Wayside Stories

His Story- Gazza

We recently had a trip to Forster, which was more like a vacation than anything because we were so relaxed and it was in such a resort-style environment. I’d like to note how much it meant to me, firstly because being invited by Graham was very special and also because sitting down to meals with our pastor and his wife, Robyn, was so much like sitting around a family dinner table.

Graham and Robyn chaperoned us on a dolphin-watching expedition. It was then that I realised how much this trip was costing. The boat ride was $40 per head, and there were eight of us! We saw dolphin mothers with their offspring at their side. Normally seeing such things on television would not impress me very much, but the real thing, up close and personal, surprised me immensely.

I mostly enjoyed just kicking back and relaxing, because my normal grind at home is the same every day of the week. My usual 40-a-day cigarette habit was cancelled as I had not planned ahead and only borrowed enough for a packet of 20. This lasted me though and I even found myself with one cigarette left during our trip home four days later! This holiday, significantly for me, was also alcohol-free.

An added joy was the presence of the man I would describe as my best friend and mentor, Reverend Graham Long. I cannot express much more about the trip, other than that I fail to see an equivalent trip in my future, given the ideal combination of the people, the natural surroundings and of course the stress-free environment, so unlike that which I suffer daily. This truly was a trip sent by the heavens above. If heaven is anything like this place, pure bliss is the only way I can describe what is to come, and that’s an understatement! Hallelujah! Amen.

Gazza