‘Scenic route’ drives

Little did we know that we would end up driving hundreds of kilometres since Abi said, “mum, take the scenic route”, for the first time, 15 years ago. You see, the province we live in is huge and has been dubbed “Super Natural British Columbia and “Beautiful BC” for a reason. We know that whichever route we take, we are bound to see forests and mountains, bears, deer and other wildlife, rushing streams, and of course, the mighty Fraser River which runs through the centre of the province, and is one of the largest salmon spawning rivers in the world. Both Abi and I enjoy an aimless drive. No destination is mind. And when she says, “you wanna go for a drive?” there’s no hesitation on my part!

But last weekend, we did have a destination in mind, because we were bored, wanting a longer than usual drive, and it was the holiday weekend. So we headed off to Rowena’s Inn, in Agassiz (an hour’s drive), where Debbie (daughter #2) & Tony (her high school sweetheart) got married, 7 years ago. And as we drove, I realized that I love these drives so much, not really because of the spectacular scenery or because I love driving, but just because I love spending time with this child of mine. She is my wonderful surprise bonus gift from the Lord – 6 years after I had decided we were happy being a two-child family. And over the years, she’s moved from being my most talkative child to being so much quieter. Yet, on these drives we have philosophical discussions about life, nostalgic conversations (on my part, that is) about my childhood and teen years, the sharing of dreams about the future, and of course there’s laughter about something silly someone said or did! But much of the time, we just sit in silence – enjoying the view, each other’s company and of course, a cup of Tims.

Well, now that life seems to have gotten back into a semblance of normalcy since the pandemic began, my early morning devotion time has gotten back on track as well. But as I sat there one morning last week, staring into the darkness of the garden, I felt burdened by so many things. “I’m just going to sit here, God. I have nothing to say. Please fill me with your presence”, I whispered. And that sweet joy of fellowship flooded my soul! I just sat quiet the whole hour, enjoying His presence, in the flickering light of a beautiful sunrise.

And as I sat there, I realized the parallel here… all my Heavenly Father wants from me is that invitation to be a part of my day. He understands my stresses and burdens, but He also wants to be a part of my philosophical discussions about life, nostalgic conversations about my childhood and teen years, the sharing of dreams about the future, and of course the tears and the laughter! And just like on my drives with Abi, He’s okay when I sit quiet too, because I know He just loves being with this child of His – me! 🙂