The other day it rained. And it rained hard and long. Two days later I went out on my bike to do my little 12 mile circuit and I noticed a gorgeous tree. It was large and well shaped, and covered with beautiful bright pink flowers. It was particularly striking because it stood out in the stark environment of this area of the Yucatan. Being so taken by its beauty I wanted to take a photo to share with others, and to remember myself. So I told myself that the next day I would be sure to take my camera with me on my ride.

But the next day I forgot and the next day I was out of town and it wasn't until the third day that I remembered, took my camera and headed out to capture the beauty. However, when I came to the tree it had changed. The flowers had fallen off and it was now as stark and bare as anything around it. I had lost the chance to take the grand photo and was left with this one instead...

And as I thought about that I thought about life and the opportunities we have and our response to those opportunities. I thought about how time-sensitive some of those opportunities are--about how if we do not take advantage of them at the moment they are in front of us, we may never be able to at all.


Long ago I made a vow not to live life with a lot of "if onlys"... What I mean is not that I should try everything there is to try, because there are plenty of things that should not be done and which if done will inevitably lead to serious problems. But what I mean is to try to live life in such a way that I say "Yes" to positive opportunities when they present themselves. What I mean is that at the end of life I do not want to have to look back on a long list of things I could have done, doors I could have walked through, experiences I could have had--and that would have been positive--but that I failed to do or try.

Long ago I heard a story of a mother who was preparing supper when her young daughter came in and said, excitedly, "Mommy, come out and look at the beautiful sunset with me!" Busy with the food the mother replied, "I will in a minute, but first you go and wash up for supper." Slowly the daughter walked obediently to the bathroom and emerged just moments later, with clean hands. Then, after finishing the final details of the meal, the mother took her hand and walked out--only to see the faded tail end of the beauty that had been the sunset. The moment was missed... I do not want to miss the moments!

Last week I was at an evening chapel service in the seminary when someone came in and said that there was a lunar eclipse in process. I hurried outside, saw it was true, and then ran back to the house where Nancy was. I shouted at her to come outside, which she did, and together we watched as the shadowed moon grew bigger and bigger. It was beautiful. Had I waited long to tell her what was happening, she would have missed it and watching it together would not have happened. That special moment was not missed.

I don't know if the tree I saw in all its glory will bloom again while I am here. I doubt it. But if it does I will most assuredly take a photo right away! I missed that one, and may never have a second chance. But I want that to be the exception, not the rule...I want to say "Yes" to the opportunities God places in my way, not "No" and, perhaps even more importantly, not "Later". I want to remember that sunsets fade and trees lose their blossoms. I want to remember the words of Ecclesiastes 3, There is a time for everything under heaven. I think that is part of God's plan for each of us--part of making the most of the days, the hours and the minutes we have been given on this earth. I think that is at least one piece of what the Adventure of Living is all about...

The experiences I have when in Mexico are varied, often interesting, and regularly a surprise. Last weekend my hosts, Dave (Bito) and Jean Legters, were making a short trip to Cancun so that Bito could teach a class as part of the seminary’s extension program. So Nancy and I hitched a ride with them.

The drive takes about four hours on the toll road, and goes mile after mile through desolate, flat Yucatecan scenery. The whole of the Yucatan is a limestone slab, which gives little soil for growing things. As a result there are not many tall trees, but there are lots of thick low bushes, that fill the earth.

When we arrived in Cancun we found ourselves behind a trailer carrying two llamas, a very small pony, and a brown bear..then we dropped Bito and Jean off at the church where he was teaching, and made our way to Cecilia's house, a young woman who had lived with us as an exchange while we were in Clarkston, many years ago.
She is an architect, her husband a landscape designer, and they have two children. It was great to see them all, their wonderful home and to share a meal in an Italian restaurant right on the beach. While Ivars at Lake Union has a lot going for it, eating under a tent within feet of the lapping Caribbean, with the temperature in the 80’s as we ate dinner, does have something going for it!

The next morning Nancy and I had breakfast with Rafael Sanchez and his wife, Valya. Rafael is a Mexican and Valya a Ukrainian, and they met thanks to invitations each had received to share in the ministry of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Seattle. The world is becoming smaller… Rafael teaches music at several venues while Valya works in a travel agency, but the big news was that their first baby is due any day. Sharing in their world, their joy and their life was great.

Next we picked Bito and Jean up and headed back to Merida. The drive seemed a bit longer partly as the air conditioning in the car had decided to die, but also as we took a detour to Ek-Balam, a recently developed and unique Mayan archeological site. When the Spaniards first came to this part of the world they established a headquarters at Valladolid, near Ek-Balam, but they moved to Merida within a couple years because it was much closer to the sea and their lifeline—their ships.



While the Spaniards were in Valladolid the priest-ruler of Ek-Balam, not wanting to see his sacred sites profaned, enlisted his subjects in the task of burying them. This was not easy as the sites were large pyramids, but the project was successful and the Spaniards never knew they were there. Soon the jungle grew over the buried pyramid-temples and as generations went on their existence was lost to memory Only recently discovered and uncovered, the sites offer an unparalleled picture of life at the turn of the first millennium—the period when Ek-Balam was built.

Particularly interesting are the statues and decorations which, being buried, have withstood the ravages of time very well. The Mayan road leading into the complex is clearly visible, the temples are there, and the art is amazing. The visit was unexpected, and well worth the time.

Back in Merida there are classes to give, churches to visit, and people to interact with. One evening finds Nancy and me at a small village church where I have been invited to give a message about love for Valentine’s Day. Another finds us at the large downtown Presbyterian Church, either attending or delivering the sermon I have been invited to preach. My classes take many hours of preparation, but that itself is a joy…

In short, while being away from family (i.e. granddaughter) is not fun, Nancy and I are at the right place and doing the right thing. It is varied and interesting for us, and prayerfully helpful for the people we are and can be with. The words of Proverbs 3 are certainly true, 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. I would translate that also as make your paths an adventure. And we are thankful for the path we are on.

Last year getting bike in box from bus to ferry at Cozumel.

While I pack as little as possible when I travel, knowing that what I might not bring will probably be available where I am heading, my bicycle is a different matter. If I am going to be some place for a length of time, it goes where I go. But as I like to say, a bike is a vehicle well designed to carry people, but not well designed to be carried by people. So I look for the best bag or box or whatever—something big enough to put the bike in but small enough to be somewhat manageable. This means that when bike and box must go together, creatively using local transport for bike transport. On the other hand, if the travel is the beginning of a trip, it has to be something that can be discarded at the destination. Which raises the question of what to do when leaving someplace with an item that airlines require to be somewhat disassembled and secured in an appropriate box or bag, when the required container is almost never available at the airport itself.

All of this is to say that when preparing for Merida a week ago I debated about leaving fenders on my bike—a truly trivial debate. Fenders weigh next to nothing but they do take up space, make the machine more difficult to disassemble, and can be broken. Why, I thought, when I am going to a place that will be near 100 degrees many days, would I have any need for something the only use of which is to prevent dirty water from soaking one’s backside when it rains…

In the end, I did not have to compromise size for convenience, as a very kind employee of Continental Airlines (non-solicited plug) at the Greensboro Airport left his post and fifteen minutes later emerged with two, not one but two, nice new cardboard boxes especially designed for bicycles on airlines. They are very large and accommodate a bike with almost no disassembling at all—a real treasure and at no charge to me.



Well, today I realized why leaving fenders at home would not have been a good idea. I headed out on a little exercise ride, it clouded up, and it rained. I should have remembered that despite the heat, or rather because of the heat, afternoon rains are a part of the world here. They are not unpleasant because the temperature is still in the 80’s and the rain itself is warm, but they could be if one were subjected to a constant stream of muddy warm water constantly spewing off rotating tires onto chin and back and other body parts for a period of time. So riding in the rain, on uncrowded byways past old haciendas and fields of brush, was and I am certain will be just fine because I brought my fenders.

However, the experience did cause me to reflect on Ireland, and the different experiences we can have in different places. Last summer Nancy and I had a wonderful two months with wonderful people in Dublin—and it rained every day. It was some kind of century record for rain in Ireland, which is saying something. And the strange thing is that while I chose to get out and cycle almost every day, I never really got wet. The rain just seemed to pause and the sun often broke through the clouds as I headed onto the road. In short, I realized that I would not really have needed fenders in rainy Ireland, whereas it is very nice to have them in hot and sunny Yucatan.

And what did this cause me to ponder? The unexpected things that come into our lives. Preparing for things that by all rights should happen but do not. And not being prepared for things that by all rights should not happen but do. And especially, but not uniquely, as we travel. The point is that if we think we are or even can be in control, we are very wrong. If we think we are prepared for any contingency, we are very wrong. One of the truths of life is that we are not in control, and that the unexpected happens—both good and bad.



I guess in that reality there are two lessons. One is to not get too worried when what we think should happen or have prepared for doesn’t come about. The other is to rejoice in the fact that God’s hand is in everything. This is not a fatalistic presence but a personal and powerful one. As Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, Ahora bien, sabemos que Dios dispone todas las cosas para el bien de quienes lo aman, los que han sido llamados de acuerdo con su propósito. (I am in Mexico!...But for English speakers, We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.)

Changing worlds, changing lives, plans that have to be altered, disappointments, serendipities, at home with the most familiar or far away in a different culture—in all times and places God is present and at work—for good in and through those who love him…