Listen to the Silence
I turned away with this smile on my face
With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night, I still called out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life
But You love me anyway
Coming out to mid-northern British Columbia to visit Paul's friend Tayor and his wife Tamara was a great decision. The nine hour drive out here seemed much, much shorter to both Paul and I than our usual six hour trips to Saskatoon and back. I listened to a whole new album I picked up recently by a band called Sidewalk Prophets, and found it reminded me a great deal of Jars of Clay. (Though the lyrics are very earnest, they lack some of the inspiration of Jars of Clay lyrics.) I also enjoyed some breathtaking views in Jasper National Park, though I was very tired at the time and barely took any photographs. Hopefully on the way back I'll have the leisure to take a few pictures.
We've been here now for just a few days, and in that time I was introduced to horseback riding for the first time in my life. Horseback riding was a very interesting experience, much like learning to drive a car with a mind of its own and super touchy pedals. The horse I rode was named Smoke, and apparently my instructions were often confusing, but I figured out a few of the issues pretty early on. Firstly, horses aren't keen on travelling in straight lines, or at least mine wasn't. Still, it was a really cool experience.
We visited a little bookstore in Prince George after going to Taylor and Tamara's Anglican church service on Sunday. (There were some lovely stained glass panels of forest animals and trees that Taylor said were made by one of the ladies of the church.) I purchased a book on the history of Israel, which seems a great deal more comprehensive than any others I've seen, particularly when it comes to the history of immigration.
Paul tried his feet at snowshoeing today for the first time and I for the second or third time. When I was in high school, it did not take long for my phys ed teacher to discover that I was the person in the class who was the most hopeless on skis of anyone. While taking out skis for our second cross-country skiing expedition and finding myself in mortal dread of a second try, I noted some really cool old snoeshoes and asked my teacher if I might try those instead. Taking pity on me, she capitulated, and that was my first experience with the bow-legged gait of a snoeshoe-walker. I particularly enjoyed the experience, but until today I hadn't had a chance to try again. Paul and I took the trail Tamara pointed us on and we both wore modern snoeshoes, but it was quite fun and we both enjoyed our time in the crisp outdoor sunshine. I'm also quite sure we saw an eagle flying above us. Which might also explain the lack of songbirds at the edge of the forest.
I have been taking the opportunity to read a great deal, and have already finished two novels and am hoping to finish several more this week. I finally got around to reading The Hunger Games, which was exhilarating but difficult to read.
At one point during our snowshoe trek, I stopped Paul and asked if he could hear the silence. And what a beautiful silence it is here after the sounds of the city. We made a good choice in coming here to enjoy companionship and beauty and silence, and Tamara's lovely cooking. Paul is preparing a Bible study to share at the ecumenical youth group that Taylor leads in Prince George, and I'm looking forward to hearing what all he comes up with.
With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night, I still called out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life
But You love me anyway
Coming out to mid-northern British Columbia to visit Paul's friend Tayor and his wife Tamara was a great decision. The nine hour drive out here seemed much, much shorter to both Paul and I than our usual six hour trips to Saskatoon and back. I listened to a whole new album I picked up recently by a band called Sidewalk Prophets, and found it reminded me a great deal of Jars of Clay. (Though the lyrics are very earnest, they lack some of the inspiration of Jars of Clay lyrics.) I also enjoyed some breathtaking views in Jasper National Park, though I was very tired at the time and barely took any photographs. Hopefully on the way back I'll have the leisure to take a few pictures.
We've been here now for just a few days, and in that time I was introduced to horseback riding for the first time in my life. Horseback riding was a very interesting experience, much like learning to drive a car with a mind of its own and super touchy pedals. The horse I rode was named Smoke, and apparently my instructions were often confusing, but I figured out a few of the issues pretty early on. Firstly, horses aren't keen on travelling in straight lines, or at least mine wasn't. Still, it was a really cool experience.
We visited a little bookstore in Prince George after going to Taylor and Tamara's Anglican church service on Sunday. (There were some lovely stained glass panels of forest animals and trees that Taylor said were made by one of the ladies of the church.) I purchased a book on the history of Israel, which seems a great deal more comprehensive than any others I've seen, particularly when it comes to the history of immigration.
Paul tried his feet at snowshoeing today for the first time and I for the second or third time. When I was in high school, it did not take long for my phys ed teacher to discover that I was the person in the class who was the most hopeless on skis of anyone. While taking out skis for our second cross-country skiing expedition and finding myself in mortal dread of a second try, I noted some really cool old snoeshoes and asked my teacher if I might try those instead. Taking pity on me, she capitulated, and that was my first experience with the bow-legged gait of a snoeshoe-walker. I particularly enjoyed the experience, but until today I hadn't had a chance to try again. Paul and I took the trail Tamara pointed us on and we both wore modern snoeshoes, but it was quite fun and we both enjoyed our time in the crisp outdoor sunshine. I'm also quite sure we saw an eagle flying above us. Which might also explain the lack of songbirds at the edge of the forest.
I have been taking the opportunity to read a great deal, and have already finished two novels and am hoping to finish several more this week. I finally got around to reading The Hunger Games, which was exhilarating but difficult to read.
At one point during our snowshoe trek, I stopped Paul and asked if he could hear the silence. And what a beautiful silence it is here after the sounds of the city. We made a good choice in coming here to enjoy companionship and beauty and silence, and Tamara's lovely cooking. Paul is preparing a Bible study to share at the ecumenical youth group that Taylor leads in Prince George, and I'm looking forward to hearing what all he comes up with.