the wrong information. Only you can find a bookseller whose pricing options meet your needs.
Diana what you describe as a “moon-scape” above treeline is called Alpine Habitat. Too cold for trees to grow tall, so what little vegetation there is low to the ground. And Alpine Lakes! Sounds fabulous! I remember as a child, sitting in the passenger seat while my mother drove our VW bug up a steep windy road and I was on the outside of each curve looking down at the cliff dropping away! I kept asking my mom don’t let us fall! I was so afraid and upset she finally pulled over (at a safe spot) and explained to me that she had her hands on the steering wheel, and she was NOT going to let us fall! I calmed down after that! I was probably 10 or so at the time. Scary, but the view and the air are worth it!
That is another thing about our travels, whether physical or otherwise; we come home. We come home. And we are often blessed to have friends and loved ones waiting for our return, which is a returning-and-beginning because our travels and journeys and explorations have remade us in large or small ways.
So I welcome you home from all the variety of journeys you have taken over these weeks. I welcome you to returning and to beginning in the company of these friends.
Your video made me think of all my friends who are going through the switchbacks of cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery. It was very inspiring. Thank you, Diana! And Rosemerry's poem was great. I could identify, except that I call such slow vehicles "eejits" rather than "idiots".
Thanks for sharing your experience Diana and especially your fears. Love the analogy of the two metaphors -- the labyrinth and the hairpin turns of the road. Politically, life in the US feels like hairpin turns right now. It makes me want to cover my eyes and ears. But that hasn't stopped the unimaginable consequences. Oh! how I long for the stability of the turning of a labyrinth lived life.
Being afraid of heights, the view of the road woke my anxiety. Makes my palms sweaty. I can relate to the pure powerlessness you experienced during the car ride.
There is a similar road in Mallorca, but not as severe as the one you traveled.
I applaud your friend who could drive that road.
And I am glad you are home safely.
Thank you for sharing your story. I will remember this story for a long time.
I could tell where you were going and, listening to you recount the terror and the nausea-inducing turns, I could feel it, too. It's hard not to be in control of your destination - AT ALL - and to depend on the driver to stay on the road. Though i am pretty sure I wouldn't want to be the driver, either. Glad you had a safe trip.
Welcome home! The gift you gave all of us from your terrifying ride is the view from which to see the drive up the mountain. Thank you for applying to this time, and to life in general. (I was right there with you as you described the turns on the narrow road on a high mountain road. A terrified as you were. Widening eyes as yours did in the telling of the experience.) The gift
As I listened to this wonderful journey you had in both places, I was reminded of something I often tell myself when I am feeling at loose ends. My job is often to get in the back seat and trust the driver (God). He doesn't need me in the front seat, looking for maps and directing the way, my job is to get in the back, keep my yap shut and let him drive because he knows the way. He'll get me to the place he wants me to be. ( and yes, it's a daunting task)
I'm so glad you had this beautiful experience and a much needed change of place and space. Thank you for sharing your trip and I have faith that something more will speak to you about this time away.
What a profound reflection on your journeys. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. You have such a pastorly gift.
Diana, I’m so excited about this. A real woman’s devotional! Yea!