...across the room to do what we can....

I see the finger pointing has begun,  the name calling is getting ugly, and the search is on for someone to take the blame for the loss of all the little lives and adults in the recent school shooting.

We all know who did the deed but since he also did it to himself there will be no life imprisonment, no posse needed, no lynching for all to watch, no electric switch to push.  There will be no way to get even, revenge or satisfaction.  Since this is all we have and all there is, what does the public do with all the anger?

It seems most are looking for someone else to blame and as usual it would seem God is the most likely target.  God who is holy, all good and completely just; who sent His very own Son to earth from heaven during this very season we are in, knowing full well that soon enough the posse would be after Him, and the people gathered for the lynching would be the same people His Son would sacrifice His body and life for gets blamed for the most awful grotesque and evil acts on earth.  God, who in His great love and mercy provides freely the gift of redemption, salvation and eternity with Him to EVERYONE gets blamed once more for yet another senseless act.

I don't know what provoked this young man to do what he did but I have to wonder what kind of life he lived, what his situation was, and what caused him to think this was the only thing left for him to do.

The God I know and love did not move this young man to brutally take these lives.  There is one roaming this earth though that would do that.  The Bible refers to Him as the father of all lies, prince of demons, and adversary among other names.  He roams the earth seeking whom he may devour.  He is a spirit and looks for those who make themselves available to him and he is all about evil (but is able to disguise himself so he ends up looking like he is doing good)  He would have no problem convincing someone to kill little children and this would be just the time of year he would like to see something like this happen to stir people up to focus on hatred and evil so that they will not have time to think about the greatest Gift that has ever been given.

My greatest wish is that Christians everywhere would remember there are no words for the families left to mourn their loved ones; no pat answers to make them feel better.  The greatest gift we can give them is our love as we pray for them without ceasing this Christmas season.

...across the room for a recipe of sorts....

Oh I do wish I would remember to take more pictures!  I wish I had taken a picture of my beautiful noodle dish I cooked last night.  Not only was it beautiful, it tasted so good!!

This was another dish that just simply evolved.  I had no idea the chicken I had defrosted was going to morph into a noodle dish last night.

I looked at the pieces of chicken breast and decided they needed a sprinkling of the roasted garlic and peppers spice in my pantry, along with some freshly ground salt and pepper.  For some reason it seemed this chicken would be happiest in my bright red dutch oven along with a good amount of chopped celery, leaves and all, an onion, two cloves of garlic, minced fresh ginger (never TOO much!) and a chopped up carrot all getting close in there with a certain amount of canola oil.  I chased it around in the dutch oven until the chicken was browned and then I bathed it in a cup of chicken broth and 1/2 cup water and just left them to party at a slow simmer for about 1/2 hour.   This seemed a good time to toss in a good hand full of cilantro, parsley and a squirt or two of lime juice.  They were having such a great time I just covered them up again and cooked the thinest noodles I had in my pantry and then ladled the soupy chicken mixture into bowls and topped them with a decent amount of noodles and ate until I could eat no more.

And that is how my concoctions become recipes of sorts.   Of sorts, because it will never taste the same again because I don't know how much of anything I use but that's OK as far as I'm concerned.   I call this simply, Noodle Bowl!

...across the room with nothing between....

...there’s nothing between us but love anymore
Nothing to be sorry for
No excuses
No regrets

I came across these lyrics recently (sorry I don't know who wrote the song) and have to say they resonated with me immediately and have been on my mind for awhile now.  Lately I've heard a number of people talk about the marriage relationship and how different the actual marriage ends up being from what we may have thought it would be before we married.  I'm sure that is true for most.  How could we possibly know this.  However I do think that there are some things we can decide ahead of time and know what the outcome will be.

Last month my husband and I ended up traveling together but in separate vehicles for approximately 10 hours.  It reminded me a lot of when we travel on our motorbikes....he is in the lead position most times and I follow him.  When we travel on a four lane road I follow so close that nobody can get between us.  On a busy two lane I allow people to pass me first and then wait until it is safe to pass him as well.  I do not like them staying in that space between our bikes for long periods of time when they could be passing him.  I always feel like they ought to know we are traveling together and should allow us to do that.  We do not want to lose sight of each other when we are traveling on our bikes.

So here we were in separate vehicles traveling a four lane highway and wouldn't you know some drivers seemed to think they had to pass one at a time and try and get between us.  I'm sure you could guess what my response was!  I did not think there was any reason for them to get between us and closed the gap so they had to pass both of our vehicles.  Even though they signal to enter "our space" I chose to close the gap between us so they'ld have to in essence see us as one vehicle rather than two.  

As I chuckled at these poor drivers who I imagine just do not have the confidence to pass two vehicles before getting back in the right lane (they really find it difficult to drive in the left lane!) I thought how much our marriage is and has always been just like the way we drive!

We have always been careful to not allow a space between us that can be taken over by anyone else.  Or anything, for that matter.  Nothing and no one gets to come between us.  We guard our "couple space" all the time and always have.  We talked about this early in our marriage and it is one of the best conversations we ever had about our relationship.  Throughout our married life together we have had to occasionally close that gap just a little tighter and take note of our surroundings.  We had to guard that space and stay alert.

Rather than being flattered at any outside interest it disgusts us when someone might think either of us could possibly be interested in that type of disturbance.  And that is exactly how I see it .... someone trying to disturb our peace.   It is a kind of disrespect that angers me instantly.  In our relationship we have peace and harmony because.....there is nothing to be sorry for; no excuses; no regrets; just like the song says.  

...across the room to make a decision....

I think it is natural for us to evaluate our lives from time to time and make changes as we grow, change and learn.  Who has not at one time or another quoted Ecclesiastes 3:1 "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

Even our reasons for doing something can change.  Lately I have been thinking about my reason for starting this Blog.  My very first post was as follows:

I've been wanting to do this for a long time and tonight I finally took the plunge to set up my own Blog!  For the most part I consider myself to be a rather private individual and yet I seem to sense this desire within myself to make contact with whoever is out there and share whatever I have to share about my life's journey.  I will give it a try.  It is my way of 'walking across the room' to your corner of the world and starting a conversation just to see what might become of it!  Right now, it feels like I'm in a very big room and therefore this start is quite enough for tonight!

May this be an inviting space to be!

Until recently I've been alright just writing and posting and checking to see if anyone left a comment and how many were looking at my blog.  What I am trying to decide is whether I want to continue posting like this for anyone to stop by and read, or if it is important to me to make contact with those reading my posts in which case I would turn this into a private blog.  Decisions, decisions.  I need to give this a little more thought and will also let all my readers and lurkers know if or when I make any change.

One thing is for sure.....I do not like anyone trying to sell anything on this blog and please know I have no idea who the people are who are trying to do this.

...across the room to outsmart a cat...

Occasionally I am privileged to look after a friends cat when she is away and this week is a week I get to be so privileged!

That's the culprit, I mean the cat, in the picture, acting, I mean giving me that best friend, pet me kind of look.

I have to admit I do not understand cats.  Dogs are so expressive.  Cats, not so much!  They CAN be.  If they want to.   Not in that waggy tail, tongue hanging out the mouth, licking everything in site kind of way.

This cat goes to the back door when I come in the front and fully expects that I will hurry sufficiently to open the door in a timely manner for him to check out the neighbourhood.  He takes his sweet time getting out the door (apparently I need to learn a little patience!) and then disappears.  When his owner is home it's usually a twenty minute absence but when I'm waiting for him to return it could be twenty minutes or if one hour strikes his fancy then no amount of calling will bring him back sooner.   It doesn't matter that I'm wearing out my shoes running back and forth to see if he's decided to saunter home yet.  He comes when he wants to come.

I don't know why I'm always so glad to see him at the door when I go to check but my heart just sings when I see him there waiting for me to let him in.  It just means he's safe and I can sleep at night!

Once inside, once again, at his own pace,  he looks up at me and I understand instinctively what he is saying.  "There's a space on the couch for you to sit so I can lay down beside me so you can pet me and scratch me for as long as I need you to" and I once again, do exactly as He dictates.  Sometimes I like to take a break which he interprets as reneging on my supposed commitment and that results in some type of bullying tactics.  If getting his head under my hand and butting it into action doesn't work he jumps up beside me and butts my chest!!  He even tries purring sweet nothings in my ear when he gets really touch deprived!   Arching his back, purring, pressing against me and licking my hands are his way of expressing himself and for the most part I think we understand each other.  OK, I understand him.  He does not get my schedule one bit!!

So once again today, he called the shots, came home after an hour or more, I did my duties as his cat masseuse and when he raised his hind leg straight up in the air and started cleaning THAT anatomy I got up, went home and will be back in the morning for some further abuse!

Man do I love that cat!

...a walk across the room for a poem....

In Creston after a 600km day of riding.....

Is it crazy,
all this biking?
Always playing
never working?
Backyard messes-
ants galore
moving sand
we just ignore!
Outdoor projects
to be done
Just a minute!
There's the SUN!
junk drawer clutter
dust on bookshelves
neglected closets
just don't matter.
Summer fun
must be embraced
I hear his Harley
Is this a race?!!






\

...across the room for an immediate reaction....

I don't often get into politics but tonight I listened to President Obama deliver his speech at the Democratic Convention and found myself overwhelmed with compassion for him and his role as president of the United States.  I have to admit he is easy to listen to as a speaker!  Hearing some of the contradictions is a reminder of how difficult it must be to lead an entire country!  I cannot even imagine the magnitude of the responsibility of such a thing!  What an undertaking!  Bless him for doing it.  I was reminded again as well that we need to pray much for him as well as for the American people as they decide on who their next leader will be.

The President quoted Abraham Lincoln who said  "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go."  Obama said he has often found himself in that place as well and invited the American people to meet him there.   Having spent considerable time today with friends talking about the mysteries of the universe and all that is in it including the marvels of the human body I was saddened to hear him talk about being driven to his knees and at the same time condone the murder of totally defenseless human beings, the unborn through abortion.   How could God possibly be telling the President that it is good to kill even one of these precious unborn children when the Scriptures he supposedly believes teach "Do not shed innocent blood". Jeremiah 7:6 and "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart". Jeremiah 1:5 not to mention "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mothers womb...Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be". Psalm 139:13, 16 and lets not leave out "Your hands shaped me and made me....Did You not clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews?  You gave me life." Job 10:8-12.

I fail to understand some of  President Obama's reasoning.  Why is it good to allow women to chose life or death for their innocent defenseless babies and yet he talks about  ending the war so that sons and daughters do not have to  lose their lives fighting for their country?  Who decides which life is worthy of saving?  Where does it all eventually end?

The promises of God are sure and my prayer for America and my country Canada is to heed the promise of God in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land".

There is hope and a future for our countries but we will have to change our ways and start seeing all our political correctness for what it really is so that God can forgive us and heal us.

i

..across the room to deal with bad days.....

the flowers I gave myself today :)

I often hear people talk about having bad days and it always makes me wonder why they don't do something about these bad days so that the entire day doesn't have to be labeled that way.  Then along came today!

Due to an upcoming medical procedure it was necessary for me to go on a liquid diet for the past two days.  Juice is not something I care for at the best of times.  A piece of fruit is so much more enticing to me than liquid that tastes like fruit.  However, there seemed to be a limit as to what I could and could not drink and juice was on the menu for me!  It didn't work though and my tummy rebelled against it as well as the chicken broth I wanted to drink.  Long story short, I ended up having mostly water, coffee and tea for two days.  Needless to say, by this morning I felt a little weak, hungry and just a tad grumpy.    Things did not go well for me in the kitchen as I prepared my husband's bag lunch and I ended up having to wipe down some cabinets, fridge and floor.  I had errands to run as well as a visit to my hair stylist and my deadline was noon.  Since I was tired of making my own coffee I went out of my way to pick up an Americano at Starbucks and realizing I was ahead of schedule decided I would get to the salon early and perhaps page through a few magazines to help me explain what I wanted done with my hair.  I realized the door was locked when I almost broke my nails trying to yank it open with my cell phone in one hand and coffee in the other.  I yanked again (just to make sure!) knocked  on and looked through the window where I saw a group of stylists sitting around chatting.  Immediately my temper got the best of me and when they finally opened the door twenty minutes later I was about to bite someone's head off!  However my stylist is young enough to be my daughter and besides, I like her and she apologized, explaining they were having a staff meeting.  I still felt a little grumpy though and when she indicated which station she wanted me at I told her I would like to use the rest room first (I DID after all drink almost an entire Americano! and besides, maybe she wanted to know what it feels like to wait!).  I guess I was still seeing red because I walked right past the rest room towards the back of the salon so she had to call me back and point me to the right door.   I nearly had a heart attack when I opened the door to see someone occupying the room and I wondered what would go wrong next.

On my way home I had one more stop to make at the local supermarket.  First things first though because by now I was ready for another Starbucks break.  This time I ordered a blend I hadn't tried before and when she handed it to me and said "I hope you like it" I answered "I hope so too!"....not a reply I would normally make.  But what was normal about this day?!  I collected what I needed and proceeded to the EXPRESS checkout.  Delightfully there was NOBODY ahead of me but of course by the time I wanted to pay there was quite a line up.  I used my debit card, or tried to, and the machine would not accept it.  We tried again, and AGAIN and finally she said "It wants you to go through the motions and then it will reject it!"  

"That's ridiculous" I thought to myself.  How does SHE know what the machine wants from me?  Eventually I timidly proceeded while she rolled her eyes at me!  TEMPER!  "What business does SHE have rolling her eyes at ME when this is all the machine's fault?"  I could not believe my eyes.  I'm sure had I been able to make eye contact with the person behind me in the line up my mouth would have wanted to sarcastically tell him "and they call THIS the EXPRESS lane!"  Leaving the check out counter I slowly made my way to the exit all the while trying to decide how I should handle this rude clerk.  Go back and give her a piece of my mind?  Talk to a supervisor?  I decided to let it be and secretly hoped the next person would straighten her out but good!!

As I drove home I realized how this interruption in my diet had affected my mood, actions and tolerance level and I decided that I would start over again.  I found a bright orange vase, stuck some pretty flowers and baby's breath into it and allowed it to be my reminder for the rest of my day at home.  A reminder that even when I don't feel completely wonderful I can choose how I act and react.  This day was also a reminder to myself how important it is to be good to myself by eating properly, exercising, and getting enough sleep.  It's so simple really but maybe often we create our own bad days? 

...across the room for summer fun....

Our Granddaughter is much shorter than we are and
 sometimes misses parts that should be included :)

The other side of us

After a rather long absence from this blog I'm not sure I have any followers left so here is a token post to let you know I haven't left the planet.  It's just been a busy few months for us.

Our summer included having grandbabies over for a week; attending a wedding where our Granddaughter gave the official photographer a run for his money, and the traditional summer motorbike vacations....one in July and one in August.

I tend to post a lot of biking pictures and thought I needed to let you know we're not always sporting helmet head or leather gear and yet I notice my guy is wearing a leather blazer on our "dress up" picture!  Once a biker, always a biker I guess!

I have always enjoyed a variety of roads as I ride my bike....the openness of the desert, the prairies,  and the challenge of the mountain passes.  This year I realized that I am most drawn to the mountains when it comes to biking.  I would rather ride the passes, curves and switch backs than anything else.  Travelling these roads often means that by evening we are no where near the comforts of the big city hotels with the comfortable homey rooms and king beds.  In fact, more often than not it means settling for a cabin or a small motel with nothing bigger than a double bed!  Perhaps even settling in at a rather deserted ski resort in the mountains!  When I found myself getting a tad grumpy this year after a few nights in a small bed I decided that I needed to make a decision about how we travel.  We could stick to the more congested main highways and get a nice big comfy room and bed every night or we could ride those beautiful scenic roads and put up with a little discomfort at the end of the day and I decided I would stop grumbling and enjoy the ride during the day as well as the tiny motel rooms at night.  For my guy it's a no brainer....he loves the mountains more than a fancy hotel room and after this vacation it seems I do too!

....across the room to cry....

I go to visit a very dear elderly lady in a nursing home on a regular basis and today was the day to visit my dear Katie.  Most days she recognizes me immediately but lately she can not remember my name.  Her memory is not what it used to be but I don't mind repeating myself to her at all.  These days she asks at least five times during my visit whether I work at the nursing home and each time I tell her that I do not.  As her memory fails her so does the English language and more and more she slips into her familiar German tongue.  I understand a good amount of her speech but not nearly all of it.   Today we agreed that I would try to learn more of her German language and she would try to learn English from me.   She is very patient with me but insists I use correct pronunciation.  What a great teacher!  We had some good laughs and I was surprised how much German I could come up with.  It was fun and funny at the same time.

Katie is always happy for company.  Nursing homes can be lonely places and it seems there is never enough company for these seniors and Katie is no exception.  I try to visit for an hour each time I go and today it seemed that hour slipped by in no time at all.  Katie loves to have me pray for her and I always do so before I leave.  After I've done that I have to offer my cheek for some kisses because Katie is the kissing kind....usually three in succession!  She always expresses much appreciation for my visits but today she took me completely by surprise as she quietly exclaimed  "THIS I did not dream!"  and as I left her room I could hear her heartfelt  "tank you, tank you, tank you!"  I took another look back as I walked through her door and caught the kisses she was blowing my way as the tears began to flow, washing away the wet kisses Katie left on my cheek.   I was reminded once again how just a little effort and one hour out of my day can completely change another persons day.  Besides, whenever I leave my dear Katie I'm never quite sure who was more blessed during that hour!   Yes, we shared some good laughs, but today Katie made me cry.

...a walk across the room to relax?

I'm not even sure I should be writing anything today.  I have the worst cold/flu ever and am stuck at home trying to be good to myself.  Drugs help a lot.  Every morning I wake up thinking today I'll feel a lot better than yesterday and then  realize I have a new symptom and actually feel worse than the day before.  Last night I told my husband "I sure feel useless this week" and he said "No, you need to rest and besides, you are still doing things".  I thought about that this morning.  In spite of how I've felt this week my laundry is done, including bedding, I've put food on the table, made his brown bag lunch every day much to his coworkers chagrin,  and even did a few errands including some office work.  I've kept up with what is necessary daily and yet there is this restlessness about me that I find hard to shake.  I'm talking about all that to my mind needs doing that I don't have the energy to do.  The old adage "Starve a fever, feed a cold" is the one thing I'm pretty good at.  Since I'm an all or nothing kind of girl and have BOTH,  I decided to focus on the later and just continue to eat well! .... or at least lots!

Prior to this weekend I spent two consecutive weeks completely focused on preparing material for a Retreat I was speaking at.  I would write or read for a few hours and then I thought I was doing something good for my body by going for a one hour walk.  Not just any walk.  Definitely not a leisurely walk.  Not this girl.  All or nothing!  Up the hill and down again times three and finding any paths that were not even terrain.  Often I would do that twice per day.  I realize now that those two weeks were hard enough on me without the rigorous  "over exercise" and by the time I was done my speaking engagement I knew I was completely exhausted.

I've always known I have a hard time relaxing at home.  During my years of full time plus on call work my husband would whisk me away to the big city when he realized I was in need of extra rest.  He could always tell before I was aware of my need.  (I KNOW!  What a guy!)  Whenever I think of REALLY relaxing I think of being somewhere other than at home.  Not very realistic I guess.  I can't always be going away to relax.  A nice long ride on my motorbike during the summer months is definitely one of my ways of relaxing.  But I do think I need to learn to relax better in my own home.  I think a good start would be to stop feeling guilty about not having done everything I think needs to be done and just enjoy my beautiful surroundings right where I am.  Live and relax in the moment.  See how good it is just to get this down in print to go back again and again to be reminded?!

Back to my ginger/lemon/honey tea and then another little nap :)

...across the room to share some abnormalities.....

When I hear about some of the antics of my grand-babies I am reminded of my own growing up years and some of the things that I did way back then. The eyes in this picture belong to one of my beautiful grand-babies. I don't think my eyes were ever this pretty but I remember wanting pretty eyes, lips, hair, etc. Make-up was not allowed in our house. I remember my mother wearing only powder "to take the shine off" and for cheek colour.....well, she would pinch them! I was probably ten or eleven when I began seeing flaws in myself and thinking of innovative remedies for a more beautiful face. I saved my pennies and together with my cousin purchased the cheapest hair dye in the bluest black colour we could find. She dyed mine; I dyed hers and that night we slept on the metal curlers in our hair. My natural hair was almost blue black to begin with but my mind told me I would wake up to a completely transformed "woman" and in the morning ran to the bathroom to get the curlers out of my hair to admire my new look. I could have died when all I could see was WHITE all over my head! No more secrets for this ten year old as I ran from the bathroom to the kitchen to take whatever I would have coming for doing something so WRONG behind my parent's backs and hopefully get some advice from my mother about what to do with this hair before school! It turned out the dye was probably so old it turned into a powder as it dried and was easily rinsed out and my mother realized I had learned enough without any admonishment from her!

You'ld think I would have learned my lesson? Eyes were next on the agenda. The same cousin (3 years my senior!) told me that if you cut your eyelashes they will grow back looooong and curled! That's all the encouragement I needed as a 10 year old! I found a pair of small scissors and off they came! May as well continue with the beauty regime and attack those pale lips while I was at it! Memory fails me regarding the colour and it may have been just a plain gloss but since we did not own lipstick I thought a longer lasting application might be found in nail polish. I always did these things just before bed time. All I can say is "MY POOR MOTHER" although she's probably laughing it up in heaven if she has time to think about these memories there! For the next few days I suffered through the worst case of self inflicted chapped lips ever! I tried peeling it off but my skin would come off right along with it. A painful lesson to be cemented into my memory for life!

I admit I was aware of how desperately my mother tried to cover her disbelief and nearly uncontrollable laughter as I showed up time and again almost unrecognizable some days. Eyebrows cut off with the same little pair of scissors and drawn in again with the artful style of a ten year old; haircuts too embarrassing for any girl my age to admit to and equally embarrassing for my poor Mom probably although she had the best sense of humor! I remember desperately wanting a slim skirt which my mother would not make for me so I found a long piece of fabric and sewed the two ends together to make a tube (who needs waist bands, zippers or hems anyway?!) tried it on and hid behind the washing machine since I was supposed to be helping with the laundry that day. I could tell my mother saw what I was wearing and I just knew she left the room to laugh her face off and not to "get something". Next I found a bra that actually fit around my slight frame but of course I had nothing to put into the cups so I stuffed them with socks and pranced around in the back yard like that! If you could see me now you would see that my face is red.

One day my cousin applied the nicest shade of red lipstick to my lips when we were outside one evening and assured me it would come off without any problem. Before she left I wiped it off until she assured me there wasn't a trace left. Of course we had no mirror for me to see for myself. She was older and I trusted her. I can still see the look on my mother's face when I walked in the door and the near explosion of laughter. I even remember my father's eyebrows way up in his hairline and the look he gave my mother. It meant "she needs soap and she needs it NOW!" To make matters worse, they had company in the house to witness this ten year old "rebellion"!

This post could be SO LONG but if I continue you might think I was, well, abnormal?

I think it is good to revisit the past. Especially when you are raising children and they are doing and saying things that begin to scare you a little. Just remember me. I turned out OK. I'm almost normal!!

...a walk across the room for a little disturbance....

Disturb Us, Lord - 1577

A Prayer by Francis Drake

Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves When our dreams have come true Because we dreamed too little, When we arrived safely Because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when With the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst For the Waters of Life; Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity And in our efforts to build a new earth, We have allowed our vision Of the new Heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, To venture on wider seas Where storms will show your mastery: Where losing sight of land We shall find the stars. We ask you to push back The horizons of our hopes; And to push us in the future In strength, courage, hope, and love.

...across the room to make a list.....

It just seems to be the right time of year to make a list. Maybe it's because of Valentine's Day, or that February is Heart Month, or that I am so looking forward to spending a week away with my husband that my heart is filled with gratitude and thoughts of love, good times and good things, or it could be that the self centered, rude, annoying bride on TV that I can't imagine anyone wanting to marry makes me so grateful for my life. I felt like making a list of some of the stuff that I like, love, puts a smile on my face, brings me joy.... here it is....in no particular order..... and definitely a condensed version :)

my husband

babies

perfume

perogies

my life

duets

baths

Prada

coffee

good conversation

stars

Jesus

bread

spontaneity

pure soap

quiet

senior citizens

white sheets

Arbonne make-up primer

grandbabies

candles

laughs

cotton

rings

children

city lights

Jane Austin

Christmas

my home made laundry detergent

Bible

trees

Mom's notes to me

puppies

bra-less at home

ideas

lotion

mountains

laugh lines

daughter time

uninterrupted sleep

red

Doc Martin

architecture

Easter

friends

clean scents

good writing

French accent

my house

yoga pants

my bathroom chandelier

chocolate

jokes

learning

shoes that fit

spa days

My Harley

forgiveness

art

humor

walks

a finished project

red rock

God

...across the room into my office/laundry room....

I'm so glad this freezing cold hasn't affected my brain so much that I couldn't have thought of cleaning out my office/laundry room this week. Who knew it would take a week of picking away at it to get it to the place where I know that if I open a door or drawer it will be neat, tidy and clean.

I also had no idea what a treasure of memories would be unearthed in all those binders and file folders. Just call me PackRat from now on! I absolutely must share some of my treasures with you.

Like a list of similies and metaphors emailed to me by a friend which included:

*Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

*She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

*The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for awhile.

Then there are the emails my little grandson dictated for me to send to some family members, like:

*Dear Papa, I wish you would let me go home but I can't go home yet at dark. But why? Because I'm a boy that's all I am. No, because I'm a bigger boy. That's why.

*Dear Uncle "L", I hope I miss you. Uncle "L", guess what I did. I skated with my class and that is why I miss you all day long.

....and then the response from Uncle "L".... "WOW! You can skate! I like that! You have to come and visit me soon because pretty soon you will be a Gretzky and then you won't have time to visit an old old cowboy uncle!"

Next I found the cookbook I made for a skit I did with a friend..."Emergency 911 KOOKING BOOK....meatless cooking with toe fu by famous french chefs Shee-Shee and Fee-Fee LaFlour. Some of the chapters are: French massage while cooking; Something could be in the oven; Afrodezzeeak cooking with oysters, peanut butter, all natural, in ze raw, it could be sushi or it could be someting else...ve vill let you figure dat out on your own! Oh my! We did have fun with that! LOL! That was our second book. The first one was called ""Celebrity Kooks...baking for dummies by Shee-Shee and Fee-Fee LaFlour.

Of course I kept all the knock knock jokes I used to tell my grandbabies. They loved them. "Knock knock", "Who's there?" "Jewel", "Jewel who?" "Jewel know who when you open the door". They always begged for more and I made sure to memorize some for meal time laughs :)

I came across a heart wrenching letter from a young family member struggling with some very difficult issues and trying to find her way through, and the most lovely poems, songs and letters from my daughters, a letter from a special old auntie, and so much more. Imagine my surprise at finding four sets of markers of every colour under the sun and reams of paper for the grandkids to use when they visit when I thought all that I had was in my kitchen junk drawer!

Shredders are miraculous machines. I don't know what I would have done without ours. Three large garbage bags of shredded paper is already stuffed into the recycling container and I could probably fill another two or three. I'm still hoarding, I know that. Next time around I will do as my grandson does and I will perhaps work up the courage to "face my fears" of shredding something I think I may want to read ten years down the road. Oh well, I've made a start and my office has experienced a much needed purge!

Having said that, I don't think there is anything wrong with keeping those wonderful memories and allowing them space in our homes. All these precious pieces of paper warmed my heart and put a smile on my face as they reminded me of all the beautiful people God has placed in my life. I am SO BLESSED!