WIth my mild ADD personality, I often need to remind myself about where to put my focus. Julie organized an amazing research trip for us through England, and we saw so much natural beauty, history, architecture, and artifacts. So many times I was stunned at God's abundant mercies and grace in our protection and experiences there. But woven through all the sightseeing, picture taking and challenging driving (those roundabouts - eek!), the best part was meeting so many wonderful people along the way. A few favorite encounters:
Dinner with Cath and Penny. Penny Culliford is a fellow author, and she and her friend Cath Jackson took the train in to meet us at the historic George Inn for dinner. We shared a lovely meal and chat, then walked the area to see the new Globe theater and the Southwark bridge. Cath's sense of direction was so keen that we later called our GPS voice "Cath" in her honor.
Linda at Great Chalfield Manor. We raced from London to Wiltshire to make the 4:00 tour of the Great Chalfield Manor. Julie had researched the house online for her latest novel, and was very keen to see it in person. When we arrived and were told the last tour was full, we explained our predicament to Linda, who was working at the front gate. She considered our situation, then pulled us aside and quietly handed us two tickets to the tour! What an angel! We ran out to the car to get one of Julie's books to sign for her, and she was delighted. It turned out to be a marvelous tour, full of interesting information and stories, and so fun for Julie to compare the real manor details to the layout she had created for her book.
Katie and Jacky. When Julie had posted the itinerary of her upcoming trip, one of her readers, Katie, invited us to come to her Pewsey Vale Riding Centre stables and go horseback riding. After an easy walk around their town on Mistletoe and Missy, we stopped back at the stables to meet Katie's beautiful horse, Harry, then walked down the lane to her mother-in-law, Jacky's house. We sat in Jacky's sunny kitchen, enjoying tea and cakes, while she told us about the house: it's a 500-year-old thatched roof cottage, and the deed to the land was signed by Henry VIII! I joked that I tend to refer to our house as "old" since it was built in 1955, and we all burst out laughing. Both Katie and Jacky expressed appreciation for Julie's careful research and attention to detail, which is important to English readers, who really know their nation's history and details about the country. What a lovely experience, sharing in their world for a bit and being made to feel so welcome - they were both absolutely charming.
Oxford with Fiona. When I was fresh out of college back in 1986, I enrolled in a study abroad program in Paderborn, Germany, where I studied for 6 months. In our dorm, I met 4 charming Irish students studying at Paderborn, including Fiona. Over all the intervening years, we've kept in touch through Christmas letters and occasional emails, but when she heard I was coming over, she made plans to fly over from Dublin to Oxford to meet me for the day. We took a fun walking tour together, but mostly went from tea at the beautiful Randolph Hotel to one pub or another, then later to dinner with Julie, talking nonstop the whole day to catch up on so many years. My favorite moment of the day: Fiona leaned back and sighed, "Ah Sara, the years just melt away." And they truly had. We caught up on all our family and jobs and life changes in just a few hours. It was absolutely wonderful.
Bill and Hillary. The next day in Oxford, my friend from Community Bible Study, Becky, took us on a walking tour of C.S. Lewis sites around Oxford. As we walked by the Bodleian library, we saw a crowd in the courtyard, and people taking photos. We learned that Bill and Hillary Clinton were there, watching Chelsea graduate with her Ph.D. They walked from the library courtyard a couple of blocks to another building, and as we followed them, we got within 10 feet of them - incredible! We teased Becky that she was setting the bar pretty high for her first tour, providing a sighting of a former president and first lady/secretary of state.
The fabulous Friesens. After our Oxford tour, Becky took us out to Blenheim Palace, a stunning building and grounds, with a fascinating display about Winston Churchill. Courtney and their 3 boys joined us there, and then we went back to their house for dinner. I had brought Courtney's hockey helmet and gloves from home, and light up watches for the boys. It was hilarious to hear Colin inform Becky what time it was about every 6 minutes. Julie was just meeting them all for the first time, but she commented on the way home how she felt such a kinship with Becky right away, and how much she enjoyed their whole family. What a blessing to relax and laugh and play with the boys on our last evening in England.
Author, trip planner, GPS navigator, and famous friend, Julie. Finally, through all 10 days of the trip, Julie and I spent nearly every waking hour together. We have known each other more than 25 years, and we assured each other before and throughout the trip to be honest about what we wanted to do or not, when we needed a break, etc., but we got along beautifully the whole time. There were so many moments when I said, "What an embarrassment of riches!" God just outdid Himself with abundant blessings on the whole trip. What a joy to have such an amazing journey, all thanks to an awesome friend.
Taking a page from Bill Clinton's campaign team, "It's the economy, stupid," I was reminded repeatedly on this trip that it's the people that make it all meaningful. I was blown away (literally and figuratively!) by the windswept beauty of Valley of the Rocks, but spending time with these special people that God put into our path was what made the trip so remarkable. I needed to write this all down, because it's so easy for me to get caught up with the next task or project, and neglect to enjoy the people along the way. Praying that God continues to remind me that only people and His Word are eternal, so I should intentionally spend more time with both.
Taking a page from Bill Clinton's campaign team, "It's the economy, stupid," I was reminded repeatedly on this trip that it's the people that make it all meaningful. I was blown away (literally and figuratively!) by the windswept beauty of Valley of the Rocks, but spending time with these special people that God put into our path was what made the trip so remarkable. I needed to write this all down, because it's so easy for me to get caught up with the next task or project, and neglect to enjoy the people along the way. Praying that God continues to remind me that only people and His Word are eternal, so I should intentionally spend more time with both.