Aug 3: Reflections on the Way Home!

Well that almost wraps up our epic family trip and anniversary celebration!

After continental hotel breakfast, we took the new Elizabeth train line from Paddington to Heathrow airport, and after a LONG bag drop and security process, boarded our flight home to Calgary. Along the way I captured some off-the-cuff reflections from the family on our trip…

What are some things you learned during this trip?

Thane

• I need leg room in order to sleep

• Sometimes places who say they have air conditioning actually don’t

• I like to nap between travel destinations. I am very efficient at it; I can sleep anywhere

• I learned there are dramatic landscape changes in (Western) Europe and not much distance between them

• I learned Luke is really dedicated to keeping notes, and can do that everywhere

• You need to be prepared to spend some time waiting in lines; so many people

Luke

• I learned I can sleep with no covers at all

• Even though I thought I packed light, there were several things I didn’t need to bring at all

• I wasn’t counting on France having mountains, kind of like the Rockies but without the snow

• I learned that humans have been amazingly creative over thousands of years

Faith

• I learned I can sleep in clothes that are not pyjamas

• Even though I loved the trip, I can still feel left out of things going on back at home that I usually enjoy being a part of

• I like swimming in lake better than in the ocean, but cliff jumping is really fun

• I learned there is a lot of good food (except noodles in Spain)

• Lots of things in Europe are really old

• I learned sometimes I snore

• I learned a good indicator of Thane sleeping is his mouth hangs open

Beth

• It’s been wonderful to completely unplug for 4 weeks

• Don’t get unnecessarily overweight! Walking this much while carrying over-40-pound packs takes a lot of extra energy, dispenses a lot more sweat

What are some things you will miss about having/seeing in Europe?

• French patisserie

• Italian noodles

• Beautiful architecture of old buildings

• Big trees

• How easy it was to get 15k+ steps per day

What are some things you are looking forward to having/seeing again at home?

• Our dog Copper

• Grandparents

• Friends

• Vegetables every supper

• Real maple syrup

• Sleeping in, good night sleeps, same bed every night

• Playing piano, guitar

• Being able to sit and know there is nothing to do

• Wider roads to drive on

• Stop signs instead of roundabouts

• No more riding in a car while dad drives stick shift on winding roads (even though he is “excellent” at it)

• Not having to take public transit everywhere in the city

• Cooler weather

And now some reflections from me (Reid)…

This really was a wonderful trip. It was a fantastic way to celebrate 25 years of marriage. We have great kids, and it has been great fun travelling with them. I am really grateful to Beth for all the hours she spent in advance planning, including seeking input from all of us. I’m grateful to Nana & Papa & Grandma for looking after stuff at home while we were away. And I’m really grateful to God for working out the big and small details like safe travel, staying healthy along the way, and provision of all the resources we needed to make such a journey.

The world has a LOT of people in it. We were among crowds of thousands at certain moments this month, and the scope felt massive. It is hard to conceive there are billions of people on the planet. It’s even harder to imagine the complex systems of resource production & allocation, distribution, transportation, construction, and others that support all those people. Travelling in densely populated areas can easily make you feel small and insignificant.

When we were near La Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, we noticed a recurrent public awareness campaign banner stating “Barcelona contra la soledad”, which translates to “Barcelona against loneliness”. Reminds me of the Beatles’ refrain from Eleanor Rigby: “All the lonely people - where do they all come from? All the lonely people - where do they all belong?” Billions of people, most of them clustered geographically in cities, and yet so many struggling with loneliness. People all around, and yet we can each still long to feel known, feel seen, feel significant in the eyes of others. I know I certainly struggle with these feelings.

What a gift it is, then, to be known and seen by my wife and family! And what a mind-blowing and hope-restoring revelation it is, therefore, that God knows each person, every detail of their journeys, and that He loves each one! At the core of the gospel is God removing the barrier of sin that separates us from Him, so we can be known and find ultimate belonging. He is so worthy of all the songs and the cathedrals and the creative excellence every generation can bring, so that as many as possible can find this truth.

A broad purpose and theme that emerged in the trip was ‘chasing beauty’. We sought to find beautiful places, structures, and experiences. I echo Luke’s observation that humanity is amazingly creative; this is consistent with God’s revelation that He created us with His divine image and gave us the mandate to cultivate His creation.

Reinforced for me on this trip was my need to be involved in this creation mandate. I need to be doing something creative regularly - whether it’s something like songwriting, video production, sand sculpturing, or this blog - in order for me to thrive. The trick is remembering this in the context of moments of discouragement, or in settings like my medical work where I haven’t felt obviously creative lately.

I have enjoyed writing this blog. It’s been easy to establish and maintain habit of journaling when on a trip, when there are new experiences every day to write about. I wonder about trying to keep up this habit once we return to the regular rhythms back home. I think it may involve continuing to chase beauty, and to identify the significance in daily experiences, rather than waiting for the next milestone celebration trip.

Reminds me of a book our friend Alanna recently gave us called “Every Moment Holy”. It is a collection of liturgical prayers for seemingly ordinary daily events (like waking, sleeping, eating) and feelings (like anxiety, distraction, boredom) that become significant - even holy - when we remember that God is with us in all the details of life.