This morning while driving to Pretoria I got an email from Siberia, Novosibirsk. I had to smile as I saw Larisa’s name. My thoughts started running back. Within moments I was back in faraway Siberia, and could I see the birch trees at the back of their home, the massive statue of Lenin in the city centre. My smile got bigger when I thought back to the traffic fine she got due to my bad advice on which direction to go in a narrow street. Her kitchen with the family around the table, laden with fresh produce from their garden, will always stay one of my best memories.
I wanted to learn Russian, and Larisa was determined that I should stay only with them and nowhere else.
Larisa wrote:
“We are frosen here in Siberia, it is unusually cold for more then 10 days, Marie doesn’t go to school because of cold, cars don’t want to start in such a weather, I can’t breath the cold air.”
How privileged I was to experience Russia and Siberia this year! Because, most probably it had been the last long bike tour of my life.
I went to see the doctor for he scan results this afternoon. After exchanging the normal pleasantries he sat for quite a while at his desk, scribbling some notes on a block of paper. Then he looked up, straight at me. Nearly without any emotion he said those words that I dreaded to hear. “I am sorry but I have bad news for you. It is cancer and it has spread. You will die of this.”
Bang! It was like a shot icy-cold Siberian water straight into my face. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!
Unfortunately it was not a bad dream. It was reality.
It seems that the chances are slim that I ever will ride my bike again on the sandy tracks of the Waterberg. And not only on bad roads, good roads may be out of the question very soon.
Getting home from Pretoria after 8 tonight I felt the urge to listen to music, loud. I bought a CD this afternoon, it is called Rooiwynliefde (Helena Hettema). Do your self a favour and buy this CD. Listen to the third track Rooiwynliefde. The track was written by Marianne Venter, who wrote this song for her husband Marius, who rode across Africa way back during 2007. What a brilliant love song!
Dear Larisa … Thanks for invitation to come and stay with you while learning your beautiful Russian language. Unfortunaly not now. There is another big journey coming up, and the preparation will take some time …
Your friend for life
Lodie
Africa, Europe, Russia / Siberia! Well done KLR! 
My Big, unknown, hairy, bearded, dear friend.
So many journeys you have done, far. more than many will do in a lifetime. And now you have this journey which so many before you have wandered with varying degrees of success.
And although you have to travelled this road les travelled, as with your many other trips, we are here, on the sideline, unseeing, yet doing this journey with you.
All strength, all Peace, and Grace be with you. As you said, in the end it will be OK, and if it not OK, it is not the end.
Your friend,
Koot (Sent from my iPhone)
Onthou net: “God is Good!!” Hy het hierdie trip op jou lewe gebring met ‘n doel, want Hy wil iets daarmee bereik; wat weet nie een van ons nie, maar soos ‘n kind glo ek dit. Lodie, ek en Marietjie glo dat God se wonderwerk tye nie verby is nie, ons het dit beleef, en glo daarom dat Hy ‘n spesiale pad met jou stap. Mag Hy jou die vryheid gun wat jy nog altyd geleef het, die genade van Sy liefde jou omvou met genesing, vrede en berusting.
Ons bly net om die draai, het ook musiek wat hard gespeel kan word, en ‘n stoel waarin jy agteroor kan lê en jou oë toemaak, terwyl die vuur in die braaier brand.
Sterkte vorentoe! ons sal nooit ophou bid vir jou nie.
Bosveld vriende.
Sterkte Lodie , ons bid vir jou en as jy dalk deur die Vrystaat kom het ek ‘n groot versameling 7single’s vanaf die 60’s wat ons kliphard kan luister!!
Helena Hettema – Rooiwynliefde, recommended by Lodie, give it a listen.
Link to YouTube video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya11zGzQeqM
Lodie, this road does not need to be walked alone…
Lodie, eerstens wil ek vir jou dankie sê vir die voorreg om jou blog te kon volg vir so baie ure van plesier , lag of huil saam met jou, vir alles wat jy met ons gedeel het al ken ons jou nie eens persoonlik nie – dit het altyd baie vir my beteken, en so sal dit bly! Weet net dat jy nooit alleen sal wees nie, ons almal dra jou in ons gedagtes en gebede, en moenie nou al moed verloor nie, ek’s seker jy het nog baie “fight” in jou oor, en vir wonderwerke is dit nooit te laat nie!
Sterkte!!
Heidi.
Ah Lodie! Je t’embrasse avec tendresse. This is very difficult news to be told. My heart goes out to you. It just seems to be so unfairly random and harsh. But then if you think about it, the outcome was told by men and machines – you have not yet heard the final word from Our Dear Lord Himself… He will speak to you constantly in many ways. You got such a wonderful message from Koot on your blog. A few tears ran. I pray that songs of beauty and messages of hope will drown out words and emotions that might confuse and distress you. I pray that your new awareness of life-experiences energizes your soul, body, heart and mind to a place of miraculous existence. May your angel guides keep you on a path of positivity. Peaceful nights and very powerful days Lodie!
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us” (albert Schwietzer)
Lodie!! Like Christine have shared with us, that is the word from men and outcome of the Machines but the dear God who make all things possible is yet to uplift you. ‘God on the Mountains is still God in this Valley’! Let us rejoice because Our Good Lord is Going to perform a miracle for us!! We will keep you in Our prayers!
Our strong Man Never loose hope because God is good Always!!!
(Norica, Linda, Magarette and Letty)
Lodie, ons snorkel in die Rooisee en dink aan jou blog in 2010 toe jy by Taba was. Die Rooisee wag vir jou.
To Lodie and all his wonderful friends around the world a special wish in Dutch:
Kerst en nieuwjaars wensen.
Eén lichtje is sterker
Dan alle duisternis van de wereld.
Neem je niets voor, niets meer voor te nemen.
Hooguit iets dichter bij elkaar te staan.
Zodat we de weg die we zullen lopen
In Vrede en Liefde verder mag gaan.
Een gelukkig Kersfeest en een Gezond en Liefdevol 2013!
Christine R-G 🙂
The following version of the English translation given online gave me a “church-giggle moment”:
A light is stronger
Then all the darkness of the world.
Take nothing for you, nothing more to take.
At most slightly closer to each other.
So we walk the path we will
In Peace and Love may go.
A happy Cherry Festival and a Healthy and Loving 2013.
With nothing left to take, except a little space inbetween, have a rather special Cherry Festival Lodie!
Lodie, ek is vanaand eers terug uit die Ooskaap en het my pos begin oopmaak.
Ek kan baie wyshede kwytraak en baie opregte vertroostings bied. Maar ek kies om pynlik opreg te wees:Ek is hartseer.
Daar was reeds en is steeds baie mense wat die wêreld ‘n beter plek maak, daar hulle omstandighede en situasies positief verander en vele van ons weet van en / of ken dalk so iemand. Daar is ook diegene wat die Skepping en die mens hartstogtelik liefhet en gee en géé. Hierdie besonderse, kosbare mense steek die brose vlammetjie van liefde vir andere aan in elkeen wat hierdie besonderse mense leer ken het. Jy, my vriend, is een van hierdie besonderse mense. Die Here is opgewonde oor jou!