We had the greatest exercise in extending love to Not-Knowing yesterday. We drove (and drove and drove) on ever narrowing country roads. It was like driving in a giant labyrinth. The hedgerows were close to both sides of the car and just high enough you couldn’t really see over. We could see the sky, the road, the hedgerows, each other and that was about it. Unless you count the cat scurrying for a presumed field mouse and the flock of pheasants that disappeared into the hedge at a crossroads. Did we really need to know more? Even though it seemed impossible at each crossroad there were wooden arrows with town names and the number of miles to each. The roads got so narrow it was completely impossible to even pass another car, etiquette requires the down hill car to back up (or the one nearest a turn out). No matter where we were, we reversed to find a turn out to allow the other car to pass. It was very beautiful once we’d gotten over the fact that it was considered normal to not have a road wide enough to allow vehicles to pass one another. This explains why though we were only going seven miles the GPS told us it would take 32 minutes. Uh huh. It actually took longer but I will not take the time to let Google maps know this.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving and though the locals were not celebrating we were. We dressed up a bit and decided to go for a drive to a village called Westward Ho!. It is actually spelled like that on the sign with the exclamation mark and everything. Very un-British actually. I must find out how this came about. The fields were lush green and so soft it looked like you could roll down the hills forever, or until your rolled into the next hedge. The hedgerows are the most magnificent live fencing. It is truly astounding. We even got to see someone trimming their hedge. Think a cherry picker with jaws and moving teeth. Yikes, that thing could trim. The day started with a burst of sun, which got us up and out, then a heavy layer of cloud and fog rolled in. The sky was ever changing today and by the late afternoon blue sky appeared and we got some gorgeous views of the coastline.
Which way to go?
We happened on to a lovely restaurant called The Pier in Westward Ho! (I just love writing the name of that town) and amazingly got to have turkey and gammon pie with root veggies and perfect wedge chips. Pretty close to a perfect Thanksgiving lunch. No pumpkin pie so I hope there will still be some in stores after Christmas when we return home. Bing Crosby’s White Christmas was playing so it felt perfectly arranged to give us a little taste of home.
Back to the feeling of Not-Knowing int he labyrinth, it was like a faith strengthening path. We had the assurance of being able to see sky and one another but not what was around the bend. After awhile we realized that, mostly, it was just more road around the bend. The drivers, though too fast in my estimation, never ran into us or forced us off the road. It was just another day to them. Our day consisted of watching scenery unfold in the gaps and gates in the hedges. I kept having the grace of knowing that I only needed to know and see what was right in front of me, nothing more and nothing less. It was enough. I really couldn’t ask much more of Thanksgiving that to have a tete tete with grace and Not-Knowing. Gratitude abounds. I am safe. God sees all and I can see God. It is enough.
