Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
December 22, 2016
By Pat Edwards
I’m hoping for a quiet week this week. With the holidays and the after-effects of the ice storm which left many of us without power for days, and for some, a week or more, it will be good to find a sense of normalcy. At our house, we were without power for three full days, but as I mentioned last week, at least we had a small generator that helped get us through the outage without too much discomfort. Then, unfortunately, there were those whose lines leading to their homes were some of the last to be fixed and were literally in the dark for over a week.
Despite everything, though, most of us were aware of the heroic efforts of the crews that were out in the freezing and dangerous conditions of trees and branches falling indiscriminately while they worked to get warmth and light back into our homes. For me, these men and women are heroes who deserve our thanks and appreciation. Thanks to all of you who worked long hours in difficult conditions to provide us with some of the things we so often take for granted. You are very much appreciated!
Since there’s not a lot of events planned in the coming weeks, I thought I would tell you a little about the Edwards’ family’s Hawaiian trip, as promised. We had many adventures on the cruise. Some were great tours like the one that we took to the Volcano National Park on the big island of Hawaii where we saw red molten lava bubbling up to the surface of the Mt. Kilauea crater.
Some were fun like the day we spent on a beautiful beach in Maui where many of the family played in the surf on boogie boards and others swam out to snorkle with turtles while Jim laid on a lounge chair, under an umbrella, watching everyone and I waded out to get a closer look at all of the shenanigans.
There were some stressful times, too… like when our daughter, Michele, and her family drove up the Road to Hana on Maui and got detained behind a landslide for hours. Fortunately, they got back just in time to board the ship before it was ready to sail.
The most memorable time we had wasn’t a lot of fun, other family members will agree, but it will probably be the one we talk about the most whenever we are bringing up family memories.
When we got to Kona on the island of Hawaii, we booked 6 two-person kayaks for a snorkling adventure. At first, the plan was for Jim and I to be in one together, but I said that it wasn’t a good idea as neither of us were experienced in kayaking. (It turned out to be a wise decision.) So, Michele offered to be in one with Jim and they assigned me to our grandson, Kevin. We all figured that we’d be kayaking in a bay or a tributary, but when we got there, we found out how very mistaken we were. We were to kayak in the ocean, about 50 yards out from the shoreline… and it was windy that day… and there were waves. I was petrified the whole time we were out on the water, but Kev kept me focused and on course, instructing me to steer INTO the waves and not allow them to broadside us. He assured me with words like, “It’s ok, Grandma. I’ve got’cha!” and he did. His calm assurance gave me the opportunity to go out of my comfort zone and do something that I’ll never want to do again, but I was able to conquer my fear enough to say afterwards, “I did it!”
As you read this, we are all looking in our rearview mirror at Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holiday celebrations as the road ahead is disappearing over the 2017 horizon. Where it will lead us is anyone’s guess, but I’m hoping that, as we travel along, we’ll find some sunshine… sunshine for the soul, and peace within our hearts. 2016 was a rather strange year; To me, it seemed unsettled and the path through it was rocky and hard to navigate. My prayer and wish for 2017 is that it brings healing and harmony to our troubled nation… that we find more common bonds to join us than disparities to divide us.
Happy New Year to each of you!
All Things Lorane 