Four years ago, we landed on Wolfe Island. With every intention of staying forever, I set about finding a house to buy. That turned out to be more complex than expected. With determination and perseverance, ten months later we moved into what ended up being the perfect house.

I planted flowers – so many flowers – and fruit and nut trees. I put in raspberry patches and a medicinal tea garden. We got a lot of chicken. We were going to stay here forever.

Then things changed. A pandemic swept across the globe. Everything changed. The world around me became very different. That’s true for everyone. As life has evolved, I realized this might not be the spot for us anymore.

In April, my mother, who lives with us, went to Calgary to care for my brother who was having a brain tumor removed.

Once there, she suggested to me, “You should come out here.”

It’s the same call my sister gave that brought us to Wolfe Island. When she said it, something in my heart leaped. That’s how we got here. Intuition. Heart. Holy Spirit leading. When my mother spoke, it was the same. Something in me said, “Yes.”

So, we’re heading west.

The plan is to pack a U-Haul up on October 20 and head out on the 21^st.

A large part of my dream in coming to Wolfe Island was the establishment of some sort of intentional community. That has yet to come to pass.

The spot I’ve selected in Alberta shows promise for this opportunity. I’m working on buying a little country motel about an hour south of Calgary. My mother and I will live there. And there will be room for others. I’m not entirely sure what shape this dream will hold once it’s finally birthed, but this spot looks like the right one.

Of course, there are significant complications. Turns out getting a mortgage for a motel is absolutely impossible. Even though I have a steady income to cover everything, no lenders will consider the venture. The closing date is looming – October 27 – without a clear financial plan (let me know if you have any ideas on bridge financing until the sale of my house wraps up.)

This might be the most non-sensical thing I’ve ever done. Everything about it feels right. With a long history of the impossible coming to pass in my life, I have a, perhaps misguided, sense of confidence that this will work. I just don’t know how.

But we’re packing up and saying goodbye to the exceptional island that has been home. It’s equally sad and exciting. This place and the people here have been a wonderful gift to our family.

As we did a little over four years ago, we’re heading out into something completely unknown knowing that God has prepared a place for us.