fear – MindMuse

Grindelwald surprised me with its charm . I mean I had expected to be wowed at its majestic mountains Eiger and the Jungfrau , which they absolutely did, with their daunting rocky edges pointing straight to the heavens. Next to them were ofcourse evidence of the ( sadly) melting glaciers.

However it was the subtle quaintness of this sleepy looking town with its’ perfectly naturally manicured acres of green meadows, carpeting the spaces between those beautiful wooden log cabins. This Swiss village was absolutely picturesque! It was the type of village where you imagine a good nap would be so sweet, and it was for me- I managed to get a window to finally talked a daytime nap Aka European siesta🤪on our vacation and I was ALL in!

I also tried to capture the images in pictures but what I see through the screens of my camera did not do justice to all the beauty surrounding us.

We stayed in an Airbnb that faced the Eiger and Jungfrau mountains, whose views greeted us every morning, sometimes covered in clouds and other times brightly glistening in the morning sunlight.

DH has planned a paragliding as our main agenda on our trip to Grindelwald. However the forecast included a “96%” chance of rain during the time we would be there which made paragliding impossible.

The paragliding company has cancelled given the weather predictions, with the only caveat of “ if “ the weather changes.

DH REALLY wanted to be able to paraglide ( he had missed an opportunity 30 yrs ago when he visited with his parents due to weather), so he kept checking the weather praying for a “miracle “.

The kids were mostly disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to do the paraglide, and said things like “ it would have been a lot of fun “.

On the other hand , I was low key relieved that I wouldn’t have to fly in the skies near some giant mountains after all..phew😅

We went to bed that night, each with their own wishful agenda – most of us praying for good weather to fly in the morning and myself relieved the weather has given me a dignified way to chicken out of my paragliding fears .. goodnight 💤😴 and I slept so good up in those mountains, stable and secure and grounded on my Airbnb bed!

I opened my eyes in the morning sun, to hear DH proclaim excitedly “ it looks like we’re flying!”. Somehow the weather prediction for the rain forecast has dropped SIGNIFICANTLY. We were scheduled to fly at 10am and there just happened to now be a clearing of the clouds for about two hours, just enough time for us to fly! DH said it was as if “ there is a donut of storms around us in Switzerland, with the us in the donut hole somehow protected from all the storms… GREAT 😏

I didn’t argue with God about arrangement I thought we had made before bedtime .

DH ** said that “ Chief “ must have been looks out for us. I agreed this may have been another God- WIN moment, as I also woke up to some good family news that same morning too. So I just went with all of it!

I just had to our on my big girl pants and brave it out. So that was exactly what I did!

We rode up the gondolas to the top most station – a little over 7,000 feet.

During the gondola ride up, our family of six discussed what order we wanted to go paragliding etc. I asked if the kids were scared and got a unanimous answer that they were NOT afraid. Well I told them I was nervous and I prayed over all of us. DH tried to reassure me that it could be a peaceful experience, and ofcourse anyone nervous should “ breathe “ through the experience”.

The Gondola stopped and let us out at the top where we met the rest of our guides who give us a quick lesson on what to expect.

In no time , with his guide’s instruction, our first born twin son , Alan was running into the air and poof! Just like that he and his guide were soaring in the air , flying near the Eiger mountains and drifting downward towards that beautiful quaint Swiss village. One by one each of us ran as fast as we could u til our feet stopped touching the ground and soon we were also in the air with our guide making sure we were flying safe.

I could only pick out which paraglide was which kid with their colors, but soon I lost my focus as I had to pay attention room to what I was doing myself .

Once I situated, I heard my guide Viest saying that our take off was one of the smoothest he had experienced in his 15 yrs . Even if this was just his “line “, it helped boast my confidence on the flight. I relaxed more as we flew and I even started to appreciate the sights beneath me, soaring in between clouds, turns out the weather condition that day were infact perfect for our flight!

It was so clam , perfect and yes peaceful, that I found myself singing the “ sky forever “ song from the movie “ Dear Evan Hansen”. My teenage kids later reminded me how corny that was to be singing up there with my guide, who by the way said he enjoyed the singing . My singing calmed my nerve and was a representation of what I was appreciating in the moment- skies and more Skies forever!

Each of us landed smoothly, the kids who landed first filmed the rest of the landing for the rest of us. DH landed last as he had waited for all of us to fly out safely. We all reunited on those wonderful green meadows with excitement and gratitude for yet another family adventure !

Would I do it again? The answer is an absolute YES!

I suppose like most new life experiences , If you aim to leave fear behind you, and open yourself up to an opportunity, it may surprise you positively in ways unexpected.

I am also reminded that courage is not dosed equally.. so my advice is to stick to your level of comfort zone within reason ,when it comes to adventures.

We drove around to see amazing gigantic multiple Trümmelbachfall water falls contributed to by about ten River on top of the mountainous , we also saw people doing BASE jumps off the mountains. Absolutely incredible to see these people who seem to have No fear literally do a nose dive ofd the edge of a mountain into thin air , hopeful that they’re parachutes activate upon demand to break their free fall!

You’re welcome to follow us along on more of our travel adventures as we continue our travels through Europe.

As always, thank you for reading my blog and of course I welcome your comments and any shared experiences .

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DH** ( darling husband)

Life is such a mixed bag , of joys, moments of sorrow and loss, fear and faith, times of enjoying great health and other times of sickness around us . This is the reality of what it mean to be alive, taking the good and the bad while finding ways to appreciate the entire process of living.

I have had a great loss recently. My beloved father was a giant Iroko tree and his exit has all who sheltered under his love , exposed to the harsh reality of life without him.

It is Dec 30th and we have just arrived into Abuja airport, Nigeria , from Owerri . My sister and our husbands with our cars packed full of our children and cousins, in laws.. we have just accomplished one of our lives most solemn milestone . We have successfully laid our father and grandfather to rest, next to his own father in the soil of their homeland.

This season has been a very long 3plus months since the death of our father on that unsuspecting September 15th morning. The day was Our Lady of Sorrows feast day in our Catholic faith . It commemorates the day that Mary the mother of our savior Jesus receive his body from the cross after he drew his last breath on the cross and proclaimed “ It is finished “. Jesus’ finishing of his business on earth commenced the salvation of humanity.

Therefore we as Christians are able to breathe easier knowing that at the end of our time here on earth,as believers we can inherit eternity in heaven with God.

That day on calvary cross , I imagine a sense of relief that Jesus must have felt upon completing his “love obligation “ to humanity. Today, I too feel a deep level of relief completing my obligation to have my father’s last wishes to be buried in his homeland accomplished.

Our father’s burial occurred in stages , first in October we gathered to honor his life and legacy in St. Louis, Missouri. A service of Songs event planned in a hurry that drew a crowded hall full of family , friends and well wishers.

Then there was the funeral service held in New Orleans,the next month in November. Our parents Committee of friends showed up in style to help us plan such a befitting celebration of life event in honor of our father and grandfather. The whole event was magnificent with the sour note being the absent of our Dad in the physical form , although I am convinced his spirit along with choirs of angels dances along the New Orleans brass band that escorted his body out of the church after the mass!

The day after United States of America’s thanksgiving celebration in Baltimore, Maryland where one of my brothers lives, they too gathered to honor our Dad in a very special way.

Finally our father’s body was travelled back to his homeland in Nigeria, where we ALL gathered against all the odds to honor the giant of man in a most befitting burial mass interment and cultural celebration. Chief Omenka is a peaceful giant and gem and it was no surprise that every detail of his burial was smooth sailing

What happened in Ezeka Umunze Orlu a few days ago was a miracle, an outpouring of the immeasurable grace of God. Every detail of our Dad’s burial went smoothly and our guests returned to their locations safely, all the praise to our God.

We as a family have had a lot of support from loved ones near and far in order to accomplish this and we are most grateful for the many ways our loved ones and well wishers have contributed their support of us. A direct deflection of the value they placed on our late father Chief Omenka, who in his lifetime accumulated so much good will which is now trickling down on us his children and grandchildren.

There were so many who gave their time, some their advice and wisdom and yet others supported us spiritually, financially,emotionally and physically.

How can I thank you for what your love has meant to us in this season. Please know of our grateFUL hearts and wishes for every wonderful blessing in your lives.

I had so many supporting and encouraging us along the way . At times when doubt attempted to derail me, I had to rely on others to increase my courage.

Ultimately, it truly was GRACE of God that carried us through. We travelled across continents with our entire families to Eastern Nigeria , at a time when many forwarded us of so many dangers including the risk of kidnapping , all of this in the backdrop of the upcoming political election in the country. If I said I was not terrified about the risks involved, then I would be telling a big lie.

The truth of that I was scared but I also had faith in a God is bigger than all my fears including kidnappers. I prayed Psalm 91 consistently to fortify myself and invited others to pray along with me. This Psalm provided me with the comfort daily as our trip approached . Everyday I trusted more and more in the promises of God’s protection on those who put their trust in him. I trusted God and he has over delivered!!! Worthy is his name!!

Our Dad is a special creation of God and he will sorely be missed …nonetheless he lives on in us his children and grandchildren and therein lies his legacy by the special grace of God🙏🏾

Now we are left to live on with the memories that we will cherish of his life with us. Dad was indeed a gatherer, and no surprise that his burial gathered SO many despite the uncertainties and insecurities that was in the air at the time .

Following his burial and thanksgiving mass , we had opportunities for family reunions, anniversary and birthday celebrations. There were graces for loved ones who were spared from harm on the roads and from illness. All of these make up that mixed bag of life! We keep muddling through the process of life while keeping our eyes out for moments of Joy.

Ofcourse we took many safety precautions on this trip however I am convinced that my Dad was already busy at work in heaven watching over all of us .

At the end of my fears for what it would take to travel home honor my father’s final wish to be buried in his homeland Nigeria this Christmas was my faith in God to see us all through safely.

God never fails.

Finally thank you all for your support and well wishes. Our family wishes you and yours a Merry Christmas Season when light entered into our dark world in the form of baby Jesus and now prayers for a blessed new year💕

Tag: fear

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