Lake Neuchatel

Looking for the prison tower

The view from the prison tower

Astrid

Finding peace

Ireland drinking from the fountain

It is not always easy to still my mind through the chatter that blares in the background of my head. Daily yoga is something from which I would probably benefit greatly. I have done it before and was inspired by the quietness at the end of the session. I sit in silence in the car and reflect on the experiences we have had.

After hiking the gorge we had to hurry to meet Fred's sister, Astrid, in Neuchatel (New Castle). We were racing up and down the hills until we saw a deviation (detour). We took part of the detour and then decided to get back on our original road as per GPS instructions........it wasn't blocked off from this intersection. We jetted down the isolated road until we realized why it was so lonely. The shiny road was being prepared for re-surfacing. It was hot oil! We cringed at the sound of the tires squishing across the road and could only imagine what it was going to look like. There was nothing we could do but start backing up.

We sat in silence for a bit then I said, "It doesn't do us any good to fret," and Dennis said, "I am not worried." The words sounded foreign coming out of our mouths. I WAS concerned, but sometimes you have to say what you want to believe and hope the feeling will follow. This new idea that we were trying to adopt wholeheartedly, not wasting our energies on worrying but giving it to God, was actually quite freeing.

Astrid was waiting for us when we arrived downtown Neuchatel. It was a port city in its prime but now the boats lined up are for fishing and tourism.  Neuchatel is one thousand years old this year! We walked along lake Neuchatel which is the largest lake in Switzerland. The water was clear and beautiful. We dawdled through the old part of town and the girls were delighted to spot the prison tower and take a self-guided tour straight up to the top and look out over the city and lake. We could even see the three peaks of the Eiger, the Monch and the Jungfrau.

I enjoyed visiting with Astrid along the way and learning about her family. When I asked her if she works outside the home she said she goes to the prayer house at their church and prays for 10 hours a week, one hour per certain topic: children in slave labor, people who are out of work and the souls of men.  When I asked her about her children and school she said the 15 and 18 year old don't like school much so an alternative in Switzerland is to go to school one to two days a week and the other days  train for a profession. Interesting to have that option at the young age of 15. Her oldest goes to a university.  Our time with Astrid was enjoyed and I am amazed that a stranger would take her afternoon to show us around her city.

Dennis took the car to the car wash after we got home and settled. Upon investigating the damage with his scrutinizing eye for detail he could find not one spot of disappointment! 

Is it easier to give God the big things or the small things? As with everything it gets easier with practice. I don't want to confuse responsibility with worries.  Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus our Lord.  His peace is hard to understand and sometimes I have a tendency to think if I'm not worrying then I am not taking responsibility. I want to welcome his peace in crazy situations and feel guarded.