11 Blog Post 11 September 13, 2024 “Lang May Your Lum Reek”
Aberdeen back to Edinburgh
“We leave for Italy in a week,” Alistair said at dinner tonight and I was absolutely shocked. How has time gone by so quickly? We fly to Italy on Saturday so next Friday night we’ll be in London, preparing for our flight to Milan. This all still sounds like someone else’s life.
Rather than a whole reflection today, some bullet point observations:
• I regularly forget what day of the week it is, which is why Alistair’s observation was so shocking to me. This is a good thing because it means I am able to let go of the usual things that are on my schedule, but it’s also very strange to let go. How can I not know the day of the week? Isn’t every day just about marching towards Sunday? Since I am not governed by my usual meetings or events, each day has its own integrity marked by the people we are with, not by the goals we have set.
• We’re proud of our great raincoats, but the rain just falls off in sheets and soaks through our jeans or pants so the coats have kind of limited effectiveness. Wet jeans are just horrible.
• The depth of our conversations with family and friends has been unexpectedly rich in every place we have visited. These are feeding my soul and creating a sense of home everywhere we go. We did not want to leave any of the places we visited because we have so appreciated being with our loved ones. From comfortable warm beds, to nourishing meals and great long hikes or walks, we have been blessed with true soul companionship every step.
• The natural environment of Scotland is stunning. From the highlands covered with autumn-faded heather changing from purple to brown, to the islands that are surrounded by the power of the sea, to the ship-clogged, busy harbor at Aberdeen and then the ruins of Dunnotar Castle in Stone Haven, we have traveled hundreds of miles, seen thousands of sheep grazing and have been mesmerized by every bit of the journey.
• Art is essential. What I mean is that we are also seeing lots of local examples of art work, from downtown murals in Aberdeen, to whimsical model ships driven by lobsters at Stone Harbor, to hand carved figureheads from shipwrecks rediscovered in someone’s back yard, we have been delighted by the varied expressions of art in the places we have visited. This kind of exposure normalizes art and makes it accessible to more people, and it’s been great to see so much of it on our travels.
• Deep fried sushi is a bad idea. So is deep fried pizza. These are available here. I didn’t try either one, but Scotland, for all its beauty, is also the land of deep fried everything.
• I promised myself that I wouldn’t eat in an Italian restaurant until we got to Italy, but ended up breaking that rule for good reason tonight—to have a meal with my niece who is getting her MFA degree here in Edinburgh. Mia Italian was the closest to her new apartment and the food was fabulous. I don’t regret a single marinated olive or bite of Linguine del Mar. In fact, this was the only place I’ve ever had calamari perfectly prepared. So even when we think that we know best, God often has other plans for us.
And finally, I’ll close with a new Scottish phrase that I wish for all of you reading this: “Lang May Your Lum Reek”—or “Long may your chimney smoke”! In other words, I pray for prosperity and care and protection and safety for all of you. Even as I have been blessed with all these adventures, may God find a way to nourish you with his gracious abundance, with the beauty of the turning leaves or a flash of the northern lights (which I am missing AGAIN!!), or the crisp bite of a just-picked apple. Indeed, lang may YOUR lum reek and mine as well.
