Day 269

the 'moving forward' playlist is on his computer and shaun and paul have declared 'goodnight tim' for the last time, thus ending a long-standing tradition of theirs that continued and occurred no matter if tim was or wasn't in the house or even within earshot of the time they went to sleep. kiwi humor.

and yesterday i asked tim if he'd write up a post for vagabonded to tell a bit of his travels and experiences and reflections of his time here in fernie. i've never really had much trouble with punctuated ends and rarely do friendships seem to share extensive farewells, but this time there seems to be a little more weight to both of the poles of goodbye.

and now, to you six continents that visit this site and to friends and family all around the world as well, i eagerly step down from this little url podium and proudly present to you- in the last few hours of his residence here in our crew- tim heine.


"Its been three months here in this mountain town where 90% of the populations mood is majorly affected by the snowfall stats that pop up every morning on the ski hills website. This season has not been a bumper season. A whole month with no real snow to speak of, and this in FERNIE, the epic powder haven of the Canadian Rockies. Listening to conversations in coffee shops and around town you get the feeling that a lot of people see snow as their right, like add that to the UN human rights charter, “a right to food, a right to shelter, and a right to at least 1 foot of powder per week.”

With no real snow to speak of and no job, I found myself with plenty of time to think, and analyze what drives this attitude of being owed something from nature. The marketing machine, that tells us we have a God given right to our weekly powder dump plays a large part in our current snow culture, but there is a lot more at play here, and this is where it splinters off and each individual has their own reason for expecting something from mother nature. To borrow a phrase from Churchill we all are “mystery, inside a riddle, wrapped in an enigma.” In one of the most spectacular mountain ranges on the planet, with a ski hill and vibrant party scene on my back, and front door I found my focus was mostly directed to the people that call this place home, for however long that maybe. “Everyone has a story worth telling, you just need to find a way of getting it out of them.”

That statement made to me by a coworker a few years ago has made me realize that no matter how outwardly boring the person seems, there will always be a depth to that person that makes investing and searching out the person worthwhile. I had the honour of sharing a flat with 6 lads who have been incredibly blessed from on high with talents and abilities that, if used to their potential, could take over the world and I really mean that. Sometimes I would walk out of my room and just about burst with excitement at the sight of the boys ready to embark on some new adventure, knowing that they have what it takes.

And yet all of us are racked with insecurities that we don’t have what it takes to be the men we aspire to be. As I was thinking about this today the story that Jesus told of Peter walking on the water popped into my head and I remembered a part from a Rob Bell book that talked about Peter’s problem not being that he didn’t have enough faith in God, but that he didn’t have enough faith in himself. And it makes sense, Jesus knew Peter could do it, and Peter believed in Jesus as God incarnate, but Peter doubted that he had what it took, that with all his baggage and hang ups, God could use him. That is what my prayer is for the lads I have lived with over the last few months, that they will remember that not only do they believe in God, but that God believes in them, that when the temptation to sell short of their potential comes, that God is there hoping and knowing that they do have what it takes to choose the better path. The wandering and erratic path that this blog post has taken, I apologize for, but that’s often how life flies, not all things resolve, and in asking one question we may get an answer for something totally different.

So as travels and adventures continue, tuck away and remember the seemingly insignificant details of life, because in the future they may be the answer to one of life’s big questions, or at least an insight to it. I get on the bus very soon and embark on a 3 day journey to get back to New Zealand, taking with me the memories of a winter of great road trips, a few fantastic days up the mountain, an appreciation and loathing for New Zealand winters, but mostly of friendships formed and deepened. We humans are after all, the pinnacle of creation."