Skip to content
  • The Cedar Journal
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Link to Places we like
  • Kayak/Canoe Links
Follow The Cedar Journal on WordPress.com

Archives

Translate

  • cedar strip canoe
  • Other travels
  • Canoe Netherlands
  • Hummm
  • Spring Flowers Netherlands
  • Netherlands Hiking
  • Minnesota kayaking
  • Environment
  • Netherlands Camping

The Cedar Journal

The adventures of a cedar canoe

  • The Cedar Journal
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Link to Places we like
  • Kayak/Canoe Links
  • cedar strip canoe
  • Volunteering

Let Us be Thankful

The Cedar Journal November 24, 2022

As Americans we all know that the third Thursday of November is reserved for this holiday of eating turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce. Many families will gather from across the country while others will celebrate it abroad, like myself.

I have spent many holiday seasons abroad. Explaining this holiday to people not familiar with this American custom can get some strange looks and weird questions. But, when it comes to the true meaning of this day it isn’t about the food and American football (I need to specifically mention that this year, as the rest of the World is watching the “other football”…soccer), the holiday is about being thankful for what we have and what others provide for us to maintain our lives. A moment each year to reflect we are NOT alone on this planet.

In 2003, I spent my Thanksgiving at the Salvation Army in Shawnee, Oklahoma. I was alone, I had lost my children to my ex-husband in a bitter custody battle. By Thanksgiving, I had already experienced homelessness, was jailed for several months, and really didn’t know that if my life would ever be normal again.

On that Thanksgiving day, I forced myself out of the small apartment I had just scraped together enough money to rent and headed to the free dinner at the Salvation Army. I needed to feel connected to other humans who also felt all alone on this holiday, I needed to feel “thankful”.

I am still grateful for those few moments years ago when I sat and ate with fellow Americans in a much to cool room to have a hot meal.

I felt hopeful at that moment and thankful that someone had prepared a thanksgiving meal, provided to so many who had mostly nothing on this day.

I was thankful for the volunteers who worked to prepare the meal, to those who “served” the meals to those of us who filtered in to a crowed rooms, some in rags, many of us looking like hope was totally lost. We each received a smile,a kind word from those volunteers. I am sure most of those in attendance had not received such kindness from anyone outside those walls in months. I know for the several months of that year I was one of those “forgotten” “unseen” people.

Yet, we all sat an ate a thankful meal together. We shared stories, we laughed, some even cried from the kindness of that Salvation Army community.

Kindness and being grateful for what we have at this very moment is what Thanksgiving is about.

It is obvious to my blog followers and my friends who helped me through that struggle in 2003, I have come a long way since that Thanksgiving Day. I have never forgotten that kindness given to me as I struggled to recover from such devastating events.

On this Thanksgiving please remember all those who will not be with family gathering around a table of abundant food. Show some kindness to those in your community who are homeless, or alone on this holiday, who knows, your one simple act could help a person who needs hope, who might one day become a American canoe blogger living overseas.

Thank you my fellow bloggers for your continued support, followers for reading, Hubby for proof reading and being my life partner and Captain of our canoe trips. I am grateful to all who are military serving away from home this holiday. I am so thankful for the two sons I have who have grown into fine young men who sacrificed so many holidays without a family holiday due to my military service and my unfortunate situation in 2003.

© The Cedar Journal, 2022, all rights reserved.

  • cedar strip canoe
  • Netherlands Hiking

Wordless Wednesday

The Cedar Journal November 23, 2022

© The Cedar Journal, 2022, all rights reserved.

  • cedar strip canoe
  • Other travels

Wordless Wednesday- Urk

The Cedar Journal November 16, 2022

© The Cedar Journal, 2022, all rights reserved.

  • cedar strip canoe

If I was cold…

The Cedar Journal November 15, 2022

A box this morning sat next to the front door. One of many that have litter our house entryway in the past two weeks. This solitary reminder that it needs to get to where it will do some good instead of collecting dust within our walls.

Waiting…to leave

The situation of facing a cold winter is nothing new to me. Die hard Minnesotan farm kids learn early to dress for frigid temperatures. As a cross country and down hill skier, I learned to layer warm base clothing with jackets that break the wind. These simple acts of preparation can be the difference between having fun in the cold or lead to dangerous frostbite situations if improperly prepared. Part of my left ear is evidence and a constant reminder of what cold temperatures can do even if you have all the proper gear.

This winter we are all trying to conserve energy here in The Netherlands as the prices of fuel have sky rocketed.

Knowing what we could be facing I have been checking regularly in our local thrift stores and on our online second hand sites for real wool clothing. Nothing, insulates or keeps a body core temperature regulated like 100% wool. I have been lucky and found items that would be handy to have if our power was to go out.

That rarely happens here in The Netherlands, where almost the entire power grid runs underground. But, even though rare in occasion, it has happened briefly in the many years I have lived here. It helps to be prepared.

But, as bombs have fallen into the Ukraine and knocked out their power grid in the last three weeks my anger towards that situation increased, my empathy for those citizens and what they have faced at the hands of Russian government has me on edge.

“What can I do?”

As a retired combat zone veteran, I know the true situation of what it feels like to live in that sort of situation. Not knowing what the next minute will bring. Feeling overwhelmed by the destruction that is caused by such violent acts! Living in building that have “nice windows for air circulation” (meaning artillery shell holes) that do not offer proper protection from the cold brutal winter elements. Buildings with no heat or running water during the winter months lead to dangerous deadly suffering.

That suffering is cruel!

Hats of hope.

I turned my anger into useful positive energy. All those wool clothes, all my handspun wool yarn, all those wool hats I had knitted durning COVID just to pass the time, all of them boxed with care, labeled, sat next to the door. Each one with a prayer of protection to those who may be the final person who receives the item, a prayer of happiness for the woman who may have lost everything to receive a box, open it and find knitting needles and 100% Merino yarn handspun by some stranger she will never meet, my story she will never know.

Yarn of life.

This small drop of kindness in the sea of potential misery. A box filled with items carefully selected seems like it will hardly help, but I know better than most people, it can be a lifesaver of hope and that is all I would ask for if I was cold.

A box of warmth and love.
Truckloads of compassion and supplies from our local community straight to Ukraine.

© The Cedar Journal, 2022, all rights reserved.

  • cedar strip canoe

Canoeing in the Weerribben Fall 2022

The Cedar Journal November 13, 2022

We have spent so much time in this beautiful location canoeing that it might seem that it is our favorite place to canoe within The Netherlands. This last trip was the first long one in our new canoe and the last one (at the time we didn’t know it) in our VW Caddy/camper. Now, looking back it seems bitter sweet.

As most of our regular readers know we haven’t been out canoeing much in the last two, wait, three?, years. Life events change things and we changed with them and canoed when we could, realized this year the beautiful “Cedar” needed a new home and with diesel prices soaring and our high road taxes on the larger vehicle, I guess 2022 was a year of lifestyle changes for us.

Since I have written so much about the Weerribben in the past I will just highlight our trip in pictures and video. Enjoy your weekend wherever you are in the World!🛶

The fall colors were just starting to showcase.
Early morning paddle into the Weerribben National Park. The only other paddlers were these ducks.
The wind was still and the paddle quite, seemed that all was perfect in the universe.
Having a bit of fun, sporting my Trailspace.com top 25 reviewer 2021 hat. Thank you to anyone who helped my reviews gain points for this honor. It has been a real morale booster for me being selected in the top 25 reviewers these last two years.
The reflection
What a beautiful morning!
Any paddler that takes photographs understands, it isn’t easy, but a still, no wind day, is picture perfect and almost effortless.
Fall is one of my favorite times to paddle but the weather can change quickly. The wind blows the trees lose leaves and the paddles are then resting.
Then the wind starts to settle and we are back on the water.
Another early morning still wind paddle.
The wind picks up and we just ride without paddling.
The Hubby always has a firm handle on directing the canoe. To think back now that he first started by watching YouTube videos and us doing circles in a nearby lake still makes me chuckle, but he has become very skilled and I am proud to have him as my paddle partner.
End to a week long canoe vacation. Bittersweet.
Our last (we didn’t know then) trip with the VW Caddy. We will miss all the room it had for our gear.

That concludes this recap from our Weerribben canoe vacation. Change is good and we have more adventures coming.

*** If you paddle (canoe or kayak) we would love to hear about your favorite fall paddle location. Please share your location in the comments section.

© The Cedar Journal, 2022, all rights reserved.

Posts navigation

Previous 1 2 3 … 67 Next
  • The Cedar Journal
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Link to Places we like
  • Kayak/Canoe Links
Start a Blog at WordPress.com.
The Cedar Journal
Start a Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Follow Following
    • The Cedar Journal
    • Join 389 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Cedar Journal
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Our Cookie Policy
 

Loading Comments...