Not Lost w/o a Map

Growing up in a one-income family, our vacation adventures were centered around "road trips" within a 6-8 hour drive from home. My parents would select the destination and my Dad would roll down to the local AAA office to get his detailed trip planner, intent on never missing any worthy point of interest. We made frequent stops and added unique memories along our route - historical landmarks, natural wonders, unique sights - we saw them all. After each stop, we would turn back to the map to see what was coming next - we always knew where we were going and what was coming next.

Fast-forward June 2002, to a small airport 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, where I spent the morning packing my airplane for a very different type of adventure. A very dear friend and colleague of mine had decided to set off on an unusual type of trip with me, one requiring only visual recognition to our destination - Ketchikan, Alaska via a stop in Victoria, Canada. Both being very anal about flight planning and navigation, we decided this time to follow God's natural wonder, the entire western coastline, to our destination. We left with only a plan to stop overnight at an old USAF blimp hangar converted to a hotel. Other than that, it was look out the window and follow the beach - Hearst Castle, Pebble Beach, Golden Gate Bridge, Coos Bay, Columbia River, Seattle, San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island and finally the rugged coast of Alaska and our final destination of Ketchikan. All without a flight plan, trusting our piloting skills and dead-reckoning (that never sounded right in pilot-speak??). It was an incredible journey, the best flight I've ever taken.

These two memories flashed back to me when I read my daily devotional the other day (written in first person by God), which said "I know exactly what this day will contain, whereas you have only vague ideas about it. You would like to see a map, showing all the twists and turns of your journey. You'd feel more prepared if you could somehow visualize what is on the road ahead. However, there is a better way to prepare for whatever you will encounter today - spend quality time with me. I will not show you what is on the road ahead, but I will thoroughly equip you for the journey."

I had absolute trust in my Dad on those trips and unwavering confidence in my copilot enroute to Alaska, so I now turn to God to guide me through this trip with a faith that that is deeper than I'll allow you to see. I truly can do all things through him that strengthens me. Cancer is showing me how to be more open about my relationship with God and how to tell my dear friends that I love them. In some sense, these are more challenging to me than dealing with cancer. But I'll get there....on all fronts. Thanks for joining me on the ride!