Oct 7 & 8

Yesterday was a very long day in the car. We chose to drive from Winnipeg to Kenora in one day. Not a good idea for us! Our only stop was the Canadian Tire. Still, we arrived in Kenora at 7:30, after dark. Having hit a deer during twilight time last May, we have decided that driving northern highways after dark is dangerous. We were both relieved to roll into Kenora. We returned to the same hotel, which felt like coming home. Their little restaurant was open. Hallelujah. Following our good supper we swam in the pool and languished in the hot tub. When we crawled into bed we felt loved and cared for again. There isn’t much to say about yesterday except we had to trust in God as darkness fell.

This morning we slept in until 7:30. After breakfast we stopped by Knox United in Kenora and headed out. As we were driving into Dryden Tom watched a Golden Eagle swoop across the sky, elegant and powerful. At Dryden we visited First United. By the time we got there I was desperate to answer the call of nature. Their fabulous office administrator, Laurie H. went the extra mile to lead me downstairs, turning on lights as we went. Afterwards we had a grand conversation. Laurie is a fabulous front line person for First United. The office administrator’s greeting and response to visitors is crucial. Laurie was helpful, knowledgeable and fun. Although their new minister had left for lunch, she knew who to call about my books. Although that person wasn’t available to come, she trusted Laurie enough to give her permission to check out my books and purchase them if appropriate, which she did. We were impressed. God’s Spirit certainly emanated from Laurie.

From Dryden we drove on through a landscape alive with colour – yellows and greens of every possible shade. Coming into the Kaministiquia River Valley leading to Thunder Bay there was a point where God’s magical paintbrush had transformed the hills all around us. I’m sure Tom struggled to keep his eyes on the road.

Tonight we took grandson Ben out for dinner. He chose Mongo’s, an excellent choice. The food was delicious and also an experience. It’s sort of a buffet. The fresh veggies, meat, fish and varieties of noodles are laid out raw, ready for grilling. We were given one bowl and told to heap it as high as possible putting the noodles on top. Over all of that we heaped at least seven scoops of sauce. There were a multitude of sauces – some spicy  – to choose from. Once loaded up we took our bowls to the huge circular grill where five young people were cooking. A loud hiss and lots of steam erupted as they emptied our bowls on the grill. Once cooked our meal was placed in a bigger bowl and handed back. On one side of the buffet they had a series of recipes to help in my choice of sauces. My creation was absolutely perfect. I even managed to eat my entire bowl. After all with all those fresh veggies this had to be good for me. We enjoyed our visit with Ben. He’s a wonderful young man. Tom and I are totally blessed by our grandchildren.

As we go to bed tonight, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for our amazing lives.