Are You Ready For What Lies Ahead?

I want to ask you a question. Not to scare you; but as I contemplated what to share with you, this question came to me. Are we (you) ready for what lies ahead? If you think you are, think again.

Ten days ago I set out on a journey. I wished Andrea would have been able to go, but alas because life so often throws us curve balls she couldn’t. When traveling it is recommended to have more than six months when entering a foreign land. She sent her passport for renewal, and suddenly it was time to travel, and she was not able to as her passport was at the renewal agency. So I was off to Trinidad to honor the life of a dear mentor and friend. Traveling to do a good deed, so life would be straight forward and a breeze, right? Not. The next ten days – though filled with many blessings – was at times challenging.

First of all, just getting to the airport was almost torpedoed. My transport was late, missed exits, met blocked ramps. However, I sojourned on and made the flight. Boarded with fellow travelers as well as my mentor, the husband and daughter of the deceased. Flight was smooth, landed safely. Got to the accommodations which were quite good (at Andrea’s insistence, who lovingly wanted to be sure I was going to be comfortable), recommended by the deceased’s daughter as they were within walking distance of her parents’ home. Being in Tobago brought back lots of fond memories. Harvest Festivals where we were fed way too much, beautiful beaches and very friendly folk.

Over the next few days, the funeral and following events were a very touching celebration of a life well lived. Eileen Forrester was a very hardworking, gifted and accomplished wife and mother, working to improve the life of her family, church and community.

A day at the beach on the following Sunday with Eileen’s children and friends turned out to be just what was needed. Pigeon Point Beach is second to none as far as beaches go. I then traveled by plane (15 minutes) to spend some time with my siblings. My brother has some beautiful gardens, which indeed lends itself to meditation. I then traveled south to spend some time with my sister. It gave me an opportunity to visit with a cousin, and visit my mom’s grave. Mom died in 2004 and I have not had too many opportunities to visit her burial spot.

Getting back home to the US proved way more challenging than I anticipated, including the aircraft turning around and an unexpected overnight layover (I will not bore you with the details.) Suffice to say, ‘God is good all the time, all the time God is good!’ Are we ready for what lies ahead? I suppose my answer is no way. But I’m confident trusting in God, feeding on Holy Scriptures and being steeped in prayer will help equip us for whatever life throws at us.

Faithfully,

The Very Reverend René John
Dean