Years ago, my husband and I spent 3 weeks canoeing in Canada’s Quetico Park. There were 5 of us, and we portaged 24 miles and paddled 150. We went in to the park before it officially opened, so the ice had just melted. It rained constantly for the first 10 days. I would wake up each the morning, praying for sun. By day five, the only way to cook supper was with our little cook stove since it was too wet to start a campfire. On day eight, we arrived at a portage called Tough Sloggins. In normal condition, it was a path of muck and goo that made the portage difficult. With all the rain, we paddled through the portage, found a beaver slide to ride the canoes on, and went on our merry way.
Sometimes life seems like tough sloggins. For us, the month of April was so. Bill’s uncle passed, then my father graduated to glory. He was the care giver for my mother who has dementia, so I spent a lot of time getting home health care lined up for her until she can get into an assisted living apartment. Our daughter has an inoperable brain tumor, and side effects from her medicine became apparent in April. Driving home from my father’s funeral, I recalled the tough sloggins portage. April was feeling like the muck and goo – except for the prayers and encouragement of our friends. Those prayers saw us through. Like the days of rain that filled the portage, the prayers made our way through April, and now May, easier.
So this is a thank you for your prayers, notes, flowers, and words of encouragement over the last several weeks. They have brought our entire family great comfort. Thank you for walking with us on this journey and for making this walk much easier. In both word and deed you are Christ to us.
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