The Sixty Fifth Year Ends

The Sixty Fifth year ended four days ago.  The year flew by in so many ways and as I mentally recount this extraordinary year, my jaw drops for it was above and beyond ordinary.

I did not even begin to recount within the blog the journeys, experiences and thoughts of these last 12 months.  That statement alone reminds of the adventures that were mine.  They were above and beyond the realm of believable for this lady.  

I experienced miracles that still cause me to catch my breath.  I was protected and blessed beyond description.  I was in mud huts and mansions that few will ever see on either spectrum. 

I began my travels in May of 2015 going to Israel.  From there the travels just did not end. Dubai, Zambia, Honduras, Oregon, Washington, Cabo, Mexico, Germany, Switzerland, France, a variety of Caribbean Islands 2x and ending now in Cuba. I traveled by jet, I got to fly first class across the Pond!! I rode or drove in normal every day cars and had a land rover to navigate the deep sand in Zambia. I rode in trucks with very bad shocks.  Eurail took me from Frankfurt Germany to Basil, Switzerland.  A Swiss tram in Basil, a Mercedes ‘cab’ in Germany that was pure luxury and tour busses.   Who does that in 12 month’s time?

The transportation adventures were amazing in their own right. The  countries and islands experiences were  beyond my imagination.  I sat in a meeting with the Vice President of Zambia.  I was summoned with my group to ‘squat’ before a King in Mongu as we discussed the work we do for his people.  We had to remain below his head at all times.   I was 50 miles from Paris when ISIS bombed it.  I had a witch who had joined my women’s retreat and wanted to put a white spell upon me.  A man under my watch on this same retreat fell to his death from the 10^th balcony of a ship.  In between these few sentences were hours of experiences, emotions, fears and delights.   I end my year by being on the first cruise ship to sail from the US to Cuba in over 50 years.  The ship was older, elegant and refurbished beautifully.

I shared this summary of the Sixty Fifth year to say this.  I would not trade what I learned for anything.   There were rough days but each of those rough times were growing times where my help came from the Lord.  I delighted many times with the awareness of God’s protection and provisions.  I met new friends. I had a good friend enter eternity and I feel the loss deeply. I mourn with their families.   I experienced life outside of my Mayberry community and hopefully grew as a human being. 

I will enter this next year that I am calling Route 66. I know that title is not very original but it defines the upcoming year well.  Once again a new path will be forged.  I will do some of the planning but life will interrupt those plans. With a sense of awe and expectation that life should not be ordinary I will embark on each day. 

We each touch the lives of others.  If we stay alert there are grand adventures awaiting us.  There are places to go and people to meet.