...a walk across the room for a sticky situation...

What's in a name? I think we all like to hear our name. Who would want to be referred to as "hey you" or even worse. Someone I used to know always called his father by his first name and it was done in a demeaning tone of voice accompanied by a snicker. There wasn't much love between them and yet I saw the hurt in the Dad's eyes. I feel for people who have names for which the meaning seems to have changed over the years. In some case, rather derogatory meanings for names that used to be just simply normal.

So this is the problem. I have a friend who has one of those names she feels ashamed of and so to avoid embarrassment, snickers, snide remarks she has changed her name and asked her family and friends to call her by her new name. Mostly I'm not in favour of people constantly changing their names but I really do see her point and understand her reasoning. The issue is that a few of her friends just simply refuse to call her by her new name. I don't understand why a person you love would not call you by the name they know you prefer. So I thought I would do a little survey to see what my fellow bloggers think about this. You could email privately or respond on this blog. How do you think she should handle this situation? I think she is slowly losing respect for these few people she once loved to be around and I can't say I blame her.

..across the room to model...

Throughout my life there have always been people that I thought were exemplary human beings. What I admire most in people is real wisdom, humour, dangerous faith, honesty, and a passion for something other than themselves. I can't say that I've ever wanted to be someone other than myself although I have wished for certain characteristics and attributes I have detected in other people that I thought I did not have. Fall seems to be the time of year when there is more time for introspection and assessment of the year up to this point, at least in my life this is so. As I have thought about this year there have been times of doubt and yes, disappointment too about the way my life has progressed. So much has changed for me this year and I keep sensing the need to remind myself that as I review all that has transpired I need to look at everything from the perspective of who I am today, rather than who I was last year. Last year seemed to be a year of tremendous growth for me in many ways. This year feels like a flat line year....I envision a heart monitor! Oswald Chambers refers to our daily living as a workshop. Spending time with God in other words. Allowing the roots of faith to sink deeper and deeper and our trust in Him to flourish. That is the only way we will be able to rise to the occasion when we stare into the face of difficult situations. Or LIFE! This year as I've asked Him to search me, and try me as the Scripture says, I feel as though I've been tried. He has asked me to test the growth from last year. Mostly I feel like I passed the test. I'm more convinced than ever before of who I am in God's eyes, how very much He loves me, cares for me and that He has a special plan for me that keeps unfolding day by day. The exciting news about all of this is that I feel that He is on the verge of pulling this all together for me to see what He's been trying to do in my life this year and new direction as well. It feels confusing and exhilarating all at the same time. I am truly beginning to understand what He means when He says that all things work together for good to those that love Him! He uses all the things of life to bring glory to Himself and WE are part of that! My brain is in overdrive today. What I wanted to say today is that we sometimes tend to look up to people in our lives as our examples but, as Oswald Chambers wrote in one of the articles I read this weekend, God did not give us the example of a good man or a good Christian to model ourselves after. He gave us the example of God Himself "Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect" .... love one another as I have loved you. He says that the expression of Christian character is not good doing but God-likeness. I like that! I believe that! I believe he is shaping, molding, and transforming me as I allow Him to complete the work He has begun in me. He is the one I want to grow to be like. He is the one I desire to have other people see through me. Keep transforming me O God!

(I hope that I can continue this post later this fall or winter to share what God has been doing in my life)

...across the room to the kitchen with love......

Let's face it. I just simply love to bake. Pastry dough is one of my favourite to work with and I also enjoy working with yeast dough. It's the texture for me. There's so much satisfaction in getting it just right. When the texture is right you know the outcome is going to be fantastic! I know I inherited this interest from my Mom. What a baker she was!

In the O.R. where my husband works the tradition is that when your birthday comes around you bring your own cake. That way no one gets left out and if you do it's your own fault! So guess who gets to make the cake? The problem is I'm not crazy about making cakes and we're not crazy about eating them either.

So I make tarts! Tomorrow happens to be that special day at our house and that means that I spent a good part of the evening in the kitchen and this was the result of my creativity. You're looking at pear, apple, blueberry and chocolate/meringue tarts. We've sampled the pear (oh MY!), blueberry (much complimenting from the birthday boy!) and chocolate/meringue (oh YES!).

Happy Birthday my Darling!

...across the room to model the new 'do'......

This is the result of dragging myself kicking and screaming to the hair stylist yesterday. One of my pet peeves about getting my hair washed is that most times they shampoo the make up off my face as well. Yesterday before they started with the fire hose I asked them for something to cover my face so as not to disturb my make up! They complied with a paper napkin which was referred to by a much fancier word I had never heard before. I really didn't care what they called it but I did care that it kept wanting to fall off my face. Each time this happened I made a jerking motion to get to it before it slid off. It gave me a break from her hard nails scraping my scalp and a heads up for her to watch where she pointed that hose! I guess they realized my hair was retracting into my scalp out of fear of being cut because they decided that even though I wasn't having conditioner put in my hair they didn't want me to "miss out on the scalp massage!" The massage was nice except for the times that she tried to slide her fingers through some tangles! That's when all that nicely relaxed scalp tightened right back up where it had originally been! However, the massage must have worked because I didn't experience the same constant gushing of sweat off my head onto my face like the last time she cut my hair (she was wondering why my hair wasn't getting dry last time!) The hot flashes happened as I was sitting in the waiting room for my turn under the sizzer. In fact I have to say I was fairly well relaxed in her chair yesterday.

I made sure I let her know that the reason I didn't want my make up washed off was because I had some shopping to do when I left the salon. She seemed to understand that but as usual, I did my shopping and when I got home to redo my hair (is there anyone out there who doesn't have to go home to redo the "do"?) I realized I had pieces of hair beside my nose and inside my ear! Even so, I do think I'll go back and let her get to know my hair but mostly I want to see if she'll remember to cover my face next time!

...across the room for hair cuts, telemarketers, and Costco....

*Two hair cuts ago I decided to try a new hair stylist (actually I try a new hairstylist all the time!). My theory about hair cuts has been "it'll grow out" and thankfully so far it always has. This hair cut was SO BAD and has unfortunately been captured on many pictures for everyone to see for years to come :(

I was so impressed when I met her because she looked at my hairline and took the time to peruse through a magazine with me. I showed her several very different hairstyles that I liked and she said she thought she knew what I wanted. We talked and I didn't pay much attention as she was cutting and when she was done styling I realized she had done EVERYTHING I asked her not to do! In fact, I think she took ideas from all the pictures I showed her and used a little of each on my head!! Now most hairstylists would say you should come back because it takes them some time to get used to your hair and you. I guess in this case it would have worked because I could have told her just to reverse what she did the last time! She SCARES me!

I realized today that she primed me for my cut today. I am hot flashing just thinking about sitting in the chair! This time I AM going back to the stylist I went to a few months ago. I like her and I will give her a chance to get to know my hair (I think she knows me after last time!)

I'll keep ya posted!!

*A friend gave me a book recently that I am thoroughly enjoying (I must remember to tell her!)

The other day as I was reading the author asked the question "why were you born and are you fulfilling the purpose of your creation?" Good question! Why am I here. Am I here just to fill in the time until the day I'm no longer here? God tells us in the Bible "...I am the Lord your God....you are precious in my sight....everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made." Check out Isa. 43

and then in Rev. "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."

The author says that we are created for God's glory and pleasure. Our lives are to be lived in such a way as to reflect Him, to show the world the character of God, His love, His peace, His mercy, His gentleness. She says we are created to live for Him and accomplish His will. To miss this purpose is to miss fulfillment. It is to have existed rather than to have lived.

The book is "Lord, I want to know you" by Kay Arthur. Thanks Renita! I love the book!

*Even though we are only two in our house I cannot resist shopping at Costco. I especially love their produce section but unfortunately get carried away buying in bulk. Hence my diet this week has consisted of mostly nectarines, lots and lots of nectarines, and pears! The problem is that of the two of us I'm the one eating most of the fruit. My reasoning behind the bulk purchases is that even if I can't eat all of it before it rots, I'll have enjoyed every bite (their fruit is just THAT good!) and it's cheaper than having to throw out junky fruit from some of the other stores! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! After I finish this post I'll go eat another rather ripe pear!

*While I was typing the phone rang and when I realized it was a telemarketer I pressed "talk" and then almost immediately "end". Someone told me that if you answer their calls then they end up having to pay for it! I don't always do this but when I'm in "Hot Flush Mode" it somehow calms me down when I do that :) In fact these people have trained me to answer the phone, say hello, and if they don't respond IMMEDIATELY, hang up. The other day a friend called and since I hadn't checked the number on the display before I answered, and since the person didn't respond IMMEDIATELY, I hung up on her! She called again and said "I guess I'm too slow for you!" Speaking of "That Mode"....it has me crying about nearly everything these days. The other day my car left me stranded at Winners and I cried. I called my husband who asked me to stay put until he got there. When I saw his big truck on the street leading to Winners I cried again! Then I drove past his place of work and cried because I thought it was such a wonderful place to work and that he has devoted his life to this very wonderful and noble profession! See what all you youngsters have to look forward to? Oh Lord, please help me not to cry at the hair salon today! PLEASE?!

...across the room for sustenance!....

A friend of mine recently, in the most nasal voice she could manage, made this comment from the old "Saturday Night Live" programs "There's ALWAYS SOMETHING, isn't there?!"

It seems we can toodle (my spell check wants me to insert noodle in there LOL) merrily along for awhile and then BAMM, something happens that wipes that smug smile off our face, shakes us up for awhile, and stirs up some fear and various other killer emotions. As I was rumbling around the country on my motorbike this summer I was thinking about my own life and how I have changed from panicking every time something happens to experiencing this underlying peace that lets me know that ultimately I do not control my life and those around me and I don't have to take on that responsibility. God reminded me of a scripture verse where He tells us

"Peace I leave with you. MY peace I give to you!"

This is not a peace that we can create for ourselves. It is a gift from God. I realized that day on my bike what a precious gift this is that He gives us.

In Jeremiah 16:16 we read

"Your words are what sustain me. They bring me great joy and are my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty."

Just as we need nourishment for our bodies from food to sustain us, the spiritual part of us, our soul needs to be sustained as well.

I read the other day that since our souls were created by the breath of God, it is the Word of God, the Bible which is "God breathed" that sustains our souls. So just as we eat food every day to stay alive, grow strong and healthy, we need to feast on His Words each day to sustain our souls. That way when we face obstacles, hardship, pain and difficulty in our lives, His peace will permeate our very being and keep us in spite of what is happening all around us.

I wrote in my journal one day "What, but total trust and faith in God through our frustrations in life could bring both peace and pain at the same time?! The pain comes from not understanding why things happen in spite of our praying and pleading and the peace comes from trusting God and believing that He is sovereign, in control and is doing what is best."

I want to honour God with my life by sitting at His table and filling up on all the goodness He has prepared for my soul!