Double rainbows....

Mom!
Ssssooooorrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
It's all I can say!
I got side-tracked with everything and my absolute favourite activity of my day (writing your blog) got put on the back burner.
NOT GOOD!
Sorry!!!
OK...here we go!
I've been thinking about you for days!
I have had a totally hectic few days with getting ready for my trip (I leave today), dealing with a few things at the hostel, trying to focus in what's important (when all I seem to have time for is what seems urgent) and get everything ready to get to that plane on time!

I've got 3 hours.....

The past few weeks, I've been planning the Gala (a 450 person fancy dinner with a silent and live auction) for my Dad's business and charity foundation that he's started a few years ago.

One thing that strikes me as so funny and amusing is this one particular lady that comes to the Gala every year. She's the director of a charity organization (that Dad supports) in Edmonton and she's a nun. A sister. Her name is Sister Lucinda. She wears a habit and follows her religious path.

She also has a blackberry.

She texts me! It's hilarious! When ever I email her about some detail of the gala or something....she texts me back from her blackberry!

I don't know why I find it so amusing. I just do. It is! Don't you?

Anyway, life is so amusing and funny when you look for the little funny parts. Today (well...mostly yesterday) as I raced around to get evertyhing done, I tried to "get fascinated - not frustrated" by the slower drivers, the line-up's at superstore, the variety of things that got in my way....and it actually worked. I was fascinated....not frustrated. There's so much to smile about and laugh at when I just think about things from the right perspective.

And the few texts from Sister Lucinda yesterday absolutely made my day!

The photo above was one that I took a quite a few years ago, on the way to meet Carla (my twin) in Radium Hot Springs - between here and Calgary. Gwen, a few friends and I were driving from Kelowna, meeting Carla there to go camping for a few days.

En route, we switched drivers and I was in the back seat with Gwen trying to sleep on my lap. As we drove, out of the window, I saw this amazing double-rainbow! I reached for my camera. Gwen said "stop squirming" as she lay in my lap trying to sleep. But I just had to take the photo. It was amazing. I asked if we could stop to take a few photos. We stopped for just a couple minutes and everyone jumped out to try to capture the view. It as gorgeous. I'd never seen a double rainbow like this.

Then, we got in the car and continued on our drive. Less than 10 minutes later we were the second car to come upon a single vehicle accident that just happened moments before, where the oncoming car lost control and hit the rocky edge of the mountain b/c he came around the corner too fast. The airbags were deployed. It didn't look good.

Another car had already stopped so we didn't.

What we did do was sit in silence. Complete and utter silence at the thought that if we had not stopped to take photos of the rainbows, we might have been involved in that accident as the driver would have come into our lane.

Now, I'm not one for "what if's" but it was pretty surreal in that moment.

We got to Radium and had a fantastic time with Carla, hiking, laughing, camping and playing for the weekend!


When we got home, I got the photos developed (it was before digital) and this is the photo that made my skin tingle...b/c it reminded me of the car accident that we saw. I can't even remember who I showed the photos to since it was so long ago...but I remember showing them to friends and one of them "ohh'd and ahh'd" ad the rainbow photo and exclaimed that when you see a double rainbow, it's a sign that your God is present.

When you see a double rainbow...it's a sign that your God is present.

Shivers went up my spine when I heard that.

I've searched the internet looking for the folklore and find so many views on the meaning of double rainbows, including some religions ones. When I see rainbows, and especially double rainbows now, years later, it still makes me stop and pay attention b/c I do believe that it's a sign that my God is present.

Funnily, when Gwen or I see a double rainbow, or a full moon or an thing in the sky, we call each other right away to tell eachother to look outside!

So....today, I will continue to look for the funny parts of life, like Sister Lucinda's texting on her blackberry and as I finish packing to get on the flight, I know that some how, some way, as the plane finds it's cruising altitude, I feel that I'll be just a little closer to Heaven. And I'll be looking out the window for a double rainbow in the sky.

I love you, Mom.
Crystal
PS Sorry for missing a couple of days! For the rest of the 365 days of intentional living...I will be a little more intentional. love you.