Where in the world have we been?

"It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. 

The question is: What are we busy about?"

- Henry David Thoreau

Paradise lost? No, paradise waits...patiently.

Where have we been? I'd like to say we have just returned from a two week paddling expedition up the coast of Vancouver Island or were backpacking deep into the Island mountains. I'd settle for explaining that we were simply too busy trail running and getting day paddles in, now that summer weather has arrived. Ahh, but none of that would be true.

So, where have we been this past couple of weeks? Well, the fact is...not far away at all.

It's just been...busy. And even that doesn't seem like a very good excuse for not posting on the blog for over two weeks. There has been no paddling and just enough time on the trail to keep the "run log" happy. So, what's up?

It's just been...busy. And you know, that's OK. In these last months before we "reconfigure" our lives, there are many things to which we must attend. Leaving a vocational venue you have deeply loved and felt passion for is never easy. But I wouldn't have it any other way. The feeling of loss is proof positive of love shared. For many years, I have counselled those who experience grief, to know that the alternative to grief is to have never loved.

Are there regrets from retiring from a vocation that has given deep meaning and value to life? No. "Reconfiguration" (as we like to call it) will bring new challenges and fresh opportunities, change always does - if you are open and adventurous. Those we have served and worked with over the years, in the civilian parish and military chaplaincy, have left an indelible mark on our lives for which we could never express sufficient gratitude.

So what are we busy about? Life, just life. Perhaps not unlike the ants. But it's been a good busy...and we'll be posting paddling again soon. That's a promise.

Duncan.

Image: "Secret" beach on Gabriola - the tide has to be just right. :)