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Written and Shared by: Chaplain Chris Belfield
When looking for a retirement home on the North Shore, it was easy to be mesmerized by the lake's natural beauty and surrounding area. After all,that's the prime reason for people wanting to retire here. On a visit in 2017, Cathy and I casually mentioned to the attendant at the Two Harbors Information Center that we would consider moving here if we could have the lake view without the taxes of owning lakefront property. Quick as a proverbial heartbeat, she replied, "I know just the real estate agent for you." Long story short – she was as good as her word, and here we are with a magnificent view of Lake Superior, without lakefront property taxes. When looking at houses to consider as a retirement home, it is interesting how the obvious is sometimes overlooked when tantalized by a beautiful view. What kind of obvious things, you ask? Well, how about the driveway? We gave no real thought to the driveway as we drove up to it. We were too excited about the opportunity to look at a 90-year-old house, and it was -20 degrees on that day. Again, as we left, we paid no attention to the driveway as now all we could discuss was the house, and, oh yes – the view. Now, the driveway is long and steep. How steep, you ask? Steep enough that shortly after moving in, a strong thunderstorm resulted in a good portion of the driveway cascading down to Highway 61. Steep enough that the USPS, UPS, and FEDEX drivers have all declined to venture up the driveway in the wintertime. Now, the propane delivery driver is more fearless and will try anything at least once. Interesting to see a truck with its wheels spinning forward while the truck is sliding backward. Experience is a great teacher. This is now our third winter here, and we have a newly graded driveway and a brand new snowblower. Snow is no longer as intimidating as it once was. This past Sunday’s afternoon activities centered on the long, steep driveway as we committed to clearing off the several inches of new snow from the previous evening. It was that light, fluffy stuff that is easy to push if it’s not too deep or packed. Using the snowblower was not even really a consideration. Cathy even got out the leaf blower and gave that a workout until finally switching over to a shovel. She took care of the sizable parking area while I tackled the driveway's length and the entrance from the highway. It was a good workout that took 1 ½ hour to finish. As I was going down the driveway, pushing snow to either side, I occasionally looked down the driveway to see how much more was left to be done. After doing this several times, I was getting depressed about how little progress I seemed to be making. Being a positive-oriented person, I knew there had to be a better way of looking at this chore. Sure enough – I turned around and looked up at how much I had already accomplished. That changed everything. I went another several minutes and turned around to see that more was completed than what head yet to be done. It was encouraging and made the remaining work much easier to do. Last week’s news stories have all seemed to have been about the daunting tasks ahead of us and the abundance of opinions of the right actions. We are looking for clear direction, a unity of purpose, and positive signs moving on that all can readily agree with. Again, being positive oriented I look back over the past year and all that our community has accomplished by helping one another. Knowing where we have been and how far we have come makes whatever lies ahead just a series of tasks to be completed…together. Foundational is turning around from what fears we may have and looking up to God for what we need. Our encouragement verse for this week is: 1 Peter 5:7 (The Living Bible) “Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.” May you be blessed by God's word. Chris Written and Shared by: Chaplain Chris Belfield
Last week I described how an unexpected mechanical challenge with the furnace resulted in making a new friend with the repair contractor. Now, in the cold of winter is not the time to have a furnace go out, but it does happen. It seems that each season has brought its' own challenges and rewards, but that's life. So, this season we have had the pleasure of needing a new snowblower and having the furnace worked on. I sincerely thanked God for providing the means and the local resources for what we needed. I also thanked God that we were now through with challenges for the time being and looking forward to Spring. You know – sometimes I should just quit while I’m ahead. Nope, I'm from the east coast, and we are renowned for being obstinate and stubborn. Now, as previously mentioned, I do not shy away from doing mechanical repairs. This is especially true if my YouTube instructors have provided an instructional video. However, it is essential to watch the video all the way through. So I was about to learn in a shocking way. Cathy wanted to rearrange the basement area to allow for more storage, access, and movement. She is so practical that way. So it was that the electric dryer had to move. This necessitated replacing the now too short power cord. Pretty simple, really, just turn off the power, remove and replace the cord. The simple task was accomplished in short order. Power was hooked up, and a trial run was completed. Success! Now all I had to do was replace the power cord cover, and we could move onto the next project. With the metal plate in hand, I adjusted it to fit the opening when the metal made contact with both the ground wire and a positive wire. Did I mention shocking? Yes, it most certainly was. However, the worst part was that with the sparking, there was a shorting of the circuit. No problem, I'll just reset the circuit breaker. Now it gets interesting. There were no thrown breakers – none. On top of that, half of the house circuits were out. After much searching and experimenting, I used a well-known football axiom: I dropped back 10 yards and punted. What next? You guessed it – I called an electrician. Did I forget to mention this was on a Saturday, i.e., weekend rates apply? The electrician arrived and did an extensive search for the problem. He reminded me of a surgeon doing exploratory surgery. The diagnosis was that the problem was on the power pole and the lines coming into the house. Oh, and we were informed the partial power outage also meant no well pump water. The electrician said the company would try to get one of their bucket trucks to respond, but it might not be until Monday. I was set to hunker down with partial power until Monday. Well, at least we had great heat from the furnace that had been serviced the prior week. Cathy had run into town to get gallons of water that we, and the pets, would need. It was shortly after she left that I heard a significant rumbling outside the house. Now what? It turned out to be two bucket trucks from our local power cooperative. I should mention here that it was dark, cold, and sleeting, which added to the overall memorable experience. The two gentlemen explained they had been called about a need at my address. I had not called them. Someone else – the electrician – knew what we needed. The repair was affected with 30 minutes. This required all power to be shut off to the house. It was a little unnerving to see the house completely dark with absolutely no light from within. What really surprised me was the technician explaining that the two frayed lines were ready to go at any time, and this night was that time. They needed immediate replacing, and the technician had the exact power line cables required. Aside from the sudden unexpected appearance of the repair trucks, the memorable portion of this experience was how courteous, professional, and friendly both technicians were. It was like we were all family, and in a genuine sense, up here on the North Shore, we are. I sincerely hope and pray that there are no more significant challenges this season than what the past two weeks have brought. Imagine a life with no “power” inside and how truly dark it can be without others. However, these experiences have also affirmed that God always provides what we need when we need it. It also is a reminder that sometimes, others know what we need more than we do and don't hold back. Seems like this is what friendship is all about. Our encouragement verse for this week is: Proverbs 3:27 (NIV) “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” May you be blessed by God's word. Chris Written and Shared by: Chaplain Chris Belfield
Almost the middle of January, and we still have nine weeks and three days until spring, but who is counting? It's an interesting perspective that there are so many great winter activities offered on the North Shore, but the weather has to cooperate. Actually, by past standards, it is a mild season-to-date. There is snow on the ground, but not that much. So, the snowmobilers have not been as prevalent as in times past. The temperatures have not been low enough for an intense, hard freeze of the local lakes to encourage more ice fishing persons to venture out as much. And, of course, the pandemic has curtailed many otherwise cherished outside social events. However, all-in-all, things seem to be going along fairly well here at the homestead along the scenic highway. I knew it was too good to be true. It started Sunday evening with no announcement, no forewarning, just an imperceptible ceasing of activity. We should have known by the all too reassuring quiet. Quiet as in a 92-year-old house not announcing its age with fairly consistent utterances of systems in operation. In plain terms – the pipes and vents were not shaking and rattling to let us know the furnace was operating at peak efficiency – because it wasn’t. The first obvious sign was that the upstairs bedrooms at 2:30 a.m. were cold. The inside thermometer stated that the temperature had dropped 10 degrees from what the thermostat is usually set at. At this juncture, I should note that the furnace is almost exactly two-years-old to the very week of installment. Sure enough, a check of the furnace established that it was not running. I felt the need to share this revelation with Cathy so she could commiserate along with me. After studying the owners' manual, I decided that this was beyond my mere mortal understanding and expertise. Now, I don't shy away from repairing either an electrical, plumbing, or propane issue. However, not on something as important as a furnace, which incorporates all three at once. This revelation resulted in a call at 3:00 a.m. to the plumbing firm that installed the furnace. The rest of the evening/morning was spent in a chilly abode, having done all that we could. Cathy, a native Minnesotan, has now labeled me as a Virginia Hothouse Flower. Should I feel complimented or be concerned? The plumbing contractor was able to fit us into a busy schedule, arriving in the early afternoon. I imagined a significant repair, costing hundreds of dollars and possibly several chillier evenings. We might actually have to use the wood-burning stove in the living room. The contractor surveyed the system, made his wise and informed decision, and informed us that the repair would take 10 minutes. He was as good as his word. Within the allotted time, he had the furnace operating at full capacity. The repair was relatively simple, and we were shown how to do it ourselves. We joked with the contractor that he could have just done the repair, not told us how, and we might have to be calling him again next year. He stated that 10 years ago, he might have done that, but now he realizes how much easier his and our lives will be with us being able to save having to make that call again. What was most memorable about this event was not the furnace failing to work or even the repair. What was most memorable and enjoyable was when we spent time outside just visiting after the work was completed. A 10-minute repair resulted in a follow-on 30-minute visit and getting to know someone much better. Cathy and I definitely made a new friend. There was a mutual need that was met. We needed a trained professional to help us, and he needed an opportunity to talk to someone. We both benefit from a new friendship. This serves as a great reminder that living on the North Shore is a wonderful experience. Still, I thank God that some men and women have been called into vo-tech careers to help us who are technically challenged. Our encouragement verse for this week is: Ephesians 4:11-12 (New King James Version) “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” May you be blessed by God's word. Chris Written and Shared by: Chaplain Chris Belfield
Why did we wait so long to move to the North Shore? Well, to be fair, there were: multiple careers, raising children, retirements, and selling a home north of the metro area. That all only took 40 years, but the wait was definitely worth it. In my last career of twenty years, I treated myself to a hot cup of tea to start my day. Now that I have been officially “finally retired” for the past 2 ½ years, I have become totally decadent and give in to two cups of hot tea each morning. I'm talking manly tea here – English Teatime or Earl Grey black tea. Now, mornings are for enjoying tea and being with Cathy and the pets. This cherished tea time is also for catching up on world events. This is accomplished via multiple cellphone news services to get a balanced mix of news – if such a thing is possible while sitting in my favorite chair. The other morning we enjoyed the quiet solitude of the morning as a "family" when a slowly perceptible annoyance became apparent. I couldn't determine what it was until it was staring me straight in the face – the sun. It was not just any sun but a North Shore winter sun in all of its glory and majesty. What made this so noticeable was the intensity of the light, so much to be distracting. Looking out the front window, we have a fantastic vista view of Lake Superior. On this particular morning, the sunlight cascaded across the lake glistening like thousands of silver Christmas lights. It was reminiscent of past moments of peace and serenity. Interestingly, these memories also involved bodies of water in northern Minnesota. Let’s see, there was the time I saw the same glistening as the sun rose over Cass Lake, after an early morning run along the trails, and before others were outside. The only sound disturbing the calming silence was the wistful call of a loon on the lake. Another memory was coming out of the cabin on Crazy Woman Lake and seeing the lake's same effect as the sun was just breaking above the horizon. There was a calmness and peace that I wished would never end. It's at times like that where you can take time to look around and really appreciate all that God has created. He allowed you the opportunity to enjoy the splendor of his creation – even if only for a few brief moments. I’ll never forget it. If we can have visual reminders of times fondly remembered, how about auditory reminders? Some songs or sounds magically transport us to another time and place, often with special meanings for us. For me, a particular song that takes me to such places as getting my first transistor radio in the 1960s. Imagine getting a half dozen AM stations on a pocket radio and being able to take it anywhere. It even came with a leather case and an earphone - only for one side. The first song I remember hearing was Percy Faith's "Theme from a Summer Place.” https://youtu.be/Jx01TRq0YVo. It was the first time I ever heard French horns, and they are still my favorite orchestral instrument to this day. What about you? What takes you back to happy memories? So, here we are in the first full week of January 2021. We already have enough distractions to keep us occupied for the remainder of the year and beyond. That's the pessimist in me rearing its negative head. However, the born optimist in me says that the lakes, rivers, beautiful landscape, and sun are still there to behold and enjoy. Indeed, there is beauty abounding all around us. It just takes a second or two to readjust our perspective to take it in and appreciate it. Don’t look now, but I think the sun is also rising for you. What do you see? Our encouragement verse for this week is: Isaiah 6:3 (NIV) “And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” May you be blessed by God's word. Chris |
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