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This will be my last blog post of our travels abroad this year. My previous blog post labelled “purpose” was a continuation where I offered you some insight on our journeys and ask you to find angels amid history impacting our present time. I also tempted you with a few pictures along the way. Whether you are a visual or literary type person, I hope you find some pleasure in the journey. As I conclude this journey with my wife to England, France and Spain with the main purpose to spend time with her mother while taking a few excursions along the way, I learned again, I need to stay flexible to change. Enjoy this final post called “function” where I challenge you to consider how you live. Do you function as if tomorrow will happen and whatever happens, it is not my fault? You do not even think of being blessed by angels helping you along your life’s journey let alone believe you have a purpose. You may say, I am in control, and I function well so this does not apply to me. Well, you may be in for a surprise awakening when something happens causing you to spin out of control. How will you function then? I ended my last post reminding you that you may resist the call to be obedient, but God has a way to make our desires his design. Concentrate on making the way you function or interact with others to be aligned with the will of your creator.  

We sailed from Southampton to Guernsey. The stop in Guernsey was canceled due to bad weather not allowing us to disembark from tender boats. Apparently, that happens a lot in Guernsey as their port is not suitable for the huge ships. We were disappointed but made the most of this by all day buffet, jacuzzi, movies, more eating, watching the sea slip beneath the ship. Tough duty but someone must do it, LOL. I started reading about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. They were a society formed during WW2 as Germany occupied this Island, so the society was a sort of resistance to the occupation. I finished the book when I returned from our trip. The book made me aware of my topic regarding function. The people in the Channel Islands did not have much help during the beginning of the world war. As France fell, they became a slave state. Guernsey is the largest of the Channel Islands located in the English Channel near the French coast. I had mentioned earlier about William the Conqueror becoming the first Norman king of England after his victory at the battle of Hastings in 1066. He had control of a region called Normandy in Northern France. He ensured Channel Islands would remain part of England as he had control of both regions. That changed drastically on June 30^th, 1940, when Hitler saw the capture as a major political victory. Britain had decided to de-militarize as they knew it could not be defended. Can you imagine how the islanders had to rethink how they functioned? Many of the children and some others were able to be spared captivity by mercy ships from England who rescued them days before total occupation. Those left behind had to function with very little freedom, food or comforts. Almost overnight, the way they functioned became totally different. They had to account for everything. The formation of the society was a miracle and cleverly disguised to keep the Germans unaware of the activities. 

Our next stop was the port at La Rochelle, France. We took a bus excursion from the port to the island of Ile de Re. We road along the whole perimeter of the island taking in beautiful scenery, gardens and lots of sheep. Luckily, this part of France was not impacted by the World Wars as some parts though they were certainly influenced by conquering nations from earlier centuries of development. It was nice to walk along the old streets at each stop including La Flotte, Saint Martin De Re, and Sainte Marie De Re before heading back to the ship. The biggest landmark is the church of Saint-Etienne. It is the oldest religious monument on the island founded in the 11th century. It has a black and white steeple that has served as a beacon for navigation of ships. We could see the steeple way out to sea as we departed this port bound for Bilbao, Spain.

As we departed La Rochelle, we were reminded of the dual function of the church steeple. One to lead people to Christ and one to direct sailors safely home. The night’s sail to Bilbao, Spain was pleasant as we looked forward to our visit to this beautiful town. You may not know this, but Spain functioned during WW2 as a neutral country even though the control of the country was under Francisco Franco who leaned more towards Hitler and his Axis alliance rather than siding with the Allies. Spain was reluctant to join the war mostly due to their reliance on US imports to keep them stable after their civil war when Franco seized control. They held a delicate balancing act not to upset the allies while keeping the axis alliance at arm’s length. I wondered when I heard this just how the war may have turned out if Spain would have taken a side. Their function during this time was to survive on what they could get. As a result of their inactivity, Spain fell behind the technical curve and has been trying to catch up ever since. Bilbao is an example of old versus new. The old part of the city is shadowed by new all over. The contrast is most noticeable with the Guggenheim Museum built in 1997. In front of the museum is a twelve-meter-high sculpture called “Puppy” floral dog. The old part of the city was visited by my wife’s mom and dad many years ago, so it was nice to show her mom pictures of where we both had been in different times of our life’s journey.

It is interesting to note how societies around the world have a lot in common while maintaining their own identity. We may function as if normal in our situation but when put into another setting our way may not be feasible. Spain functioned to survive being neutral even though they were influenced by the events all around them. As we left Bilbao headed to our last stop at La Coruna, Spain, we looked forward to our new adventure. We disembarked at the heart of the city and spent the whole day walking the streets, enjoying the contrast of old and new like in Bilbao trying to become an attraction for all, and ending up near our ship for refreshments. We saw the character Spider Man climbing a steeple, John Lennon monument, in contrast with the old town center. It is all in perspective of trying to function with what you have. As we sailed away from Spain headed back to Southampton, we enjoyed our relaxing cruise back to port. I spent much of my day writing my fifth book called “One Cubic Yard”. More about that some other time. Now, back to our last few weeks in England.

We had a few days visiting with mom, visited friends, before driving to visit our nephew who lives in a village near Rugby. We stopped along the way at the famous Highclere Castle made famous by the TV series “Downton Abbey”. The original house was purchased in 1679 but ruins of an old Angelicin church dating back to the year 1000 and rebuilt into a parish church. Sir Robert Sawyer who bought the house and restored the church was buried in the church in 1692. His descendant, the 4^th Earl of Carnarvon restored the church again consecrated in 1870. However, it is the castle that everyone really wants to see. The purpose of the old home of the elite at that time was re-purposed as a popular series inspired by popular American shows. It first premiered in 2010 and has been a huge success. Perhaps, we need to stay flexible to look at change and re-purpose our goals to align ourselves with new realities.

We continued our journey from Highclere to Abington where we stopped for lunch and nice walk along the river Thames that eventually flows through the heart of London. The Thames looks like a refreshing waterway where people were boating and swimming. A far site from the hustle and bustle of downtown London. Keep in mind most waterways were the main mode of transport and commerce where now more of a scenic view along the highway. This highway leads to London, but we stopped at Oxford to the night. The University is indeed a site to see from the Bridge of Sighs to Museums and many buildings where great people were educated and are still being educated. We visited the old prison and castle on a hill, watch children play with toy swords, spears and shields acting out the old battles of old. The next evening, we are visiting our nephew and friend for dinner at Warwick. It was so nice to visit relatives we do not get a chance to see too often.

Many years ago, my wife and I had a great vacation with friends on a canal boat so just coincidently there was the Oxford Canal at Hillmorton. We had a chance to visit where another friend’s grandfather used to live and work as a lock’s keeper for the old locks still in operation today. These locks have been changing the level of water to allow boat passage for centuries. Again, its function has gone from commerce to mostly pleasure but still exists today.

As we continued our journey back to mom, we stopped at Warwick Castle which is probably the most active tourist castle I have ever visited. They are constantly depicting the times of the past from plays to sword fights. Plus, the castle tour is full of adventures taking you into the days of Knights and gallantry. Note: Make sure you are prepared to walk up towers with steep steps but when arrived at the top the view is extraordinary.

Our next stop was Coventry cathedral bombed by the Germans during WW2. It’s shell still exist reminding us that even today, evil people are determined to destroy at all costs to get their perceived reward. Fortunately, evil is only temporary as sin which is defeated by our faith and ultimate purpose according to divine will and intervention. Guy Fawkes house at Dunchurch Village is another example of evil plots shall be sought out and crushed if it is God’s will. Us Americans do not know too much about Guy Fawkes, but my British friends celebrate each year with the burning epitaph and fireworks remembering his plot to blow up parliament which felled to happen. The house is where his co-conspirators waited for news of his success only to be found and dealt with severely for their act of treason.  

We ended our trip with a Gin and Rum tasting tour of the new Portsmouth venture to re-purpose Fort Cumberland which is part of the historic England Fortress designed for protection of Portsmouth Harbor. It is now derelict looking for new opportunities. Aren’t we all looking for new opportunities? If not, we should. As I end this episode called “function”, I conclude this writing at my retreat in North Louisiana. I am preparing to join a team of volunteers headed to Florida. We will be in or around Fort Meyers. Just early this year, my wife and I spent a wonderful time at Sanibel Island which is now destroyed due Hurricane Ian. We do not know what we will see or be involved in, but we will serve as needed. What is our purpose in life and how do we function in changing times? Maybe, we can see a clear direction, but chances are that we will be re-directed by events beyond our control. As I started this post, we may think we are in control, but events happen, and we find ourselves in a new reality. That is life, enjoy the journey while staying flexible to changes. This is our Creator’s world we are blessed to exist so live according to His will, guided by His Angels, and His Purpose, so Function in this world knowing you are preparing for His world to come.

T

In my previous blog post labelled Angel, I ask you to look at my journey with my wife to England, France and Spain to find angels during history. I left the last post stopping at Dungeness then mentioning the loss of Queen Elizabeth II as history in the making as we observe her processions from Scotland to England with people lining the road to see this popular character now part of history. She was indeed an angel forming her wings now fully grown for her heavenly home. After our trip to Kent, we came back to mom for day visits before we headed back out to see the busy harbor town of Emsworth. The walk along the front is very nice. My message for this blog takes the angel theme to “what is our purpose in life?” We can see Queen Elizabeth II’s life’s purpose unfolded before our eyes as her life and death is shared around the world. But, what about our purpose? I wrote a blog in 2016 called “Who is your master” where I pointed out that we should use our worldly wealth to make friends, not by deceit, but by honesty and humility to raise your purpose from earthly rewards to heavenly rewards. As I continue with you on our journey abroad, I encourage you to look at God’s purpose for those in history knowing you are also in his plan.

Corfe Castle was built in 1086 during William the Conqueror time as an exchange with the Abbess of Shaftesbury for a church. He took the hill and land around it to build this fortress. What was his purpose and how did God use his actions?

We then took a train from Corfe to Swanage which is another scenic village along the coast showing the Jurassic rock formation scene up close in Dover. Onward next to Lulworth Cove. The cove has been formed from the time of dinosaurs and is a huge tourist attraction for Indians as this cove has been a feature in Hindi movies produced out of Bollywood films. We stayed the night at Wareham and walked around the ancient walls surrounding the city. Lawrence of Arabia, an amazing character who certainly made his purpose known settled near Wareham in Clouds Hill in 1935 where only a few months died in a motorcycle crash.

The next day we continued along the coast to Poole and took the Jurassic Cruise. We passed by Brownsea Island made famous by the founder of the boy Scouts, then on to Old Harry Rock named for Harry the pirate who hid waiting for his next merchant ship victim. The Swanage Bay, Anvil Point and St. Alban’s Head are magnificent white Jurassic rock cliffs stretching all along the coastline. 

Buckler’s Hard Village is a must stop for anyone interested in Lord Nelson’s Naval ships as many were built on this site. His purpose was to stop the onslaught of naval attacks on the British. In his effort, Britian’s navy became superior over all during those times. You can read more about the battle at Trafalgar by searching a previous blog of mine.

During this trip as you can imagine was full of excursions along with visits with mom, friends and family. One of the surprises was a trip to the Weald and Downland Living Museum. The old buildings from various ages of history have been restored at this huge outdoor museum. Also, on the grounds in one of the building’s the “Repair Shop” is filmed. We had a chance to meet a few of the cast members of this popular show.

We spent one day on a train to Portsmouth harbor and took a fast boat to the Isle of Wight and a bus tour around the Island before going back to our friend’s house for another night. 

We met an old but younger friend who we first met in Thibodaux with her husband. My wife especially had a connection with her as she considered her as another daughter. She helped her during a few pregnancies, shared laughs along with some tears. Her parents live in Alton so we took the time to visit while their family was together for the holidays. My wife was an angle to this couple during the time in Thibodaux. How nice to share more fond memories on this trip.

The next few days we spent with mom taking her out on day trips to Stokes Bay, shopping, visiting other friends, and getting ready for our cruise. We spent one day before the cruise at Hinton Ampner which is a 20th century vision of old English living. The mansion and gardens are beautiful like most old scenery in England.

I end this blog post tempting you with more pictures and stories as we travel on our cruise to France and Spain and back again to England. This trip has certainly been one for the books as we seemed to cover so much in such a short time it seemed. Our purpose on this earth is very specific to our connection with our creator. We may resist the call to be obedient, but God has a way that makes our desires his design. Enjoy life’s journey so maybe one day, history will cover your path to your ultimate goal.

T

I find it interesting how us humans interact. Some use social media where others are only willing to communicate by phone or person to person. I have written two books already on the dangers of groupthink encouraged by our social connections. What could happen if we can no longer use our individual voices to communicate in a hundred years? Maybe the time frame is closer than we think. Maybe the acceleration of global warming is closer than we think which could impact everything from how we communicate to how we stay cool. My fifth book, hopefully to be completed by the end of this year, touches on the human condition in the future. Stay tuned.

In this post, I want to share some of my adventures while traveling with my wife in England visiting her mom now approaching her centenarian year. She is a blessing to all who know her, and we want to spend as much time with her as possible. My third book called “A Chime in Time” is all about her life and the lives around her. Her life spans the life of Queen Elizabeth II who was 96 years old when passed onto her eternal reward. This a reminder that life is precious so make every moment count.

I started writing this blog post now that we are back from England at our oldest daughter’s home looking after one of our grandson’s and our grand dog. My laptop crashed on me while I was traveling. I had to purchase a new laptop after retrieving my data. The crash was not because I was traveling but because of an apparent glitch impacting lots of laptop users. The IT folks are very busy fixing the same problem. Why are material things so important to us? Because we rely on things to function in our society today. What happens when things break? We may get stressed until fixed. I am not immune from this stress, unfortunately. I have invested several weeks of writing while on a cruise, while chilling at night or watching the waves on our cruise. I could not get to my stuff so not good for my stress level. All has been restored meaning all is well. This brings me to my topic. Several years ago, I posted a blog called “material things or humility?” Have you ever felt you are in the presence of an angel? 

Imagine driving down the road expecting to get to your destination only to discover an extraordinary event changes your journey in life. In my blog posted years ago, I told the story of me driving with my dad when such an event occurred. Also, driving by myself, years later, both events I believe an angel was present. You may be skeptical and that is okay. Just remember these words when you have an extraordinary event. In this post, look for the angels present during our travels.

First, middle, and last visits we shared day out trips with my wife’s mom. She is an angel in the process growing her wings while here on earth.

Our first trip out with friends took us to the county of Kent in Southeast England. We stopped at Leeds Castle on our way to Canterbury. As we walked through the grounds to the castle, we learned the history. In 1278, Queen Eleanor of Castile built the Gloriette, in 1321 King Edward II laid siege to the Castle. One hundred years later Queen Joan of Navarre is imprisoned. One hundred more years King Henry VIII stayed with his first wife Catherine of Aragon at this castle. In 1618 the Smythe family created a Jacobean mansion. In 1710, Catherine, Lady Fairfax inherited the Castle. Finally, in 1822 a new castle was built by the Wykeham Martin family. Some form of Leeds Castle has been in existence since the Normans being mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Where is the angel in this castle and its surroundings? Perhaps, those that inhabited this ancient dwelling may be a conglomerate of heavenly beings telling the story of English history until now. Lady Baillie is perhaps the main angel as she bought and restored the Castle from 1926 to her death in 1974. Without her resources and connections, the castle may be a relic of the past.

Our next stop is Canterbury, Kent. We used this location for the next three days to see other historic sites. The Cathedral at Canterbury is full of history. When you walk in you feel the presence of angels amid a violent past. King Ethelbert was the first to be baptized by St Augustine in the Christian Faith symbolizing the first official acceptance of Christianity by the various rulers in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The year of 597 marks the first baptism and 602 recognitions of this Cathedral as the mother church dedicated by St. Augustine. Several archbishops served until 1011 when the Danish Vikings took over, damaging the building and killing most of its inhabitants. One year after the battle of Hastings in 1066 the Cathedral was destroyed in a fire. Eleven years later the Cathedral was rebuilt by the first Norman archbishop Lanfranc. Construction continued, archbishops came and went, with their marks added for modern viewers of history in one place. Saint Thomas Becket is the most admired of the long history and is still the major attraction for pilgrims wishing to see where this martyr died. He was born in 1118 and reached the status of a clerk in minor orders at Canterbury. His rise to power related to his friendship with King Henry II who insisted his friend replace the deceased Archbishop Theobald. On June 2nd, 1162, Thomas went from clerk, to ordained priest then next day consecrated bishop then enthroned as Archbishop in Canterbury Cathedral. Now that was a fast rise to a dominant position. However, the King wanted his favors and Thomas stuck to his fundamental Christian beliefs at all costs. The jury system we use today came out of the King’s efforts to reform the judicial system, but Thomas wanted more fair treatment than the King was prepared to give. In a heated argument, Thomas is exiled for six years. When he came back, he continued his open criticism of the Crown and that was his demise. Four Knights of the crown were given the orders to “rid me of this low-born priest”. One Knight named FitzUrse whom Thomas called a “pimp” drew his sword first and they all struck until his head was severed. The site of his martyrdom is preserved today in the north-west transept. “Thomas Becket remains one of the great champions and exemplars of Christianity.” My how history does tend to repeat itself. Modern society has no monopoly on defenders of the faith and resistance to groupthink. Whether it is a king threatening harm if you do not conform or a politician claiming his or her opponent will cause harm if not politically correct, it is all the same stories. Stay focused on the one true heavenly king in all that you do regardless of how high you climb up the human ladder. Was Thomas in the presence of angels? I imagine he was and is now part of the heavenly host protecting us.

The Christ Church Gate was completed in 1521 and was the last major piece of building before the Dissolution. Good ole King Henry VIII who decided one marriage was not enough. You know the story. He was perhaps the biggest male chauvinistic pig of the bunch. He wanted a male Aire to the throne and would not stop until he got one. Still failed but unlike Saint Thomas who succeeded to maintain a separation somewhat between church and state, times were not so kind for the catholic clergy who were replaced with a Dean and Chapter by royal charter in 1541. This structure has not changed much in the Church of England since then. Many martyrs have been added to the list since then. Could we possibly get back to this time of society structure some day? If freedom fails, we could find ourselves back before we know what happened. Let freedom ring!

Next stop was Dover where we visited my wife’s grandad’s boyhood home before touring Dover Castle. The weather that day was about 36 Degree Centigrade or 96.8 Fahrenheit which was a record for England. All the current news was about the effects of global warming. It was nice for us as we were touring the tunnels and the weather was nice and cool down there. Operation Dynamo: Rescue from Dunkirk was planned in those tunnels during early stages of WW2. The operation was a dramatic rescue of British and Allied forces from the beaches of Northern France and Belgium in May 1940. The USA was not in the conflict then so if they had failed in their operations, we may all be speaking German today. 338,226 soldiers were rescued between 26 May to 4 June 1940. The castle above the tunnels were bombed but much remained to tour. It was built between 1179-1189 during King Henry II’s reign. Next stop was the White Cliffs that stand pronounced along the English Channel. Continuing along the coastline, our next stop was Ramsgate to see more tunnels. The town is very beautiful now but was nearly destroyed during WW2 when a squadron of Luftwaffe bombers unloaded their bombs on the town. The story of this town could have been one of tragedy instead became a victory of divine guidance by the leadership of the town. They called him the Mad Mayor of Ramsgate but when the bombs began to fall, he became a hero. Was he guided by angels?

Ramsgate was bombed in WW1 due to its proximity to the Continent of Europe and its direct path to London. Germans used Zeppelin and Schutte-Lanza airships later replaced with Gotha bomber aircraft. The destruction and loss of life was tremendous during this war from 1914-1918. By the 1930’s it was apparent, Ramsgate needed another solution to avoid further loss of life and property. By 1936, the Ramsgate Tunnel Railway was opened in peacetime as a tourist transport to the beaches. They laughed at the mayor for such an extravagance at the time. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain thought he had secured peace, but Hitler had more ambitions just to settle so war was inevitable. A weak leader thinks peace will work where a strong leader plans against those who say one thing but do the opposite. Are we headed to repeat history? The town during WW2 was over 60,000 and very little bomb fatalities due to the whole town going underground. Men, women, and children lived in these tunnels for months setting up their homes while the bombs fell above. The town may have been destroyed above but the population lived on. Today, those children return as elderly to see where they lived and played. A trip through the tunnels is like going back in time to see life surviving best they could. Thanks to the mayor, Arthur Kempe, who had the railway shut down and expanded the tunnels for air raid shelters a whole town was saved. Thanks also to the courage of spokespersons like Stanley Ballwin to speak out of the potential dangers of being too passive. Angels were in abundant presence during those dark days of world conflict to help guide those who resisted business as usual in a time of growing conflict.

Our trip from Ramsgate took us by Viking Bay in Broadstairs celebrating 1500 years when the Vikings landed in 449. Next day we are off to the RAF Manston Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum where I got to fly a simulator and safely landed in London. I am sure the instructor helped make the landing as smooth as possible, but it sure makes me think how those brave pilots must have felt fighting for their lives against the German fighters.

Next, we were off on a small train to Dungeness point and a vast land appearing to be wasteland full of sand and Sea Shingle. The first Old Lighthouse was built during King James reign in 1615 and has been replaced many times to protect ships from wrecking along the treacherous rocks. The narrow gang train was extended to Dungeness from New Romney in 1928 as a tourist attraction and has been operated ever since. In addition to the lighthouse, there are two nuclear power stations built in the 1950s and 60s now starting to be decommissioned. This is a stark reminder of the old meeting the new age. Energy is in constant demand, but times change along with politics making this source of energy not welcomed. With the attention on global warming and removal of CO2 in the atmosphere, perhaps we need to rethink our energy dependence. Dungeness is a nature reserve for distinctive seaside plants with white flowers and tough crinkly leaves called Sea Kale. Boats and dwellings scattered about the nature scenery making it a unique place to visit. We ended our trip with friends driving back to Hampshire watching Kite skiers then a quick pass-through Hastings where a battle was fought on October 14th, 1066, between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and the English Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson. William won out as apparently, he had righteousness on his side having been promised the land by Harold’s predecessor Edward the Confessor. William was a far better leader than Harold and established the French speaking Normans as the new rulers. This changed English history forever and helped to create the modern English language. (Google source) It appears to me no matter what age in History, politics takes precedence over common sense and doing the right thing. The angels are ever present to make even the wrong things turn to good.

I have lots more to write about our trip but will end this post of the most recent historical event in England. Queen Elizabeth II was not intended to be queen as the royal lineage was through her uncle Edward. After the death of Edward’s father King George V on January 20, 1936, Edward was king for only a partial year before he abdicated in December of that same year. Edward was not willing to give up his love Wallis Simpson, an American. The Royal rules of marriage forbid the marriage to a commoner at that time, so Edward denounced his thrown and consequently exiled to France for the rest of his life. We may look at that as a sad moment, but it was later determined that Edward was supportive of Hitler, who appeared to be a savior of Germany. Of course, we know from history, Hitler could be more labeled as the “anti-Christ”. The younger son of King George V named Albert, nick named Bertie, became King George V1. He was ill prepared for his role and stammered badly, but he did his best, employed a speech therapist and trained his daughter Elizabeth on the duties of the Crown. He managed well to help his nation through some very tough times during World War II. He died, some say, of Lung Cancer in 1952. Elizabeth was only married for five years to Prince Philip before she found herself at the age of 25 becoming Queen Elizabeth II on 6^th of February 1952. She dedicated her life to the role of queen until at the age of 96 on 8^th September 2022 she entered the kingdom of Heaven. History may write a different story as she leaves behind some good and not so good memories that may soon play out in the social media of today. One thing is for sure, she holds the title of longest ruling monarch in world history. That title will not soon be broken. Was she an angel in our midst, like my mother-in-law having her wings prepared for the heavenly host? It is my opinion, that she will be an example of goodness over evil forever in the history of humankind.

T