Maratime-Atlantic...

In case you were wondering, I'm somewhere in the middle of the Cabot Straight.

Decisions on the run...

There are a number of things you learn about yourself when you travel. Some good. Some bad. Much like life, only I would describe it as being a much more condensed version of the lessons you learn as you age--often not having the time to sit back and mull over a decision and instead being forced into action on the spot.

One of the things I have learned over the years is that 9 times out of 10 my gut reaction is the right one. Whether it be my own intuition or the Holy Spirit prompting me, I know it best to listen. I've had several of these since hitting the road a week and a half ago including a rather impromptu hotel switch a few days back. Something I've never done before.

I had been traveling most of the day and found myself hungry and tired and (borderline) cranky. I was passing through Upstate New York and had originally planned to spend the night somewhere in Vermont. However, a longer than expected border crossing the day before (nearly 2 hrs) had pushed my plans into the "Plan B" mode. "Plan B" didn't pan out either with the owner of the only hotel with rooms available in this small town telling me "Rooms are $60--but the water is brown."

On to "Plan C".

This is where I was really starting to get tired and (borderline) cranky. The sun had set about an hour ago and it was starting to rain. Forty-five minutes from my goal I passed a sign on the road "Rooms $40.00" This was it! Or so I thought.

I have stayed in some rather sketchy rooms in my day. There have been times where I thought it best to use a sleeping bag because of the condition of the room. The worst I've seen where in Uzbekistan where I stayed in hotels that I would prefer my mom never know the details of. But I did it and I know I can do it again if necessary.

Having said that, this hotel was sketchy. It was the first time I thought that if I slept in my sleeping bag I would need to burn it the next day.

Long story short, I got out of the room, gave the guy some cash for his troubles (he gave me a full refund), and I hit the road uneasy about touching my steering wheel because my hands had been in contact with the room. Yes, it was that bad.

In case you're curious, 45 minutes later I got lucky with my next attempt ("Plan D"). Nice room, cheap price (in part because the clerk took mercy on me). I really can't express how relieved I was to be there in there and, to make things even better, the extra drive allowed a morning visit to the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid.

Hoping to remember this lesson as my adventure continues.

Holmes County

A number of my friends and I have kept in touch through the years. Knowing the importance of actually 'seeing' someone, I do try as much as possible to visit these friends from time-to-time to maintain ties.

My friend Holley is a friend of mine from the Nazarene church I attended in Salt Lake City. I was fortunate to be part of a very close Christian community when I lived in Salt Lake City. Part of this is to be expected as Christians are in the minority there, but even so at times it took on a level of bonding that I have only rarely experienced elsewhere.

Holley and I have kept in touch via e-mail for roughly 10 years and I recently had the opportunity to visit and meet her husband and 3 kids. She and her family live in Holmes County (OH) smack dab in the middle of Amish country. In fact, I'm not sure she has any neighbors who are not Amish. I learned all about New Order Amish, Old Order Amish, and Swartzentruber Amish which were fascinating! We went out for ice cream after dinner and I couldn't believe the concentration of Amish (all 3 sub-groups) in this area.

One is never really sure what to expect when you haven't seen someone in 10 years, and this reunion was a rather memorable one as we just stood there and stared at one another for a minute or two.

Why stare? This may sound weird, but I really felt like I was staring at a female version of myself. We touched upon this over the next 24 hours as people continually asked if we were siblings and even her kids commented that I looked just like there uncle (Holley's brother).

Today I will pay a visit Lake Placid before heading north towards Canada. More on this adventure in the near future...

Ezekiel 18:23...

The other night I went to a prayer session at Grace Presbyterian. This is the same church I have previously referenced with a heart for the arts. It's a good fit for me and I'd be attending on a regular basis if I wasn't already so involved with another church. I'll be rooming with a guy from this church and hope to be an associate editor or reader for Ruminate, a publication directly linked to this church, so my ties to this church will continue through the coming year. But that's not the point of this story.

Sunday night within the confines of the church basement, we prayed for the church body, city, nation, and planet. The church does this the first Sunday of every month and I enjoy participating as well as catching up with the dedicated group of Believers. After a couple of hours at the church, I drove to my friend Rohit's place. After a brief encounter with an excited St. Bernard--a dog, it should be noted, that reacts as if it hasn't seen me in years every time I enter the apartment--I went to my computer to check hockey scores.

And there it was...the end of a life.

I can honestly say my initial reaction was 'huh...' I carry strong pacifist leanings and question military action in general. But even so, I wasn't sure what to make of the news as I shared the story with my friend. How would others in this country react? How would the world respond?

In the following hours, I was discouraged to learn of celebrations taking place in front of the White House and in Times Square. One very well known pastor went to so far as to post a verse that suggested this was a time of joy. But I also found myself encouraged by the take of so many Christians. There seemed to be a somber response to the news; it was a time of reflection.

I found myself thankful for this second response.