On Forgiveness

". . .forgiveness means that God is for giving, and that we are here for giving, too, and that to withhold love or blessings is to be completely delusional." 
                                 Anne Lamott  "Small Victories" 

The Llangollen Canal

I have been told that memory has a gestational aspect.   Our 5 day trip this spring on this ancient
canal near Birmingham, England, was an uncomfortable adventure with rain, cold wind and even
sleet at times.    When we got the photos back, we were enraptured.   "What a wonderful trip!
The bad weather doesn't show up in the photos at all."    Pictured is my son-in-law Jens at the
tiller.   I am standing in the back doorway wearing all the clothes I packed - just to keep warm, Grandson Thor on the side and Susanne in front lashing ropes to moor us.  In the late 1700s and early 1800s a draft horse pulled the boats using this path and
slate, gravel and coal were transported to all parts of the UK.   The railroads made the canals obsolete, but they are used by tourists now.   We cooked ourselves except for the occasional stop at a village pub for lunch.    Went over two impressive aqueducts at Chirk and Pontcystelle on the
England-Wales border.  Below:  Jens making hot tea, Thor and Richard opening the sluice gate on one of the locks, Thor, 8, and Bjorn, 11.