...across the room to make a fool of myself!.....

In one of my weak moments I had the audacity to recite this to a ladies Christmas Party at the church. I found it on the internet and made a few changes. Sometimes I'm not sure why I do the things I do!

ITALIAN NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Twas da night before Christmas,

Da whole house was mella,

Not a creature was stirrin',

Cuz I had a gun unda da pilla.

When up on da roof

I heard somethin' pound,

I sprung to da window,

To scream, "YO! Keep it down!"

When what to my

Wanderin' eyes should appear,

But da Don of all elfs,

And eight reindeer!

Wit' slicked back black hair,

And a silk red suit,

don Christopher wuz here,

And he brought da loot!

Wit' a slap to dare snouts,

And a yank on dare manes,

He yelled and he shouted,

And he called dem by name.

"Yo Tony, Yo Frankie,

Yo Vinny, Yo Vito,

Ay Joey, Ay Paulie,

Ay Pepe, Ay Guido!"

As I drew out my gun

And hid by da bed,

He flew troo da winda

And slapped me 'side da head.

"What da heck you doin'

Pullin' a gun on da Don?

Now all you're gettin' is coal,

You crazy moron!"

Den pointin' a fat finga

Right unda my nose,

He twisted his pinky ring,

And up da chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh,

Yellin ‘n screamin'!

Away dey all flew,

Before he troo dem a beatin'.

Den I heard him yell out,

What I did least expect,

"Merry Christmas to all,

And yous betta show some respect!"

...across the room for some sillyness....

Ever receive gifts at Christmas time you just don't like? Need help knowing how to respond to the giver of the gift. Here are a few ideas I came across via the internet last night....hope they help you out this year! You could try saying:

1. If I had not recently shot up four sizes, that would've fit.

2. What a shame if the garbage man ever accidentally took this

3. Perfect for wearing in the basement.

4. Well, well, well...

5. I really don't deserve this.

6. I hope this never catches fire!

7. Love it, but I fear the jealousy it will inspire.

8. If the dog buries this, I'll be furious!

9. To think I got this the year I vowed to give all my gifts to charity.

...across the room to share some insights....

Sometimes when thoughts continue to surface a lot I just have to get them down on paper somewhere and that is one of the reasons for this blog. This topic has been on my mind and I take that as indication that there is someone out there also thinking about these things that may be inspired in some way by reading my thoughts. So here we go again!!

I don't know how many times I have been asked to pray for someone, be there for someone in great distress all the while thinking to myself "if only you would be honest with yourself and God you probably would not be in this place" and yet knowing that if I were to say something like that it would not be received in the spirit I would want to give it. Often these people tell me "I've prayed and prayed and nothing happens. Nothing is going the way it should. Nothing helps!" I have experienced this in my own life too! I have discovered that God requires me to deal with sin in my life if I want to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him.

A devotional I read talked about King David in Psalm 66:18-19 who said...."If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened....." NLT. The article addresses the problem of willful sin in our lives and that a holy God can not disregard that. It is impossible to have a truly intimate relationship with God unless we are willing to be absolutely honest with Him, and pure in our hearts, thoughts, and actions. Sin has to be acknowledged and dealt with if we want God to answer our prayers. He loves us so much and wants to clean us up, forgive us, and enjoy a relationship with us. But as the article stated "God does not wink at sin!" Let us not be deceived into thinking that we can indulge in sin in one area of our life and still have an open honest walk with God.

In order to know what God's standards are we need knowledge which comes from searching the Scriptures..."Rightly dividing the Word of Truth" 2 Tim. 2:15. That means using God's Word as our absolute authority; not what society would like us to believe. God's instructions for us are really straight forward and are not suggestions. He doesn't say "You know people, maybe it's not that nice to commit murder. I wish you wouldn't do it." In Ex. 20:17 He says "You must not murder". God does not say "Aw people, it's probably not that great of an idea to commit adultery unless you just don't get your needs met in your marriage. In that case, well, maybe I could look the other way". He says "You must not commit adultery". That's in Exodus also and of course the Bible is full of God's instructions on how to live and conduct ourselves. I think the amazing thing about God's instructions to us is that He has given them to protect us and to give us the best life possible!

If we are followers of Christ then we have the Holy Spirit in our lives who helps us to understand the Scriptures and apply them to our lives. He will convict us of wrong doing and help us to deal with all of our sin, wipe us clean, and restore us into a clean, pure relationship with God. There is no better place to be than in a right relationship with our Creator!

Be blessed as you allow God to "search me and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life." Ps. 139:23

...across the room to defend my love of animals...

I LOVE animals. I like dogs, cats, horses, deer, squirrels, and rabbits to mention a few. Mostly I enjoy animals at a distance although I will pet them, sometimes hold them, and feed them. I respect that they are animals, and not humans and am very aware that I do not know how their minds work. So I give them space to be animals. They are interesting creatures to me and I could watch them for hours and in the case of small animals, play with them for long periods of time. I just simply enjoy them. I love the smell of horses and I also love the different sounds animals make. Two summers ago an enormous brown bear came bounding out of the woods as I was riding my motorbike down the road. I had no time to be afraid because I was so mesmerized by how shiny his fur coat was as the sun shone down on him! Later, when I realized how close we had been to him I thought about the danger aspect of this huge animal. He was absolutely STUNNING! I do not own a pet but have in the past. I soon realized that if I did not train this dog he would run my life, destroy not only my property but other people's as well and terrorize everyone that came to my door. As much as I loved him I did not have the time I needed to train my dog properly or spend the time I needed to spend with him so I gave him to a family who could and would. This is really just an introduction to what I really wanted to talk about but it is a very honest rendition of how I feel about animals.

I have a few friends in my life who enjoy walking as a way of getting some exercise, fresh air, social interaction, and the parks in our city. We enjoy a walk in a different park each day of the week. Our city has created some areas of some of our parks as off-leash areas where people can take their dogs for walks and consequently we often meet up with them on the trails. It is nice to see people enjoying the outdoors with their pets and exercising them. So what is my problem? My problem is that although I love animals like I mentioned earlier, I do not want them jumping on me, slobbering on my clothes, barking or growling at me or any of the friends I am with. As I said before, I don't know what these animals are thinking, what their past history is or what they are capable of. Our city bylaws state that owners of pets are in violation of the bylaws if their dog bites or chases a person, if they bark or howl in such a fashion that it disturbs a person, or causes a person to fear for their physical safety. What I find extremely frustrating is that when a big dog runs at me, jumps on me, barking and growling so that I feel threatened enough to ask the owner to please call off their dog their response is FIRST "maybe you shouldn't be walking in the off leash area if you don't like dogs!" Is there not even ONE owner of a dog smart enough to realize that their pet is capable of terrifying people and that just because someone is afraid does not mean they hate animals? It seems like every person I have met that is not in control of their dog will always blame ME for being in the wrong place and being a dog hater. They will defend their dog in the most ridiculous ways. For instance, this week a dog tall enough to lick my elbow was barking and jumping up on us and the owner told us "he's just a puppy!" So now we're supposed to be OK with all his drool on our clothes and scratches on our hands, not to mention the barking and growling!! Of course we are forever being told not to use the parks as well! I have NEVER experienced an incident like the above with the owner apologizing for their pet's behaviour. NEVER! NOT EVEN ONCE! Isn't that sad? REALLY! I am about ready to start carrying a club! It will not be used on the dog because I believe that the owner is responsible for their animals behaviour and I would use the club on the owner, not the animal! LOL! Thanks for letting me vent! Wonder whose "puppy" I'll have to fight off next week?! Oh, by the way, my jacket is in the washer as I write this!

..across the room for a disposition to show kindness....

I looked up the word "Grace" on my Thesaurus today and this is what I read....a disposition to show kindness.

This reminded me of a story a friend of mine related to me this week about her experience in the coffee shop drive through line up. She uses these few minutes in the line up to apply her make up and she did so this particular morning as well. I guess she didn't see the car ahead of her pull away and didn't proceed forward immediately, apparently causing the woman in the car behind her great anxiety. She became so anxious in fact that she shouted at my friend "It's not going to do you any good anyway!" My immediate response to her story was outrage that any woman could say something like that to another woman, and then outrage that someone as nice as my friend would have to endure that kind of rude behavior! If anyone oozes grace, it would have to be this friend.

It made me think and wonder what I would have done. Said. I thought about all the drivers that day that I regarded as nuisances on the road by driving too slow, too fast, in my way, not driving they way I felt they should drive and I thought about my reaction to them and the thoughts I entertained about them. It was not good. I'm afraid most of the time my disposition to show kindness is limited to people who are nice to me. I'm afraid that way too often I make assumptions about people's motives that I have no business making. After all, these people are total strangers to me. How could I possibly presume to know their motives.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately which reminded me of a saying that has been popular for many years and has appeared on keychains, clothes, mugs and a whole host of gadgets. Often only the first letter of each word is used.....WWJD....meaning "What Would Jesus Do"? I don't own anything with those letters or words but it has been on my mind lately and the last two weeks I've tried to remind myself when I get irritated or impatient with people to consider WWJD? It's been a real eye opener for me and a way of helping me reconsider before I make up my mind about total strangers.

Who knows, I may just develop a disposition to show kindness like my friend, smile, wave and pay for the lady's coffee just like she did!

...across the room for some very good tarts....

I FOUND THIS RECIPE ON THE INTERNET BUT UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT SAVE THE SITE INFO SO AM NOT ABLE TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. THIS IS NOT MY OWN RECIPE. JUST SO YOU KNOW.

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Chips

1 cup REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips

2 teaspoons shortening(do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)

Directions:

1. Beat 3/4 cup butter and cream cheese in medium bowl; add flour and 1/4 cup sugar, beating until well blended. Cover; refrigerate about one hour or until dough is firm. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; press each ball onto bottom and up sides of about 36 small muffin cups (1-3/4 inches in diameter).

2. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine egg, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, melted butter, lemon juice and vanilla in small bowl; stir until smooth. Stir together milk chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Set aside 1/3 cup chip mixture; add remainder to egg mixture. Evenly fill muffin cups with egg mixture.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until filling is set and lightly browned. Cool completely; remove from pan to wire rack.

4. Combine remaining 1/3 cup chip mixture and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Drizzle over tops of tarts.

...across the room to attend.....

ATTEND: meaning....

verb: To go or be together with;

to supervise or take charge of;

listen, hear, harken, care for, tend, mind,

watch, cherish, cultivate, foster, minister, nurse, nurture, serve, defend, guard, protect, safeguard, shield, supervise,

accompany, bear, chaperon, join, link

Some time ago, as I was praying for a friend of mine who was going through some personal struggles I heard myself asking the Lord to “attend” to my friend in her difficulties. While I prayed a visual of my mother came to me and as I continued to pray I imagined that God was attending to my friend the way my mother used to attend to me.

I come from a family of six. As we were growing up most times if one of us caught a cold or flu we would all take turns being sick. At our house as soon as someone was sick my mother would open up the davenport in the Living Room, a room we were not allowed into during the week, and make up a bed. On a little table by the bed was a glass of 7-UP and beside the table a bucket! Most of our bedrooms were on the second floor so having the sick child in the living room on the main floor was much more convenient for my Mom to look after us. Throughout the day she would come into the Living Room to wipe my face with a cool cloth. If I had a fever she would pour a little Wonder Oil onto my forehead and let it trickle through my hair. Since Wonder Oil is largly alcohol the cooling sensation was heavenly! By the way, you could buy this concoction in the grocery stores back then! I think it is now probably only sold in pharmacies. If my tummy was really upset she would make a drink that consisted of 1/3 cup warm water with a little sugar and a small amount of wonder oil in it. I couldn’t wait for her to offer this drink to me because it felt so good going down! Sadly, many times it would come back up almost as fast as it went down! Hence the bucket! Sometimes she would come in to sponge bathe me, change my P.J.’s, comb my hair, and fluff the pillow. She always made me as comfortable as possible and she did it with such tender loving care. My sisters and I have often commented on how when we get a bad cold or flu we still wish we could have our mother around to attend to us, with the Wonder Oil in hand!

I can’t begin to tell you how this visual affected my prayer for my friend! I just KNEW God was right there with her in her trouble, comforting her in her pain, soothing her weary soul, infusing her with strength in her struggle, and pouring on the oil of joy for her inner pain. That's when I knew that my friend was in the best hands possible.

God is SO GOOD!!

..across the room to make "The List".....

What a treat it is to have a whole weekend to focus on the things that we are thankful for. I really do think this warrants some kind of list. Here is the beginning of my list. My very random list....

1. My heritage 2. Quality bedding 3. Laughter 4. God 5. Bread

6. Perfume 7. Amazing husband 8. Music 9. The miracle of a changed heart thanks to Jesus! 10. Cheese 11. Holidays 12. Money

13. Great friends 14. My awesome family 15. Motorbikes 16. Knock Knock Jokes 17. AC 18. Paintings 19. Red Rock 20. Candles 21. Water 22. Sneezes

23. Fans 24. Hugs 25. Words 26. Naps 27. Sunshine 28. Roads 29. Curves in roads 30. Me!

...across the room to share some memories...

AHHHH the memories we keep!

Tonight as I was cleaning a cupboard I came across a "treasure box" of mine and found some surprising memories lurking in there! Like....a birthday card from my sister Jean (now in heaven). I had sent her some scented candles, socks and home made cookies for her birthday one year. In her birthday card to me a few weeks later she wrote..."love the socks! Candles smell sooo good (not terribly eucylyptusee), cookies only mildly tasted of eucylyptus HA!. I decided for my next b'day I would like one of your famous choc. cream pies! Ha!"

My Mom stayed with our girls for a few days and left notes for me, mostly crazy humour type notes. An excerpt from one page went like this "I owe you a wooden spoon. No, I did not hit either of your daughters over the head with it. I'll explain later, if you must know!" And another excerpt "Boy! This house has some weird goings-on. All of a sudden the radio in Peter's office is on, so I go and check the switches, OK, that says OFF. I know I'm not very smart, but I can read enough to understand OFF or ON, LEFT or RIGHT, FOR or AGAINST, but do you think that idiot machine would shut up? No way! So I did find one button so it was at least quieter, and I shut the door, so I could watch T.V.!"

Then there was the note from my niece Jordana who had just visited our place "Auntie Elayne: I like how we played tag first day if you read this you are tagged. I love you! Jordana".

This last excerpt is from a letter my sister Phillis wrote to me quite a few years ago: "Have you managed to pick up some furniture yet? If you wait a little longer I may have a lovely green floral set. Only slightly?? used. You could build your living room around this couch and chair. Believe me I'ld like to build a room around this set and seal the door so no one would ever have to look at it again!!"

My Mom wrote lots of letters after we moved and I cherish them so much now that she is gone. One letter in particular mentions my sweet Aunt Kay who was succumbing to dementia. She wanted my Mom to take her to the post office so she could cash her pension cheque. When they got to the lawyers office which was their first destination that day she wanted the receptionist there to cash her pension cheque. Then she told another aunt that she and my Mom did not go to Mr. Doerksen's funeral, they just went to his social (she meant the viewing). So she kept Mom in stitches some of the time and completely at her wits end the rest of the time but gave her lots of material for her letters to me! Thanks for the memories everyone! There are many more where those came from :)

...across the room to communicate...

Interestingly enough, after I composed my last post on friendship I ended up listening to a sermon on "Communicating in Relationships" in church this past sunday! In my post I related an incident with a friend some years ago who asked me to stop doing something. I mentioned that it wasn't so much what she said as the manner in which she said it. I can still see her body language to this day! Our speaker in church informed us that communication is done largely through body language, secondly through the way the words are spoken and least important are the words we speak. Interesting! At least, apparently this is how we remember the communication.

He said that there are a number of communication killers. They are arrogance, having all the answers, smugness; withdrawal, which basically means ignoring the issues and pretending there are none; lack of sensitivity; mistrust; and accusations. Accusations put an end to most conversation.

Communication builders were presented as being acceptance; empathy, honesty, discretion, responsibility (if you're wrong, admit it), forgiveness, listening, and prayer.

He concluded by saying that communication is a choice and that healthy relationships begin with healthy communication. At least that is what I remember of the sermon. I would say that relationships can survive only by constant healthy communication.

Whenever my husband and I keep saying "I thought you....." I know we have been too busy and there has not been enough healthy communicating, meaning it's time to have a little chat :)

...across the room for a Charlie Brown friendship....

“Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don't worry...I'm here. The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you. -Charlie Brown to Snoopy”

Doesn't that just give you that warm fuzzy feeling we all love to feel? Isn't that the kind of friend we all want to be able to count on when the going gets rough? Are these not the kind of people we want to be around on the good days too?

Friendships take time to develop. Some people seem to cultivate friendships much faster than others. I do not trust easily so I take my time making friends. When we moved to a new city some years ago I did not know anybody in this new place. It didn't take long to notice that mere acquaintances were referring to me as a friend. I realized then that the definition of what a friend is varies from person to person. My definition of a friend was someone who had proved themselves to me. For me it's all about trust, mutual respect, honesty, loyalty and love. Someone has said that every betrayal begins with trust. When trust is broken it is extremely difficult to re-establish again. It is not impossible but it does take time. I guess that is the reason I don't trust easily. During my life time so far I have experienced what betrayal feels like and I think that I can honestly say it is something I absolutely hate. That's a strong word, I know. Betrayal brings out the worst in people it seems. When it happens the one who is guilty usually does not want to admit even to themselves what they have done. Often that means the pain of the betrayal is made worse by lies to try to cover up the offense. The one who has been betrayed hurts deeply. Good friendships require huge investments. Most often it means investing a lot of our time with that person and taking the risk of sharing thoughts and ideas that one would not share with anyone else. Betraying that kind of trust just simply wrecks a friendship up for a long time and often a life time.

Life is difficult says Scott Peck. How we solve our problems will determine how difficult our lives will be. When a friendship is broken we get to chose how to deal with it. Do we drop the relationship; do we repair it; or do we let it slide and pretend it didn't happen. Personally I would have a very hard time pretending nothing happened and try to continue the relationship. Years ago a friend of mine asked me in a very angry manner to stop doing something I was doing that she did not like. I agreed to stop doing what I was doing even though I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. In fact, I thought I was helping her. I was OK with stopping what I was doing in order to preserve our friendship. What bothered me was the way she spoke to me. She spoke out of anger in a very disrespectful manner and she talked down to me. She never apologized for that and I never forgot it. We are friends to this day but our friendship can only go so far. I can't quite trust her. Sad. I know. I feel like I have to protect myself from her.

When I think about my friends I realize I have many different kinds of friends in my life. Some I have not chosen...they seemed to chose me. These tend to be the more difficult relationships. Others were formed through mutual interests. These are usually easy going, light hearted, and fun but do not lend themselves to meaningful, thought provoking conversation and sharing. The best friendships are the ones that just seemed to happen before I knew what was happening. They are rare, scarce and extremely precious to me. I would do anything for these wonderful people in my life. I will always watch out for them, care for them and love them with all my heart. They have my loyalty, my trust, and my respect. These are the people in my life that I like to have around. Days spent with them are smooth sailing days. They are my Charlie Brown friendships!

..across the room to talk about scenery and hotels.....

As a rule, when we are on vacation we like to stay in nice hotels. By now our requirements include: king bed with white bedding, proper window treatments (trust me, this is important!) spotless lobby, clean look and smell! Is that too much to ask? It does happen though that we come across something like this little cabin near a spotless little town and for some reason we just can't resist to spend at least one night. And so it was this year again. It wasn't fancy but it was cute and clean. As we walked into town for dinner we came across the cactus complete with berries. I think they are beautiful. I don't want to touch them or sit on them but I do like to gaze at these amazing plants! The next day we just had to stop to take a picture of these awesome red rock formations. They look so fantastic with the sun lighting them up. I took some pictures the day before at dusk but they are all blurred for some reason so this is all I have. I have to say they look much better on site than they do on pictures.

Back to the business of choosing a hotel. Some things we look for that we found are tell tale signs of what the room will look like are: if the lobby is not pristine, neither are the rooms. It is a sure sign. Likewise, if the staff are unkempt, so is the hotel. We do not even walk through the front door if we see that there are boxes or whatever pushed up against the window coverings of the office/front desk. If they have junk in the front office or lobby the rest of the hotel will be a reflection of that. Without fail, if you can see disarray through the windows when you drive up to a hotel there will be issues with your room. The condition of planters and shrubs in front of the hotel are another indication of how much care is taken inside. Even better, a drive around the hotel will further illustrate the cleanliness of the hotel. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

...across the room to explore for awhile....

That's it! The holiday is over and it's time to check out the pictures, talk and reminisce a little. For all my family and friends aware of my previously mentioned bird phobia (esp. crows!) I did go into this Bistro and I did eat and no, it wasn't crow! My definition of this year's bike trip is "The trip of many losses". I've never lost so much stuff on any one trip before! We hadn't even left the country when I noticed that one of my boot suspenders was missing. They were genuine Harley, not cheap, and besides, I LIKED them! Some time later I lost the cap for my beer mug used strictly for water or coffee may I add! I cannot ride my bike without some form of liquid to replenish myself so I bought a new mug. A few miles later I lost the top for that one as well. I noticed it was gone when we stopped to commit to memory the most spectacular wall of red rock and in trying to take the ear plug out of my ear so we could hear one another I realized it was stuck in there. This afforded my husband the opportunity to try his hand at some minor ear surgery with my cuticle instrument! He was a smashing success and of course the surgery came complete with appropriate ear plug size instructions!! In Red River, N. Mexico I lost my camera and found it later at the local lost and found centre thanks to a wonderfully honest and good woman from Texas! The holiday wasn't a total loss though. Paging through my journal I see my guy and I had some good conversations. We covered topics like the difference between falling in love and actual love; psychotherapy vs. psychoanalysis; how to celebrate our big anniversary next year; grandbabies, of course, and the books we were reading, among other topics! I enjoyed three weeks of not having to cook and consequently the plethora of restaurants to choose from every day! Can we say HEAVENLY?!! My journal mentions riding under the vast sunny clear blue Wyoming sky; having to dawdle through an extraordinary winding mountain pass behind a group of inexperienced bikers who didn't have the humility to step aside to let others pass (GGRRRRR) and enjoying a good laugh when my husband told me later he had been singing to himself "these are not my people, no no no, these are not my people!"; enjoying the ride through Montana with Ian Tyson's song rattling around in my head "Meet me in Montana, underneath those big Montana skies!" Yeah, we like music! As usual, we met interesting people when we felt like mixing with the crowd and otherwise just simply enjoying our own togetherness!! Whatever shall we do next year?

..across the room for some thought provoking reading...

It's summer! My idea of summer is that the days should be long, slow paced, and they should include colorful salads to eat, blue skies, laziness, sunshine, lemonade, and books! I've already finished a few books and here is the rest of my list of books to read during the next few weeks of summer...."Out of the Depths" by John Newton (an autobiography); "the Six Miracles of Calvary" by William R. Nicholson; "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert; "Road Less Traveled" by M. Scott Peck, M.D.; "Cast of Characters" by Max Lucado. My reading material basket includes a journal for writing down anything I want to make sure to remember, and a Sudoku Book to give my brain a rest!! It also includes my Bible and Oswald J. Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest".

My first pick is "The Road Less Traveled". I've just begun reading it. His very first sentence intrigued me and I have had a hard time putting it down. "Life is difficult" writes Peck. He maintains that once we 'get' that life is difficult, understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult and that's because it just doesn't matter any more. Since life is basically a series of problems that need to be solved we need to discipline ourselves to solve these problems. Peck teaches that discipline involves delayed gratification, accepting responsibilities, dedication to truth and balancing....tools we all have at our fingertips ready to be used to solve the difficulties of life! That's just the beginning. I can't wait to really get into this book to see what else he has to say. His style is easy to read and understand. Who knows....I may even decide to write a book report later :)

Enjoy the rest of your summer and especially your books! I know I will!

....across the room to sing bare foot!

I've gone AWOL from my blog for awhile and I think it's time to come back. Those of my readers that know me well will also know that we have experienced another loss in our family lately and therefore I have been away for awhile. The loss I'm speaking of was my husband's brother-in-law who was on a motorbike trip to spend a few days with us. The day he was to arrive I baked a ham, made scalloped potatoes, and a nice salad for dinner. His wife who was traveling by car had arrived late in the afternoon and informed us that her husband would probably be arriving an hour later. Dinner was ready, the table was set for four, and we finally decided to eat without him. We cleared the table except for his place setting, thinking he would arrive sooner or later. Hours later we received the call. I had been following the blog of an acquaintance of mine whose young husband was obviously dying and I was so impressed at the way she was handling her situation. It seemed she was saying her good-byes for at least a week. In our case, this was day two of a three week vacation and their minds were on relaxation, good times, seeing family and a one week bike ride and rally together as husband and wife. I just couldn't imagine what it would be like to suddenly switch gears, pack up and go home to make funeral arrangements! She did what she had to do though, and I think she did a great job. The services truly were a celebration of the life he lived and the life he stepped into from here on in. The following was a song he sang the sunday prior to the accident and I believe it is a good indication of what he was all about. When I listen to this song now, I imagine Larry singing at the top of his lungs in his bare feet because when he felt that he was in the presence of God he took his shoes off! Sing it, Larry!! (The pic is Larry on my bike last summer)

THE RIVER ..... by Brian Doerksen

To the river, I am going,

bringing sins I cannot bear

Come and cleanse me, come forgive me

Lord I need to meet you there.

Precious Jesus, I am ready

To surrender every care.

Take my hand now, lead me closer

Lord I need to meet you there.

In these waters, healing mercy

Flows with freedom from despair

I am going, to that river

Lord I need to meet you there.

Precious Jesus, I am ready

To surrender every care.

Take my hand now, lead me closer

Lord I need to meet you there.

Come and join us in the river

Come find rest beyond compare

He is calling, He is waiting

Jesus longs to meet us all there.

Precious Jesus, I am ready

To surrender every care.

Take my hand now, lead me closer

Lord I need to meet you there.

....across the room to share deeply.....

King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.

Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.

May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.

THE WAY I SEE IT.....

I was amazed again yesterday when God used a song to bring me to a new place in my life. A place where I have wanted to be for a long time. The life of a follower of Jesus Christ is a journey and on this journey we never totally arrive....until we get to heaven that is. This journey is a sure thing; it is real, ongoing, and it is marked with hills, valleys, meadows, streams, doors, windows, and brick walls! It is a personal journey and we go at our own speed. Jesus NEVER pushes us. If we want to stop for any reason He lets us do that. Meanwhile He patiently waits until we are ready to take His hand and walk with Him again. While we walk He talks to us, listens to us and makes sure that we have everything we need for the journey. If we pick up any baggage along the way He sits down and waits until we are ready to go on without anything that will weigh us down. So this is where I was yesterday and have been for some time. I picked up some stones and found myself facing a brick wall. Jesus was right there. Sitting! He just simply SAT DOWN! And when He decides to sit everything stops! It's not comfortable there. We THINK it is at times, but it's not. We hang on to those stones, feeling the weight of them, the smoothness and in some cases the rough spots. Some even seem to sparkle and almost resemble jewels. They are not jewels though. They are just stones and there are many where those came from. The more we hold them, look at them, the more we want to take them with us but He says "No, they have to stay here. When you put them down we can continue our journey". I had several stones I was carrying. The one I just had not been able to put down was one I named Anger. For some time now, I have been picking that one up again and again. I put it down for a bit but we didn't get far on our journey when I would go back and pick it up again.

The anger. I believe the anger had accumulated over some time. I called it "righteous anger" because people I loved dearly were being hurt and I was going to make sure they would be OK. I did everything I could think of to help but in the end it wasn't enough. There was nothing I could do to change their situation and I felt like a failure. The anger towards those inflicting the pain was overwhelming and all-consuming. And why did God not do something about these people! Why did He allow them to continue inflicting pain? At the very least, could He not just stop them? I saw no reason why He would not want to do something. Shamefully, some of my anger was directed at my Saviour!

As usual, God was concerned about what was going on in MY life and MY relationship with HIM. He wanted to get MY attention and deal with ME. I belong to Him and I was letting this anger come between us. As soon as we let anything come between us and God our relationship suffers. As I said earlier, He sat down and waited for me to decide when I wanted to scale that brick wall! It was up to me. My choice, and yet He was right there all the time. He never once left me alone!

Not surprisingly, I was behind the wheel once again when He got my attention. The car or my motorbike seem to be the places God meets with me when we need to do some serious business. On my way home I heard the song I posted above. Until then I had been deep in thought about what was going on in my life and the anger that just would not dissipate. "KING OF MY LIFE"! Really? How can I let Him be King of my life when I choose to wallow in this state of anger? (Ephesians 4:26 "...and don't sin by letting anger control you" NLT) Had I forgotten that Jesus had suffered and died for ALL my sin? How could I possibly hang on so tightly to this stone of anger that was weighing me down! I poured out my heart to God, admitting my sin and asking for forgiveness. My right hand shot up as I repeated the song "KING OF MY LIFE I CROWN THEE NOW" and sang along in my broken faltering voice from the bottom of my heart, the depths of my very being with tears streaming down my face. I'm a pro at driving and crying by now. I've had lots of practice! My hand removed that "crown" I had placed on my life and put in on the KING of my life where it should have been all along. I repeated that song at least five times before I could sing without the tears streaming down my face. Then I asked Him if I ever pick up another pebble to please remind me of Calvary. Gethsemane...and His love for me!

So much changed for me last night. First of all the headache I had suffered with for days was gone! Praise God! When I woke up this morning I jumped out of bed, wide awake, ready for this new "anger-less" day. I breezed through every situation today that would have angered me yesterday and was actually able to laugh at some of the incompetence of a business we have had to deal with lately that was driving me absolutely nuts. Sin in one area multiplies like crazy. Anger directed at one or two people soon mushrooms into anger at anyone wrecking up your perfect ways and plans. It's like an incurable disease. However, the Great Physician is all about curing these types of diseases in our lives that rob us of the relationship He offers us. "Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world!" I feel like I've stepped through a door into a brand new room. I can't wait to explore all the treasures waiting for me in this new place!

This poem by Lewis Carroll was one we had to listen to a lot once our daughters had memorized it. The accompanying choreography (self taught!) was especially entertaining. I still like it to this day because it brings back fond memories of those precious lighthearted moments of "silliness" in our home. I thought I'ld share it with you today to bring some silliness into your life in case it's been a little to heavy or serious lately :) ENJOY!

JABBERWOCKY

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabes

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand;

Long time the manxome foe he sought -

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh, Callay!"

He chortled in his joy.

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

...across the room to change some habits....

I have recently had to make some changes in my life. Believe me, I knew for quite some time now that I needed to make these changes but until recently I just never thought I needed to become fanatical about it and therefore did not take the matter seriously. That is, until one day I developed some physical symptoms that stopped me in my tracks. I monitored myself carefully for the next week or so but the symptoms persisted. In fact, they were troubling enough to call my doctor one day to request a session with her "to talk". I suppose I sounded desperate enough to get my appointment that same day.

Together we decided on a plan of action and from that day on I have made some changes in my life. These changes were made immediately with little room to "mess up" or I'm right back where I started.

It got me thinking about habits. Habits are hard to break, there's no doubt about that. I even searched the internet to see what materials were available and was rather surprised at all the help out there. It doesn't seem to matter what we struggle with, someone will have come up with a formula for whatever plagues us. I remember years ago reading books on prayer. How to pray more effectively. Thinking back I wonder if the message was not more to the tune of "how to pray so you can get what you want". At least so it seems to me. I finally got so frustrated with all the books on prayer I just sat down on a chair one day and talked to God. How refreshing! I've never looked back! I just simply enjoy my conversations with God in a natural way, in the same English language I speak to everyone else! It's so easy!

Today I feel the same way about these new changes I'm making. Habits of sorts. It's easy to change a habit when you know that if you slide back into the old routine something not very nice is going to happen to you! And it will happen immediately. It's so different from knowing that if you constantly over eat you may very well develop diabetes later in life, or some other illness that will make your quality of life difficult some day. It's easy to ignore all the warnings because they don't affect us immediately. I have often tried to break a habit or make some kind of change and have failed many, many times. Yet, this time, there was an urgency about making the change so that I would feel better, stay out of danger, and be able to continue doing all the things I wanted to do. It was a no brainer; I made the changes and it has been easy.

I hope this is a good lesson for me to make some other changes, break some other habits that could affect me down the road and just simply do it for my own good!

....across the room to share a Johnny Cash song....

....called REDEMPTION. I listened to this song a number of times on my travels this month and thought about Johnny Cash and his personal journey of faith. The blood that was shed and the body and life that was given on that awful cross was necessary for our redemption and freedom. Johnny Cash experienced that redemption and knew what it meant to be free from the chains of sin. Thank you God for giving your only Son. Thank you Jesus for dying for us so that we may live forever!

From the hands it came down

from the side it came down

from the feet it came down

and ran to the ground.

Between heaven and hell

a teardrop fell

in the deep crimson dew

the tree of life grew.

And the blood gave life

to the branches of the tree

and the blood was the price

that set the captives free.

And the numbers that came

through the fire and the flood

clung to the tree

and were redeemed by the blood.

From the tree streamed a light

that started the fight

round the tree grew a vine

on whose fruit I could dine.

My old friend Lucifer came

fought to keep me in chains

but I saw through the tricks

of six sixty-six.

And the blood gave life

to the branches of the tree

and the blood was the price

that set the captives free.

And the numbers that came

through the fire and the flood

Clung to the tree

and were redeemed by the blood.

From His hands it came down

From his side it came down

from the feet it came down

and ran to the ground.

And the small inner voice

said you do have a choice

the vine engrafted me

and I clung to the tree.

And the blood gave life

to the branches of the tree

and the blood was the price

that set the captives free.

And the numbers that came

through the fire and the flood

I clung to the tree

and was redeemed by the blood.

From His hands it came down

from His side it came down

from the feet it came down

and ran to the ground.

...across the room to share R.J. and T.J. with you.....

Time for another post although I have to admit I am more tired tonight than I was last time I made an entry. Babies really do rule homes. They dictate if and when you eat, brush your teeth, sleep, shower, answer the phone, dress, respond to the doorbell, and go to the bathroom. They come first and that is how it is. So how is it we put up with these little dictators? Because they are just so unbelievably adorable, sweet, helpless, dependent and fun to watch! Every twitch of the face and movement of the body is different from any other baby and the three adults in this home could sit and watch this five day old newcomer for hours.

However there is a seven year old (R.J.) and a five year old (T.J.) in this home as well and I have to say they are equally precious and entertaining. Like yesterday when I was trying to explain something to T.J. and she admonished me with "Nana, can you be more pis-tif-ick (specific)?" And today when she hid from me in the park as we were waiting for the school bus I stood behind a tree to play the game with her not knowing that she thought I had left and she was alone in the park. We talked about it; I listened as she scolded me for hiding behind the tree and then I explained that I knew she was trying to hide from me but she needed to stick close to Nana while waiting for the school bus and not run off like that. I asked her what she was doing behind the statue and she said "I was praying" after which she said "Amen! Because I did not say amen yet!" Tonight I helped her say her bedtime prayer and she prayed "Please help Nana not to hide from me again and I'm sorry for doing it in the first place! AMEN!" T.J. and I perform concerts for each other by playing her toy guitar. We make up our own songs, words and melodies. My favourite song of hers is a "God Song" and goes something like this: "I know that You are here, I know that You love me, thank you for my health and thank you for myself; You are always faithful and hell is not!"

Big brother R.J. is the perfect little man! So considerate and full of life! On the way to the bus today I asked him what his favourite thing about school is. He named off a ream of specifics followed by "Oh, I guess I like EVERYTHING about school!" The temps this morning were lower than I thought they would be. He observed that I was somewhat chilly as I walked beside him with my hands in my jacket pockets. We hadn't walked far when he held out his hand for mine and as we walked hand in hand he asked "There, are you a little warmer now, Nana?" I had only spent one night here when he wanted to know whether the mattress I was sleeping on was comfortable enough, "Because if it is not I want to offer my bed to you" he said.

They've turned my heart into a puddle and I'm sure I would do anything for these interesting and precious little people in my life! I feel so fortunate that my kids would have me in their home for an entire month; that I am in a position to be able to do this kind of thing and that my husband supports my desire to be with our daughter and her family right now even though it means he is left to do all the things I usually do at home. Children (and grandchildren) truly are a very precious gift from God and I feel BLESSED beyond words!

...across the room for introductions....

Hello friends. Tonight I would like to introduce to you a new addition to our family. This is my new grandson, Sawyer John. One minute my daughter was bent over backwards carrying him around inside of her through the malls and stores and everywhere else I managed to drag her and the next minute we were holding this little guy in our arms. Well, alright, it was a few hours!

To me, the birth of a baby is the most incredible miracle. I find myself staring at my little grandchildren in awe some days as I look at their fine delicate features and realize they are complete human beings in size small!

It's been a long day and I will post this for now and return here when I can keep my eyes open!

....across the room to share Mexico with you....

A few weeks ago I did something I have never done before. Most of my vacationing has been on my motorbike, touring across the countryside, relaxing in a different hotel every night and covering a lot of territory in the span of two to four weeks at a time. This year I decided to join my sister-in-law on a tropical get away to PV, Mexico. Since we had never travelled together and since I had never been to Mexico or any resort, I decided one week would be long enough for me. My husband suggested I book this trip through AMA because if anything happened to me (like the aircraft disappearing into the ocean!) he would get a good amount of insurance! Always the jokester! Everybody won because I hooked up with the BEST travel agent ever. She seemed to understand what I was after and found the perfect package for me. The perfect package was a 5 Star Riu all inclusive resort. Nothing to worry about...everything done for you! I should add here that I have never gone on vacation alone...at least not something like this. I have travelled alone extensively but not to a vacation spot. I've always vacationed with my husband who looks after all the details! That's a loaded sentence, really! I've been so spoiled by having my doors opened for me, meals paid, packages carried, elevator buttons pushed, and the list goes on. In other words, I am married to a real gentleman!

I used the park 'n fly to store my car for the week and got a ride to the airport hotel attached to the airport where we had booked a room for a few hours. We had to be at the airport by 3:30 AM! The next morning as we were getting ready to go through security I realized that I was on my way to Mexico without my prescription sunglasses which I had left in my car. A great start to my holiday! I knew I'ld be shopping for a hat almost immediately!

I am so embarrassed about those poor bell boys! Once they took charge of my bags I forgot all about them. They carried all that extra poundage we had to pay a total of $130 to even be allowed on the plane and I forgot all about the tip! Shame on me! My mind was completely occupied and focused on hanging on to my passport, tickets, carry on bag and purse and not lose my traveling companion.

My husband says it doesn't matter what building we are in, when we walk out the door or get out of the elevator I turn left! For me LEFT is RIGHT! With no one to guide me I cannot tell you how many times I had the two of us taking the long way around to where we really wanted to be! We were given strange looks in the elevator when neither of us selected the floor we wanted to go to. My most embarrassing moment had to be trying to get used to Mexican currency. I insulted a waiter by leaving a miniscule tip, realizing what I did, handing him another bill that only added insult to injury, all the while thinking I was being really generous! SO EMBARRASSING!

If you've been to Mexico you will know that many of their buildings are built without any windows and as few walls as possible. This includes restaurants. Those of you who know me well know of my debilitating bird phobia and my embarrassing habit of ducking and sometimes yelling as a bird flies by me a bit too close for my comfort. You can only imagine my discomfort at the dining room table with birds circling around above me on the fans, sitting on the backs of chairs, eyeing my food, probably wondering when I'ld ever leave and whether I would leave something on my plate for them! Shudder! As I was para sailing two pelicans were circling around me causing me a little anxiety as well! Those birds are bigger than birds need be!

Out of necessity I did learn where every bathroom on the resort was without taking the long way around! Let me just say I was thankful for a good memory!

What a learning experience for me! I must ago again so I can prove to myself that I can learn to be a generous, independent, responsible tourist! It won't be an all inclusive next time. I think I'm just too adventurous for that type of vacation though I probably need the protection and security!!

Muchas Gracias for a great learning experience and a few hours of sun Mexico!