God speaking ” I drew/draw them with bands of love.” This has a context but God is still doing this. Thank Him for His order, care and intentionality.
Hosea 11: 4
Today we leave for the UK after spending 8 weeks in total in Holland and Germany. There is so much to celebrate in this time spent in both these countries. Here are three general reasons with one reason from many as an example.
The first is order meaning a state of peace, organization and compliance with rules. This may seem a strange example to some but it is the planting of vegetation trees, flowers and grasses.
The German have a saying ‘Am Ende zählt das Ergebhis’ This is a direct, practical philosophy. It serves as a reminder that intentions are secondary to actually completing a task correctly or effectively.
The Dutch have this saying ‘ Acht is meer dan duizend.’ This plays on a homonym where ‘acht’ also means ‘ careful attention.
Then there is care as given to areas where visitors to a town/ city are made welcome. Information offices and for motor home owners, quiet areas yet close to supermarkets and sometimes swimming pools/parks especially for this hot weather.
The Germans have this saying: ‘ Wer zwei Hasen auf einmal jagt, bekommit keinen.’ He who chases two rabbits at once catches none.’ The focus on support and providing facilities shows care.
Our park up in Holland with wildlife and canals surrounding us and access to a railway station to visit cities. We also enjoyed using our bikes here.
The cycle path next to our campsite on the Rhine in Germany. We were impressed how often we parked really close to this special river.
The third is intentionality the quality of being done on purpose with a plan. An example of this was in the maintenance and care of the roads we travelled in both countries.
The Germans say: ‘ Ordnung ist das halbe leben’ and the Dutch say: ‘ Orde is het halve leven.’
Order is half of life.
This reflects their appreciation for structure, efficiency, and preparedness.
I saw this as order, care and intentionality.
Tot ziens, auf Wiedersehen.
Now a big thank you to my amazing husband, Roy. Without him I wouldn’t have enjoyed writing and photographing. Each day he presents a surprise of place in a world we share together. He is my soul mate, the one who makes me laugh and helps allay the fear that I sometimes have of adventure, especially cycling and getting lost. With him our world is here to discover.
Roy has provided this map of where we have been.
There are big dots and little dots of where we stayed. The little dots are where there have been a concentration of stays.
Thank you to those who have read this blog. We appreciate your being there for us. We also say thank you to our church members and the hospitality from both these countries.
Take care,
Sandy and Roy
Bess!
Bess looks very tired! But a wonderful trip you’ve had once again!
What a lovely way to say thank you to Roy Sandy! We enjoyed visiting with you Thanks for sharing your adventures
Thank you Lois. Bess had a second awn untreated at the time of the first. It was deep in the top of her paw so she didn’t limp. We had that removed by another vet but she was put on antibiotics as well. This photograph was taken at the French border , Calais. We were able to take her on board with us as it was stipulated too hot to be left in the motor home. We have truly had a wonderful time. Thank you for being with us both. It is great to be in the garden.
Dear Cornelia
It was always a delight to read your comments. Thank you for taking time to be with us. You know Roy so well and I know you know I am quite direct so thank you for your kind words .🤗🤗
Auf Wiedersehen dear Sandy and Roy it was a pleasure to meet you both
Take care of you!
Katja
Thank you for coming into this space to say so. It really was a pleasure to feel the encouragement and friendly Christian kindness in your group. 🤗