Feb. 23, 2003
Living Our Dream
For those of you that know me, you have probably heard me talking about the trip that I am going to take with my family next summer.We are planning to drive through most ofCanada and parts of the United States over the summer.The Grand Canyon is on our list as is the world’s biggest ball of twine in Darwin MN.Peggy’s Cove and the beaches of PEI are also on our list.But more important than the places that we are going to visit is why we are going.Sure the old sayings come to mind like: life is too short, seize the day, carpe diem, if we don’t do it now we never will.All of these are true and more.Different stages of life pass us by so quickly.This is partly why we take pictures and write journals, so that we may remember and re-live past times.
Part of why we are embarking on a longer than usual summer holiday does touch upon a lot of the reasons listed above.But more importantly, we want to enjoy quality family time away from our everyday responsibilities and stresses.And we want to do this while discovering new places with our children.Whether it is somewhere that we have been before and we experience it again through our children or whether we all enjoy a first time experience together, they will all be special in their own ways.
While we have discussed this trip for several years, it has only recently graduated from an idea to a plan.This is because we have set a date and started planning this adventure of a lifetime.If we don’t plan it, it just won’t happen and so the plans are in full motion.It is both exciting and overwhelming at the same time although we know that the payoff for our family will be huge,just like it has been for the Steumers.I mention the Stuemer family as they helped to bring our dream into focus.This is a family of five with three boys, that decided to make their dream of travel a reality sooner rather than later.For 4 ½ years they traded their suburbia lifestyle for an adventure on a boat that saw them travel all around the world.Many of us were fortunate enough to share in their journey through Diane Stuemer’s weekly dispatches to our local paper (to read the Steumers’ entire adventure visit www.northernmagic.com).
Unfortunately our community has recently learned that Diane is in the final stages of a cancer that has come about quite suddenly.Our thoughts are with Herbert and the boys as they help Diane through these final stages.I am glad that this family did not wait to pursue their dreams and I feel fortunate to have been able to live vicariously through them throughout their journey at sea.And as Diane sails through her final journey, may we all take a moment and seize the day as I am sure that this would make her happy.
Update - Diane lost her battle with melanoma on March 15, 2003.While we grieve her loss, we also celebrate her extraordinary life and all that she accomplished.Her presence will be missed but her spirit will remain.To view a short video tribute, please go to www.northernmagic.com