Unexpected Spring Trip
“I thought that you were coming tomorrow”, said my friend whom I visited on the first day of my trip up north. The problem was that I misread my diary. Never mind.
The friend adjusted her diary. And we had a nice day in Wanganui...Next day we went to church because it was Sunday. A good sermon and singing made the Mass a real prayer.
That day it was terrible weather. A storm from Mount Taranaki with constant rain made driving more than funny. In New Plymouth I was told that I was expected the next day, the birthday of my old friend. But his wife said that her family were celebrated dad’s birthday that evening. So was unexpectedly on time. “He is a jolly good fellow...”
Next day on the way to Rotorua I got lost in a forest. My guardian angel knew the way out , so I arrived in Rotorua rather late, but a day ahead of time. The same problem as above. In a glorious day my friend took to places where I had never been before or at least a very long time ago. I discovered that I left my electric razor behind in the motel in New Plymouth. The manager would courier it to Roto.
The following day I drove to Tauranga, and also, as you expect, a day ahead of time.
I waited in the car, read a news paper, and fell a sleep, found a toilet and finished reading the new paper. The next day my car would not start, But the AA solved the problem (flat battery?). I was sent to Mount Maunganui to find the reason. I had to book in; had to wait for four days. Forget about it.
But as I was in Mount Maunganui, I went to my friends who I rung the previous day and told me to come in two days (funeral). They just arrived from the funeral. In that case I was again one day ahead, but it did not matter. We caught up with the memory of old friends.
Next day I went to Rotorua to pick up my electric razor and from there to Taupo for a
meal and a rest. After taking photos of this scenic place I travelled to Napier, also very scenic.
In Napier I stopped behind a bus stop. A guide told the tourists about the earthquake in 1931 which destroyed a large area of Napier. With the sun getting lower I finally arrived at my friends, this time on time. Hurray!
In the morning we went to Mass in the ST Thomas More Church. This church is a good example how the people had this church built according to their wishes. The sermon was excellent by a retired priest. After coffee I left for the next place, the Benedictine monastery of Kopua. Fr NIKO made me very welcome.
After the eight o’clock Mass, next day, I began on the last lap of my trip. Stopped in Carterton, but Father was absent and finally I wanted to visit Joy Cowley in Featherston. But, unexpectedly she was not in. Of the ten paintings I put in the booth of the car I left the last two behind the back door, hoping they would be found by her.
The Good Lord looked after me. Save and well I arrived home in Summerset Village. As I expected I found a whole lot of emails.
The moral of this story is, that even when you have not well organised you travel arrangements, your guardian angel will do it for you, because that is their job. Trust them.
I finish with one of my paintings, called SPRING.
The colours outside are Spring colours, because they have all the colours of the season. Enjoy when they are around.
God Bless , Fr John Heijnen, 01.02.0012
