Category: Intuition Diaries

Accept: Recognize Something as True

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
 
James 1:16, 17
 
Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it
all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

 

The Intuition Diaries

During every vacation there comes a point, when you have to recognize something as true. As we listened to the weather report on Saturday evening, we had to face a hard truth.  The winds were going to be picking up. We would be facing 5-8 ft waves in a couple days. We had a decision to make; we could stick with our plan to stop at a couple more places along the Upper Peninsula or outrun the wind. We went to bed knowing, we had to pass up the extra stops.

After we left Escanaba, the first twenty miles were smooth sailing. And then the lake got a bit choppy, so I put on my earphones and listened to music while sitting on the back of the boat. I put my feet up on the side and watched the waves sail by. We were headed east and the sun was behind some clouds, but still shining through. The water looked like molten metal. I had never seen anything like it.


As we approached our destination, we had another decision to make: to drop anchor or go to a marina. As most couples do, we came to our conclusion smoothly, about as smooth as riding over those choppy waves all day.

Once we figured out what we both wanted, we decided to anchor out. Sometimes when faced with a decision, it’s best to choose acceptance of what you don’t understand (I’m referring to myself here). I get nervous in new situations, so I wanted to go to the marina (familiar choice), but anchoring out was the best choice. We swam off the boat and  enjoyed the sunset together.

In the St. James harbor, we were anchored with about 11 other boats, mostly sailboats. When the wind shifted all the boats would glide in unison to the same point without bumping into each other. One of the boats was named, Acceptance.
 
 

Sometimes I accept God’s gifts freely. But other times, I get deceived. I start thinking I deserve certain gifts, like cooler weather or having my own way. It is hard to admit, but sometimes I start rejecting the gifts from above or worse I resent them because they’re not exactly what I wanted. I know that sounds really immature, but it’s true.

After spending the night in St. James harbor, we embarked on the  next leg of the journey that would lead us to St. Ignace, a small town across the way from Mackinaw Island under the majestic Mackinac Bridge. Calm waters accompanied us.
 
 

Once we made it to safe harbor, we checked the weather report. We successfully outran the winds. The waves were already at 4ft in the section we passed through earlier. Thankfully, we willingly received God’s wisdom to let go of one thing, so that we could enjoy another.



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Doubt: To Lack Confidence In

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ( James 1:6 NKJV)
The Intuition Diaries 
About midway through our Lake Michigan boat trek, I had a bout with doubt.

We left Rock Island early to cross the wavy sea to make our way to Escanaba, a small town on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The waves tossed us to and fro, as we were travelling in a beam sea, which means the waves push your vessel from the side. Nice rocking motion if you want to put a baby to sleep, or get seasick.

I tried to fight the motion sickness, and Les offered me the remedy; drive the boat. But even taking the helm was difficult today, because at first I had nothing on the horizon to focus on. I had to go on faith, trusting the computer chart to direct me. I wanted to quit driving, but I knew the alternative would be worse, headache with nausea all day.

I had to roll with the waves, and trust the unmarked route. I had to rely on the tried and tested navigation aids that would get us through this turbulent sea.  Several minutes into the rocking and the rolling, I spotted a stationary object on the horizon. Just the focal point I needed to persevere on the path.

 

This light stands out on the middle of the lake far from the shore. It marks an underwater shoal, a natural rock wall that can cause damage to a ship. Before this adventure, I didn’t even know that these lights existed on Lake Michigan.

 

This person of faith may know her destination, but at times when nothing is on the horizon, doubts buffet me like the waves of a beam sea on a vessel crossing the water.

 

Thanks be to God for putting unexpected markers along the route to realign my faith in Him, and lead me to the ultimate destination—forever with HIM!

 

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Solitude: The Quality or State of Being Alone

[Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. (Mark 6:31b-32)

The Intuition Diaries

Solitude has become something I highly value. As a very active person, and one who isn’t very comfortable with being alone, it is hard for me to believe that I crave solitude. I am not talking about loneliness; I have never liked being lonely. I was lonely at times as a child, so I escaped to my imagination. I was lonely as a single woman in the Air Force, and so surrounded myself with people. I have been lonely as a wife and mother, which may be surprising, but it is a very real ache. In these lonely times, ultimately God draws me close and whispers, “I will never leave nor forsake you.” Solitude tunes me in to the Spirit and refreshes my soul.

While we were in Sister Bay, I was graced with some extended time to pursue solitude. Les was off on a bike ride in search of the famed Door Country dried cherries, so I walked over to the beach to write and sketch in my journal.

 

When the shops opened, I decided to browse. In the past, I might have been reluctant to go by myself or I would have been towing around two children. I have to admit, I didn’t mind being alone.

I embarked on a treasure hunt for unusual souvenirs. First, I went to the Ace Hardware store to see if I could find some insulated mugs for cold drinks. They didn’t have those, but they did have an ice pick. I bought it for Les. (The ice gets stuck together after awhile in the cooler, and I wanted him to be able to get some ice cubes apart to put in the mugs I had hoped to find.) I giggled to myself when I left the hardware store, what would people think of me carrying around a single ice pick? (I recently read a murder mystery, and my mind tucked this away as a kernel of an idea for a murder mystery. Murder by ice pick…hmmm.) I continued on down the block in search of the town library.

At the library, I picked up the free “Door County” tourist guides. On my way there I noticed a sign for a rummage sale, so I walked over to it. Bonus! This was turning out to be a wonderful morning. I found a couple things (a vintage hardcover novel to make into a journal cover). It was a great sale, but I knew better than to bring back too much; space is limited on a boat.

Next I found a collage art gallery/shop, where I bought some ephemera for my own collage attempts. I had to stop in the used bookstore next door. I bought The Big Year, a fictionalized story about birding on CD for us to listen to while we bounced across the lake. I quickly ran into Al Johnson’s (the restaurant with the goats on the grass roof) to get some postcards. My last stop was Secondhand Sue’s, a resale shop. And you are not going to believe it…the first thing I saw was two oversized insulated cups ($2 each) in the window…for our iced drinks! My morning was complete.
 
 

We left Sister Bay for a totally different setting that afternoon. We headed over to Rock Island, which has Wisconsin’s oldest lighthouse on it. We went from the bustle of small town to the solitude of nature. We were able to rent a spot at the State Park dock. It is a first come, first serve operation, so we were fortunate to be the first boat to arrive.

After arriving on the island, we hiked the path to see the lighthouse. From the streets of Sister Bay to the tree shaded path of Rock Island. Both settings lent themselves to different kinds of solitude. In the morning, I had the adventure of finding treasures. In the afternoon, I treasured the adventure of climbing to the top of my first lighthouse.

Pottawatomie Lighthouse

 
 

 

On the way back down the path, Les and I walked in silence, which is very unusual for me. I just wanted to see what it was like to walk silently. Our silence was broken by Les asking a question, and then passing a young family on the path. They were looking for a pileated woodpecker. The woman and I fell into pace together and struck up a conversation. Les walked with the husband and the kids.

The family had been at the lighthouse, and the one son wanted a souvenir pin from the shop. It had a lighthouse on it that lights up. I had bought four to bring home. I decided when we saw the family to give them a pin. The mom was delighted. We ended up visiting with them and showing them our boat, while they waited for the ferry to take them back to Washington Island.

Solitude isn’t always about being alone; it’s sharing your aloneness with one another. I had been concerned about being away from “sisters” on this trip.  My husband and I are great companions, and he graciously listens to me chatter, but it was nice to have a “sister” to visit with that afternoon. (I’m sure it amazes some men how easily women connect. Frankly, it’s a gift that I cherish.) The night before in Sister Bay, this couple pulled up into the slip next to us. Immediately, the wife and I were laughing and poking jokes at our husbands. Each husband had been held hostage by our “self-analysis” talk during the day. Her husband got a kick out of that comment; he knew exactly what I was talking about. The guys were glad to let us chat, while they shared boat stories.

There’s a time for society, and there’s a time for solitude.
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Sojourn: A Temporary Stay

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

(1 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV)


The Intuition Diaries

As we travelled from port to port, we would either rent a transient slip (a boat “campsite” at a marina, assigned to those passing through) or we anchored out.

Upon arriving in the Door County area, we chose to anchor out near Sturgeon Bay, WI. We had a pleasant morning puttering our way up the coast of Wisconsin. We stopped in Kewaunee to use the post office and pick up a few groceries. We used their public dock and literally had to climb up to get on solid ground.
 
 

It was a quaint, quiet town with a very slow pace. Two things happened there that made us smile. Outside the post office we saw a man run the lawn mower up the sidewalk, while it was running. We had no idea why he did it, but he did. The postmaster was a hoot as well, whenever I made a comment, he would say, “You’re probably right.”

 I thanked him for being so agreeable.

We left there, and headed to the canal that cuts through the Door County peninsula via Sturgeon Bay. There we were greeted by a light that marked the canal. We stopped for gas and ice at one of the marinas along the canal. We were marked by peace and settling into this pace of travelling by boat with the expectations of more adventures and relaxation ahead.

 

With all the beauty around us, you’d think it would be hard to become discouraged, but even on vacation we faced “light and momentary troubles.”

Last night after we anchored out in a very picturesque cove, named Sawyer Bay, we were accosted by flies. The stillness invited the flies to swarm around our boat. I had brought along a handy all-natural fly contraption to catch them. It had some debris in the bottom, so I thought I’d just dump it in the lake. In doing so, I dropped the plastic container. In my desire to rid myself of pesky flies, I jumped into the lake to make a rescue effort. In my haste, I forgot that I had my glasses on my head. The impact of my kersplash into the lake caused me to lose both the container and my glasses.

We looked and looked for the glasses. I waded around in the three feet of weedy terrain under the water to feel for the glasses with my feet. I cried and cried because of my foolish attempt to rescue a plastic container. I went to bed discouraged.

 

But joy comes in the morning.  (A good cup of coffee and the rising of the sun reminded me that God is good, even if I am foolish.)

Temporary upsets cannot outweigh the Presence of God in our lives. He never leaves or forsakes us, even when we temporarily lose our common sense.

I never found the glasses, but I did find out that God loves me despite my reckless attempts to rescue something that I really could live without. The flies still pestered us, I never found the glasses, and I cried myself to sleep, yet in the morning I was still able to rejoice in God and his goodness.
I did have contact lens with me, but somehow after this experience I felt like I had clearer vision, as result of losing the eyeglasses.

 

 
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Wonder: Rapt Attention

 
The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.

Psalm 65:8

 
The Intuition Diaries 

Another morning has dawned, and soon the evening will fade. We have enjoyed another spectacular day out on Lake Michigan. Once out of the harbor of Port Washington, we knew we had a choppy ride ahead. I remembered that I could move our dinette seat and make a forward facing seat, much better way to observe the wonders of the lake. I knew we would see more lighthouses, but I wasn’t expecting all the silos. On the coast of Wisconsin, the farms sit above the lake on the bluffs overlooking the water.

We went past Sheboygan making our way to Manitowoc, one port of S. S. Badger, a steam driven car ferry from the 1950s that goes between Michigan and Wisconsin, across the lake each day. We weren’t sure if we would see the famous boat. Wonder of wonders, it was arriving at the harbor at the same time we were approaching. It was pretty daunting to work our way into the harbor without getting in its way. Courteous as we are, we pulled back the throttle and gave way for the legend.

S. S. Badger
 

 

As we were bouncing our way over the lake to Manitowoc, I was thinking.

Yep, I really can’t stop. But this time I was wondering. (My sister’s Facebook status has “wonder” as her occupation.) Oh, to be occupied with wonder! As I was recalling her clever status, one thought led to another.

I thought of all the things that cause wonder, like the clouds in the sky. How do they hang there and why do they come in so many shapes? I know there are scientific reasons, but I was wondering if God delights in making them so varied or if some days He decides to have a cloud art class with the angels and they hang them in the sky for us to observe. Silly– sure, but fun to think about.

God has given us so many ways to be occupied with wonder. We can marvel at the feats of history, like the fact that during WWII, a small community in Manitowoc, WI, made submarines. Les was able to tour one today, while I was surprised by another one of God’s wonders. (Have you ever noticed how God times things in such a way that we know He is thinking of us?)

One of my desires while on this trip was to buy fresh produce from a farm stand, rather than the grocery store. Wonder of wonders, the Farmer’s Market was open right across the bridge from where Les was touring the submarine. I walked over. I browsed each booth, and then bought some fresh peaches, cherries and raspberries, as well as corn on the cob, a bunch of carrots and string beans. God knew where we would be on our itinerary, which by the way was one day behind. So here we were in Manitowoc on a Tuesday instead of a Monday, and the market is only open on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

That evening, we grilled chicken, zucchini, summer squash and peaches on the grill with a wonderful view of the lake and the Manitowoc lighthouse. Another wonder-filled day with the God of the universe directing our way!

 
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