It Only Takes a Spark to Get a Memory Going

Over the last few days, I’ve been attracted to watching some PGA golf (certainly not my usual choice for TV-watching). Maybe it was because my son was playing in a golf tournament this weekend. When I turned on the TV yesterday afternoon and the women’s 2017 Solheim Cup was on, my mind was flooded with so many memories that brought precious “in-the-now” moments. BTW – the Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers with teams representing Europe and the United States. The men’s event is the Ryder Cup which is played on the off year from the women’s Solheim Cup. This year the Solheim Cup was in Des Moines, Iowa. The U.S. won yesterday for the 2nd year in a row – 2015 & 2017. I watched the final shots that secured the U.S.’s win and I saw Juli Inkster, the Team Captain, cry tears of joy.

It was in 2003 when our car dealership manager called to ask if we'd like tickets to the LPGA Tournament the next weekend at Tulsa Country Club. Of course we did -- we loved watching Annika Sorenstam, Juli Inkster, Nancy Lopez, Kerry Webb, among other women's golf greats. He went on to say, "And, oh, by the way, Ron, how about playing in the Mercedes putting contest? We need one more for 50 entrants. You and your wife have a current passport, don't you? You could win a great prize!" We didn't know what it was, but my mission was to get him practicing his putting every day until then. And, Ron's Mom gave him some great advice "When you get up to make your putt, take your time, pray, and picture that hole like Goliath's head, then like David, take aim and sink that ball like David sunk Goliath!"

It was the day of the 50-yard putting contest during the LPGA. There were 50 contestants who putted in alphabetical order. Yay -- at last to be grateful for a name at the end of the alphabet. They had to hit the ball in an upside down L (a dogleg left) to the hole. The closest to the hole was 3-feet when it was finally Ron's turn. Like his Mom told him, he took his time. The Golf Network was televising this whole event. Ron stood there, looked at the course, then looked at the ball. He looked at the course, and he looked at the ball. The announcer said, once again "And now, Ron Wuerch!" Like his Mom told him, he had been praying. When he finally took his stroke, it was as though that ball was on a laser course......it made its L-turn perfectly, and.....that ball went straight into the hole. The cheers went up in a roar, and Ron held his arms and hands up like he was a pro golfer winner. What a moment of achievement and celebration. But the best part? That hole-in-one merited us a prize of an all-expenses-paid 8-day trip, flying on the 747 jet with the entire LPGA Team the next day to Barseback Golf & Country Club, Skane, Sweden, for the 2003 Solheim Cup. where they would be playing the European Team. We were beyond grateful, exhilarated, and truly felt God's favor over our lives. It was one of those “pinch me to be sure I’m not dreaming” moments. I’ll never forget my never-met-a-stranger husband chatting with Juli Inkster on the flight to Sweden and expressing that she had always been his favorite female player. So, of course, seeing her as captain of the winning U.S. team yesterday, played that memory in my head like it was on a giant cinema screen.

Since the official games didn't start until Thursday, we became adventurers and went to Denmark, and if that weren't enough, we decided to adventure to Germany, my husband's country of origin. After riding the bus, the ferry, the taxi and train, we made it to Berlin. It was a thrill to see the remains of the Berlin Wall that heralded not only the last days of communism in Eastern Europe, but also the emergence of a reunified and reinvigorated Germany — a country that is now Europe’s economic leader. What a blessing it was to be at the site of the fall -- to be able to put our feet on the place where history was made and a new day and a new beginning began.

So, thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving me that little window from the past that I peered through with such gratitude. We celebrated life when we could. We didn’t hold back for another day. We took on this day and another day and another, and I continue to live with that mentality.

I'm so grateful for the treasured memories of the past.....as well as the brand new day, today! What a sweet life it's been -- and as sweet as the journey was in the past, I still get a thrill out of God’s surprises and mercies that are new every morning. Stay tuned – I’ll be sharing about the ones I make today, for some time in the future!

Locked in Forever Love

Day 119 of Photo Inspirations -- Locked in Forever Love
Today is our final day of our 17-day cruise. We've entered the Skagerrak Strait which runs between the coasts of Norway and Sweden and leads into the Baltic Sea.  Tomorrow we'll arrive in Copenhagen,  Denmark -- a place near and dear to my heart.  My sweetheart and I were there 10 years ago on our own adventure of a lifetime when he won us an all expense paid 8-day trip to Malmo, Sweden because he sunk a hole-in-one at a golf tournament.  On that trip, we ventured from Malmo to Denmark.

I took this first photo yesterday in Hamburg, Germany. The photo is of locks that lovers sign and place there in commitment of their forever love for each other.   I love that.   I wonder how many locks are there of couples who eventually went their separate ways,  but more importantly,  those who made a commitment and are still together.

How wonderful it would have been if my sweetheart and I could have symbolized our commitment in that way.   But we didn't need to.  When we made our vows to each other, it was forever.  Did we ever get aggravated at each other?  Oh, yes we did, but breaking our vows were never an option.   I'm so glad, because conquering the tough times, made the journey get sweeter and sweeter.

This morning,  as I pondered my blog for today,  I thought about the locked-in-love I have for my Heavenly Father.   Talk about forever and ever love.  I'm feeling His embrace right now as I type this post.   What love are you locked into today?

Go Ahead and Buy a Backpack for an Adventure of a Lifetime!

Yesterday, TBT, I posted about a trip to Malmo, Sweden my husband won for us. As I posted the photos, I saw this one, and what a sweet memory it brought back to me. Can you see the backpacks we had on? First, let me tell you what an oxymoron that is. Ron Wuerch wearing a backpack and being spontaneous was unthinkable. His was a Type-A personality which meant he was a list-maker, an itinerary-follower, and a do-it-by-the-book leader. Rarely, if ever, did we just fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants. We knew where we were going, what time we would get there, what hotels we would stay en-route, and, what restaurants we would eat at.

But this time was different. We were still in shock and awe! We kept having to pinch ourselves that one day we were in Tulsa, OK and the next day in Europe -- all because of an incredible surprise blessing.

On the second day we were there, we ventured out by taking a high-speed train from Malmo to Copenhagen, Denmark! That spontaneous adventure made way for some more out-of-the-box thinking. We were so close to Germany, but attempting that trip would be a big stretch for us -- a lot of effort, embarking on the unknown, figuring out transportation, eating, sleeping and getting back on time for the Solheim Cup when it would start on Thursday. But, now, we felt empowered. We had made it to Denmark and back just fine, and took in so much beauty and history there, why not take this whole adventuring thing to a whole new level?

We became determined to squeeze everything we could out of this blessing. We bought backpacks for a change of clothes for our adventure. We felt like two kids that were leaving home and didn't know where we'd end up, but, oh, how fun and exhilerating it was for both of us. We laughed at ourselves when we walked by the windows of storefronts and saw our images with those back-packs on. Very little English was spoken, so we bought a "German" language book before heading out. That helped us find the taxi and the train, and what place to exit from the train, then to find the Berlin Wall, then to direct our bike-mo-bile driver where to go. We had the time of our lives! We were so good-exhausted when we got back to Malmo, but absolutely overcome with the joy of the victories we won by letting go of the status quo.

Yes, this was one of the sweetest memories I hold onto -- one of those "live with no regrets" times. Easier, less stress, less concern, and more rest -- would have been to stay close to the Malmo, Sweden Hotel -- but then we would have never had the grandest time of our lives.

What could you be missing in your life if you would just be willing to let go of "routine" and "comfort" and that "comfy chair" and "remote control"?

Perhaps there's a surprise coming into your life -- an experience that could alter your life, your personality and your FUN -- I urge you to go ahead and buy that backpack -- you could be in store for an ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME! Live with no regrets!