It was New Year's Eve. Maybe 2015? 2016? Earlier? Later?
(Shrugs shoulders.)
I was alone at the lake, sitting on my bed, scrolling through Facebook, when I saw the photos a friend ("Vancouver Kim") had just posted from SE Asia. I was in utter awe of how beautiful the beaches were. She was on an extended solo trip, visiting Viet Nam and Cambodia.
The following day, New Year's Day, as per usual, I looked at the calendar for the upcoming year and started filling in the empty boxes. Alongside that activity, I typically pray about the days ahead and trust God's will be done. At one point I remember saying to God, "It just occurred to me that You've created a pretty amazing earth and I'll likely never get to see all the sites in my lifetime. Rather than get all FOMO (fear of missing out), I'm going to believe that heaven/new earth will be even more spectacular and I'll have ALL OF ETERNITY to explore it all. So help me not go crazy about wishing I could visit Viet Nam and Cambodia before I get old."
And I left it at that.
A few days later, after my January book club meeting, a friend ("Surrey Sandra") invited me to join her and Rick in Mexico for 10 days in mid-February. I checked with work to make sure I could take the time off then got back to her on the weekend, while searching flights saying, "I'd love to go. Which flight is best?" I was thrilled to be away, doing something FUN and sunshine-y on Valentine's Day. She apologized; Rick had invited a couple who were now joining them.
No worries. I was fine.
But I did have a chat with God about Valentine's Day. Could He come up with something for me to do?
I DID have a baby shower to attend, but this introvert avoids large gatherings like she avoids Christmas banquets, 50th birthday parties and dentist cleanings. (Haha. I was praying for God to give me a cold so I had a legit reason to not go.)
Alas. He did not smote me with a plague and I ended up parked on the road outside the house asking Him to give me courage to slip in and make 4 hours of small talk to a large group of women I hadn't seen in years.
Ten minutes late, I walked in the front door, with my security blanket (camera) in my hand. Most everyone was already seated, in rows, in the living room. Sue saw me, waved me over and said, "Hey. Do you want to come to Viet Nam and Cambodia with me?"
!!!!!
GOBSMACKED was I.
He was answering that January 1 prayer on February 14? At a baby shower? THIS is why I wasn't in Mexico? He wanted me here so that I could receive an invite from Sue to see a part of the world I didn't even know was on my bucket list?
Crazy man.
Sue and I had known each other for a few years... our middle sons were good friends. But this? THIS was a whole new level of friendship. TRAVELLING TO ASIA!
Anyway. I said yes. Natch. I was pretty sure God wanted me to spend time with this woman.
So we went. And it was horrifying and exciting and mind-boggling and brain-stretching and fun and incredible and wild and beautiful and if you ever get invited to join Sue on an adventure you absolutely must say yes. It will change your life.
She is resilient, strong, motivated, loving, courageous, adaptable, loyal, kind, caring, purpose-filled and loving. And wise. I have learnt so much about friendships, parenting, and leading, by watching the way she does life.
So. Meet Sue:
(Us in Angor Wat. I had sweaty knees. Sue was calm and cool.)
Hey Sue,
What would you tell your younger self and really hope she understands?
I would like to tell my 21 year old self to stop rushing towards the next goal and to just sit and be thankful and enjoy the moment she is living in. I would tell her to buy the Whole Life Insurance for both her and her husband and to never, ever, sell it - especially not for a first generation desktop computer!
What makes your life meaningful?
Faith and People make my life meaningful. What a relief to know that I don’t need to control everything in my life. As hard as it is to let go of certain things, I have learned to be happy letting God be God. Knowing that he is in control and will ultimately make every sad thing untrue, gives me hope to carry on. I am so blessed by my family, friends, colleagues, and students who bring joy and meaning to my life - especially in the difficult seasons.
Who has inspired/mentored you?
Ingrid Lichti was like a big sister to me when I was 12-18 years old. She was 6 years older than me but took me under her wing when she realized that I was a new Christian with a non-church background. She modeled humility, service, and unwavering faith to me. She passed away suddenly when I was 18 and that experience taught me that you need to have your beliefs and values sorted out early on and that tomorrow is not a given.
What are you looking forward to?
I am looking forward to seeing how each new day unfolds. I have learned not to focus too much on the future and not to fill it with detailed expectations - this usually leads to disappointment! These days I am trying to live and be present in the moment I am in. When I start to think too far ahead, I often become anxious or I get caught up and forget to appreciate where I am at today. I am looking forward to reflecting on all the wonderful memories I’m going to make in this next decade.
What is the best thing about being your current age?
The best thing about being this age are the rich relationships I have with my close family and friends. We have so much history at this stage and have made it through many amazing and challenging times together. I trust these people with anything and don’t worry about whether or not they like me, love me, or accept me anymore. There is a real freedom in that - I can just be myself with them and if I mess up, I know they will forgive me.
When I was younger, I was always trying to please those around me. I have now realized that by being myself, I actually attract people who like who I am and therefore have similar values, interests and goals. If someone doesn’t like me for who I am, that’s ok, I don’t need everyone to like me. This makes life so much easier because I trust my people and know I will never be alone. I have their back and they have mine. When life gets hard, they will be there, and when life is good… OH THE FUN we have together!!
What is your greatest fear?
That something painful will happen to someone I love.
Can you share three major highlights you’ve experienced so far ?
Phil Priebe, my husband and best friend. He sees the best and worst of me on a daily basis and keeps choosing to come back for more - amazing!
My wonderful children and grandchildren. Can’t even begin to explain how much I love them.
My Crazy Career. I always wanted to be an Elementary School Teacher. I got the certificate but never really did it. At some point I was hijacked by Barb Prosser into teaching Post-Secondary ESL, which led to recruiting students from every country I never imagined I would ever visit… Mongolia, India, Nepal, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, just to name a few! Now I am a High School Learning Support Teacher and I teach French 11/12 - not sure how that happened but I LOVE IT!!! I feel like at 60 I finally found my dream job...
Have you had a life-changing event? What did you learn from it?
I’ve had a few… Some good and some bad but the most impactful event was the loss of my son Justin at age 26 in 2013. I almost feel like I am two different people, the person I was before he died and who I am now that he is gone. I have learned that you can survive what you truly believe is unsurvivable and that you can carry a deep and heavy sadness and still experience joy simultaneously.
I have learned that if I focus on gratitude and not grief, the sadness feels a little less heavy. I have also learned that my faith is real and that it can withstand my worst nightmare. Finally, I understand that because Justin’s faith was the same as mine, I will be with him again some day and this gives me hope and peace.
Any thoughts on beauty?
I feel like we all just need to tell people that they are beautiful often - be specific and say it like you mean it! There is just no getting around it that the world makes us feel we are never beautiful enough. Tell people if they have a beautiful smile, eyes, hair, hands, sense of humor, spirit, anything you really think is beautiful about them. I don’t remember ever being offended if someone pointed out something they found beautiful about me. We need to help balance out all the negative stuff people are telling themselves or are hearing from the world around them.
Lightening Round... Haha
One word answers; what are you favorite:
- book: A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers
- movie/show : “Friday Night Lights”
- song: U2 Pride (In the Name of Love)
- city you’ve visited: Copenhagen
- verse or quote: Habakkuk 3:18 “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Quote: Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.
- activity that brings joy: playing Nintendo Switch online with my Danish grandkids
- surprising moment: when they said “it’s a girl!” when Amy was born.
- favorite flower: Freesia
- favorite snack: Kinder Chocolate
- favorite Christmas memory: my dad pretending to be Santa on Christmas Eve when I was 4
Thanks, Sue
xo
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