A Letter to My Younger Self by Steph Beth Nickel

Dear 20-Something Self,

Some things we can’t learn without experiencing them. So, while there is lots I’d love to encourage you to change, lessons I’d love for you to learn sooner, we likely wouldn’t be here, just a couple of months before our 65^th birthday.

And just where is here?

After 40+ years in the same city, Dave and I are packing and prepping the house to put on the market. Joshua, Son #2, and his wife, Ericka, (yep, we’re a mother-in-law twice over) live two provinces over. Sarah, Kiddo #3, moved in with them last fall. She hopes to buy a place of her own when she has saved up enough for a downpayment. And our plan, Lord willing, is for Dave and I to move west after the house sells.

That will be a huge adventure, considering we’ve never lived out of the province. While we’re excited, the thought of leaving behind family and friends will become more emotionally charged as the date approaches. Several people have said how much they don’t want us to go, some who have known us for years and others we’ve befriended more recently.

Last year, Dave finally retired from his “temporary” job at the Housing Corporation, where he worked for over 40 years. (The Lord never opened the doors to full-time music ministry as we’d anticipated.) Nathanial came home from Scotland to celebrate his dad’s retirement and his 70^th b-day. (Sadly, N’s wife, Laura, couldn’t take the time off work.) Joshua and Ericka also joined us. And Sarah was still living at home at this point.

While all this happened just last year, it seems like it was much longer ago. What doesn’t seem that long ago is the adventure Dave and I shared with Nathanial and Laura in 2024. We travelled to Iceland with them and toured Scotland, where they live. Nathanial also took Dave and I to Ireland for five days toward the end of our time across the Pond.

So, all that to say…

Our life has been a sequence of adventures. And hopefully, there are several more yet to come.

You, my 20-something self, have challenging days ahead. You’ll make mistakes you’d love to erase. Words—lots of words—you’d love not to have said. Accusations you’ll wish you’d never made. Lessons you’d love to have learned much earlier. Opportunities you’ll grab hold of and others that will slip through your fingers. And a battle with anger that only the Lord could deliver you from.

But know this…

Romans 8:28 is true. God truly works all things together for good.

His mercy and grace are unfathomable.

And His blessings… Innumerable.

Trust the Lord. Grow in your love for Him. And grow in your love for those whose paths cross yours.

Embrace the adventure that is your life!

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in 2027. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

Where Am I? - Marnie Pohlmann

Spot the deer

My husband was an active hunter when I married him, so I learned new things. I learned how to

-          safely handle and shoot a rifle, shotgun, and pistol without injuring myself.

-          hit the target I was aiming for even if it was moving.

-          know I was shooting at an animal that was legal to take at that time and in that place.

-          gut and skin a deer, though honestly, Wally always did that messy work for me

-          take care of the meat until it could be processed.

-          cook and eat what I shot.

Probably the two most important things I learned were how to

-          drive a standard gearshift truck, and

-          find my way back out of the bush we traveled.

I enjoy riding along with Wally as we explore the wild bush, letting him concentrate on keeping the truck from hitting trees or getting stuck in mud while I enjoy the autumn warmth, the beauty of wildflowers, and scout for animals. One day early in our explorations Wally mentioned that if something happened and he was hurt, I would need to know how to get back to civilization for help. He instructed me to turn around and look back the way we had come so I would recognize the way things looked. Trees and paths look different going toward them than they do when returning from them.

Know how to return to God

Since that day, I have made it a habit to look over my shoulder to see how a fork in the road or a landmark looks after I have passed it, so I can hopefully recognize the way I had traveled. As you may know from my post “Directionally Challenged” I do easily get lost. Maybe not really lost, but I often turn the wrong way from where I intend to go, so knowing how to get back to where I came from is a valuable skill.

It is easy to imagine how Moses and the children of Israel wandered for 40 years before arriving at the Promised Land. Shifting landscapes in the desert would make it difficult to recognize what direction they had already traveled, even when they did look behind. They were not supposed to look back or lust after their former life in Egypt but were to follow the cloud and fire pillars of God’s leading.

So, are we, as Christians today, supposed to look back or not?

David writes in Psalms 143:10 “May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.” The apostle Paul in Philippians 3:13-14 wrote “…forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead… I press on to reach the end…” The events of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, recounted in Genesis 19, are a warning to not look back, as when Lot’s wife looked back, she was turned into a pillar of salt.

Yet many times in Scripture stones were also piled or an altar built so when others came by or the builders looked back, they could see where God had worked in their lives. Looking back gave faith to continue, knowing God was in control. Looking back to see how far we’ve come helps us not be discouraged when we see we still have a long way to go.

In the parable of the Prodigal Son told by Jesus in Luke 15, the younger son finally realizes he has wandered so far away he is worse off than when he was at home. He makes his way back to his father. There are times we may realize we have wandered far off the path on which God was leading us. Looking back to the last time we were walking with God can help us see where and maybe when we turned in the wrong direction or off the path, so we can return to our Saviour’s side.

Adventures are not easy

Joshua reminded the children of Israel to obey everything Moses wrote, not turning to the left or the right. Isaiah confirmed that when we choose to follow God, we will hear his voice telling us the way we should go. When we are at a crossroads and are wondering what to do or which way to go, we can look back in our lives to the last time God gave us direction, and we can know with confidence that if he has not told us to turn in another direction we must continue on in the way he last directed us to go.

The answer to the question then,

-          no, believers should not look back, and

-          yes, believers may need to look back.

The only way we will know which we are to do at any given time is to familiarize ourselves God’s voice and pay attention to our surroundings. When we are aware of God's presence and his work going on around us, we can be confident God is leading as we journey into uncharted territory.

Our Christian lives are not likely to be safe and certainly should not be stagnant. Walking each day with God is an adventure, and adventures are best when unexpected, unknown paths present themselves before us to be explored. Yes, even the scary paths that lead through dark forests and valleys.

Taking words to uncharted territory

 Writers, I encourage you to not remain in the comfort of your past successes, but to step into new areas. Perhaps try writing in a new genre, or maybe take the leap from writing for yourself to sharing your writing with others, or perhaps it is time to speak, to share your message in person. Then the adventure of seeing God use your words will come alive!

I know there are things I still need to learn for an adventure that includes writing. I may be able to shoot, and I may be able to identify what to shoot towards, yet I still need to learn how to navigate the path God is leading me on so I don’t get side-tracked or take a wrong turn. Or if I do find myself lost, I need to be willing to repent, to return to where God last directed me.

In my writing and in my life in general, I am on an adventure with God that often leads me into uncharted territory.

Where are you?

*photos CCO license courtesy of Pixabay.com

Marnie Pohlmann journeys with God in Northern British Columbia. She knows God holds her hand, directs her steps, and smooths the way as she joins Him in adventures through uncharted territories in writing and life.

Read more about her adventures each month on this blog, and on her own blog, Phosphorescent.

Canada: My Great Outdoors by Sharon Espeseth

Free Photos

For this topic, I'm recalling some of my outdoor experiences somewhere in Canada. Although I am not an outdoor guru, I've enjoyed some wonderful times and special moments en plein aire.

My Family Home
* Making mud pies
* Using mud to make our skin dark
* Ice skating with bob skates on our lake at Lake View Farm
* Snow angels and snowmen
* Playing with my sister

Free Photo: istock.com

Homesteading in east central Saskatchewan
* Evening walks with our Dad while Mom helped out teacher with personal care
* The raft Dad made for us that we poled around our small, fresh-water pond
* Trying to build a log cabin out of skinny poplars
* Riding toboggan behind our horse
* Swinging from tree to tree on our way to school

Edmonton
* Bike riding through Glenora where streets were paved
* Big family picnic in Victoria Park on Victoria Day
* Horseback riding in White Mud Valley
* Late evening skating on the oval or at White Mud
* Playing ball in our front yard and batting the ball through the picture window

Camping with our daughter, Jenny and her family
Blueberry picking near Lac la Biche

Bible Camp at Pigeon Lake
* Campfire
* Rugged cabins and outdoor facilities
* Swimming, walking by the water, boating
* Being outside much of the day

Nordegg
* Camping before there were campgrounds
* Hiking to Horseshoe Falls
* Wading across mountain streams
* Mountain climbing

Dunvegan to Peace River on a Home-made Raft
* Labour Day Weekend with church youth group
* About 140 km from Dunvegan to town of Peace River
* Eating on board
* Camping in the hills beside the river
* Singing; bass fiddle made from inverted tub, hockey stick and cord, guitars

Camping at Okanagan Falls, B.C.
* Free camping but no amenities
* Bathing and shampooing with cold water
* Cheap holiday and good weather after six weeks of summer school at U of A

Camping Across Canada with Teaching Buddies
*All the way to Maritimes
* Pitching our tent in the pitch black
* Wind came up through night and water was rising
* Morning light shows we are on the very edge of the Bay of Fundy
* Niagara Falls--say no more

Camping with the Norwegian and the Kids
* Heinz Creek Crossing
* Slave Lake after the Flood in the 80s
* In the mountains

Visiting Alberta's National Parks
* Waterton, Jasper, Banff

Sunset Through the  Jackpines

* Nature's playgrounds

Camping with 7 Kids and without the Norwegian
* Discovered why Thunder Lake is so named.
* Didn't get to relax as I had planned

Farming with the Norwegian and the Kids
* Lots of outdoor activities
* Sunrises, Sunsets
* Gardening--vegetables, fruit, flowers, enough to supply friends and neighbours
* Shovelling snow
* Quad and skidoo rides
* Walking
* Bird Watching

Skiing in the Mountains
* Shutting down the mountain when I didn't get off at Easy Dismount

The five of us beside Maligne River

* Skiing with our kids whizzing past me

Family at Black Cat Ranch and Maligne Canyon
* Horseback riding in the foothills
* Hiking
* Walking

Vancouver, Victoria, Vancouver Island
* With and without the kids
* Butchart Gardens
* Ferry rides

Closer to Home
* Calaway Park
* Calgary Zoo
*

Grandkids Caleb and Logan make their own style
teepee of lodgepole pines

Passion Play in Drumheller
* Parades

Adventures with the Grandkids
* Blueberry picking north of Lac la Biche

Blueberry Picking--Yum!

* In the Sandhills by Barrhead
* Near Fort McMurray

Bus Tour of Maritimes with the Norwegian
*Sight seeing

At the Highland Village in Nova Scotia with the Norwegian

I have not exhausted this list, but it reminds me how much I enjoy being outside, how much I need to be outside, and how blessed we are to have freedom of moving about. In every one of the activities above, I could include appreciating the beauty of God's creation in the land, sea, sky, wildlife, and people. Most of all nature encourages me to  commune with the Creator of this planet and of Canada, the place where we are blessed to live.

* Research is showing that our moms were right when they encouraged us to go out and play
* Being outside can improve our health in every way: physically, emotionally, spiritually, and
   mentally

With a friend I met while walking Fisherman's Wharf in Victoria

No matter where you live in Canada, nature is waiting for you. I am writing this to remind myself that I can improve my focus, my memory,  my heart rate, my productivity, my mental health . . . by getting outside where I can enjoy what Canada and the Good Lord have to offer us.








God is present in our outdoor ventures. He can restore our souls, if we let him.