Gander, NL - acting C.O.

Well, it was scary when someone walked into the office and made some crack about me being the officer in command... What? But after contemplating that comment for a surprisingly long period of time, I realized it was sort of a true story. I *am* the 'acting' corps officer for Gander while the 'actual' corps officers are away. It was just the title threw me a little - you see - the lowly cadet role has been quite comfortable. The bottom of the totem pole is a safe place,.... because from there, the fall is not far at all.

I remember 'back in the day' I went overnight from being a student planner to a planner, where reports were no longer cosigned and where the buck stopped with me rather than just being a stop along the way. That realization felt similar to what I imagined being hit by a Mack truck would feel like. I recall thinking, "AHHHH!!! I am no different from yesterday, I certainly don't know anything more"- but there I was: along with the benefit of my salary increasing, came a not so positive exponential increase in my anxiety!?!?! For a long time afterward, I wondered whether the additional wage was worth the stress. To clarify,... it didn't remain quite as stressful and thus: worth it.

Sidebar: I loved my job. I was - and likely still am - a planning nerd!

Thankfully, my transition into ACO (acting corps officer) was nothing like as painful. WHY? 3 reasons come to mind immediately...

(1) this is only for a short period of time, and so I know unless I really pull a doozy, there will still be a church standing on the officers return. Not to mention the fact that my officers prepared me well for their leaving and that they are only a Blackberry message away;).

(2) obviously - and most importantly - I have the BG on my side. (For those who don't know the Wilson lingo - B.G. stands for 'big guy', aka God. Sidebar 2: sometimes we use BGU - 'big guy upstairs - to avoid confusion since we also call Dad and my brothers BG).

(3) very closely linked to #2, the BGU makes sure we are well taken care of and he does that through his people. God has surrounded me by some amazing people during my stay here in Gander.

Case in point:

I have enjoyed and am experiencing what I

consider to be the greatest gift of Newfoundland - and that is the hospitality of the people. Since I have been on my own, it seems to be the worry and concern of the entire corps that I not be alone in the evenings and - in particular - that I eat. (Like that has EVER been an issue for me, lol;). The word 'leftovers' has become like music to my ears - and not only do I get to enjoy a delicious meal and good company, I often get to take home a doggy bag...

dream come true really:).

Sidebar 3: I am totally at home here with portion size. Most of the time on the 'mainland' I am considered to be a big eater - but not here. Here, I don't stand out at all... And the greatest thing is, the more you eat, the more they like you. I am really working on having people like me *a lot* and I am grateful the tailor gave me room to *spread* in my uniform!!!

Anyway, yesterday I was "feelin' the love". I just felt like these are my peeps, you know? It is amazing how quickly you can begin to feel part of a community - and I did. I do. I love visiting people, I love getting to hear people's stories, I love learning about our 'cultural differences' and the differences between our dialects, I adore being taught Newfoundland expressions, and most of all I appreciate the way that I have seen glimpses of God through my interactions with his people. In the words of Becca Allen, it is "cool beans".