Blog for Oct. 2nd, 2023
Eskimos
Wow! That’s all I can say is “Wow”! I finally got to see the Aurora Borealis. The “Northern Lights” as they are called. They were magical, amazing, beautiful, unpredictable, all together lovely. I have the picture I went for and let me tell you how I got it.
My friend Marsha and I flew up there together and we got to see the lights from the lodge we stayed at out in the wilderness area. We drove out into the very dark wilderness area looking for a great spot to see the lights. We found them. On a desolate off the beaten path highway, lined with pine trees, we stopped and – watching out for bears- and found an amazing light show. The lights swirled all around us. I told Marsha that it felt like we were in the middle of the universe. It was a captivating and mesmerizing display of God’s artwork and the beautiful phenomenon that is created by gases igniting in the sky. Wow!
We had an amazing time around Fairbanks and the Fall colors of the trees were beautiful. I very much enjoyed my time there. Even the Antique Car Museum was the best I have ever seen, and I’ve been to many car shows and museums, I love them old cars. We also went to an “Ice Museum”, it was freezing in there! Lol. We watched a man carve out a picture on a big block of ice, it was very cool. Ha!
I can’t even begin to describe how cool the Riverboat tour was, starting with a super delicious moose stew. We seen a lot of cool stuff along the river: A Bush pilot landed his plane by us on the water, a famous dog sled training place, an Athabaskan’s village as it might have been in ancient times. Plus, we drove to North Pole, even found Santa and the Mrs. Got a pic. Too cool.
Marsha left on a Monday, and I was there until Wednesday. So, I piddled around town, went to NA meetings and zoomed with my husband and sat in the beautiful lodge with the big picture windows staring out at the Chenga River and beautiful fall colors of the trees along the river. So peaceful and serene as I was listening to a familiar zoom meeting with people I hear from and see on there about daily.
In Fairbanks, I went to four meetings during my time there. At one of the noon NA meetings, I met Adam, an amazing, eight years clean man who is a native Alaskan: Athabaskan, born and raised there in Fairbanks. His story is sad, but he overcame it and has victory, as I said, eight years clean now. In the AA program, a guy named Bob E. started a little story about the Eskimo. I told Adam, “no offensive, but you ARE my Eskimo right now”, I said you “know the story”? He, surprisingly, did not (I say I’m surprised because he has eight years clean and most people with that much time has heard it by eight years.) I told him it is about the Eskimo that helps an atheist out in a blizzard. So, now, whenever someone appears at a time that we need some help, we call them “our Eskimo”. He thought that was pretty cool. Me too.
Thanks to Adam, I got to see the best Northern Light show of my whole time there and get the picture I went there to get. Amazing. I kept thanking him and he kept saying, “that’s what we do for each other in NA”. He was so kind and sweet about it all, even though he had to get up for work at 5am.
On this trip I also met nice people in the lodges, the staff was so nice too. Everyone was helpful, I know that’s their jobs, but you do run into pretty bitchy people who should also be doing their jobs in costumer service and are not all that nice, but these people were.
At the airport coming home, my plane was delayed over six hours and I seen another counter open up for an earlier flight and I thought, maybe I should ask, but then, no. Finally, I did, while at the counter asking the lady if I could get on that flight, because I was worried about my husband waiting until midnight at the airport for me and he is sick. A guy was standing near by and said “I’ll give her my seat”. A lot of hoopla ensued, but I did get on the earlier flight, thanks to my other Eskimo, Travis. What a blessing he was. I was still five hours late, but at least not eight hours late. Travis is in the army and stationed there at Fort Wainwright, he said “that’s what we (service men) do, we help others out.” Wow! He sounded like Adam.
Once on the plane, I was in a middle seat on the exit row, and I was a little worried about that. I don’t think I’d be of much help to people if we crashed. But then a very big, buffed, wrestler guy came and sat next to me in the aisle seat, and I said “oh, thank God”, he gave me a sideways glance and laughed. Understood. He was another Eskimo. Then, an elderly lady, eighty-two years old came and took the window seat, DiVonne. She was a hoot. I had fun sitting next to her and talking to her off and on during the
flight . I found out she wrote a book, called “Why did Grandma move to Alaska?” lol, she is sending me the book, it’ll be here this week, another Eskimo.
When I arrived at my destination my luggage did not come because I had switched airplanes. I asked the baggage guy what to do and he said he’d keep it safe locked in that room. Another Eskimo! I live two hours from the airport and had to drive back the next morning to get it. But I got it, and all is well.
Yesterday, my beautiful niece called me, and we had a great conversation. She said she’d had a melt down about three days ago and just didn’t know what to do, so she prayed. She turned to God, read some scripture and prayed some more. The next day, she had Eskimo’s coming at her right and left. From the customers at her work to the neighbor walking by, she could see God in everyone. Her spirits were lifted, and she was once again full of peace and love. When she called and told me her experiences, she lifted my spirits, hearing what God can do, she was my Eskimo that day.
I could go on and on about a lifetime of Eskimos in my life, this was only about these people from this past week. Oh, and the lady at the airport who said, “here, you forgot something”, it was my bank card and my license! I had left it in the plastic tub they make us put our bags, shoes and stuff in. She was a very brief, but very huge Eskimo!
I don’t know about you, but if it wasn’t for these little angel’s here on earth, these Eskimo’s, how could we get by? I hope that I too have been someone’s Eskimo this week. I try.
Question of the Week: Have you recognized any Eskimos in your life lately?
