Advent 2015 #5

For those of you just joining us for this year’s Advent journey we thought it might be a good idea to just set the scene again for this season’s posts:

  “Three lighted candles at the breakfast table welcomed in the first day of advent and prompted thoughts of light and hope. Our advent journey last year was one of discovery; a discovery that didn’t stop at Christmas day but has continued throughout 2015 and produced many moments to hold onto. This advent we would like to take the opportunity to share with you some of these moments, with the hope of bringing richness to the celebrations of Christmas that go beyond the traditional and commercial…”

So Advent #5:

 

It’s raining heavily outside again tonight. Glenridding is suffering once more as the beck has burst its banks for the second time in just a few days. Advent 2015 is taking on an unexpectedly wet theme in our corner of the world.

Without in any way trying to make light of this situation I’d like to share the fact that until recently I have had a long term phobia of immersion in water. As regular visitors to this blog will know it’s only in the last two years that I have felt able to embrace and go on to love the pastime of canoeing. However, until just a couple of weeks ago I’d never inadvertently managed to tip over my boat and take an unexpected swim. As such when out on a fast flowing river, after I managed to successfully “duck” a protruding branch only for my tandem partner to fail to do so we both found ourselves in the: icy cold; fast flowing; murky waters; immediately above a foaming rapid – this was something of a “curve ball” to say the least.

No floundering, no panicking, no being overwhelmed by the moment,  but to get up out of the water and look immediately to the boats recovery was the next level of triumph for me; a moment that would never have been experienced had the journey of challenge and change not begun  …

 
Marion