...a walk across the room...

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

2012-01-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

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!

...across the room into the beauty of my back yard...

2011-12-16T14:54:00.001-08:00

My house is quiet. The evergreens in my back yard stand still and the white blanket of snow covering the ground just lies there doing it's thing. A few dollops of snow cling to the colourful red, green and gold swag I hung on one of the patio bistro chairs. The porch swing is empty and still in the middle of the yard. This is the scene I get to see through my patio doors and windows. The view is so incredibly restful I can not even turn on the Christmas music. No camera could capture the peace this yard speaks to me today. I can identify with Fanny in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park when she said "Here's harmony! Here's repose! Here's what may tranquilize every care, and lift the heart to rapture!"

I have to admit my heart has been lifted to rapture this month as I have gazed in wonder at the beauty of the outdoors, especially the fresh blanket of snow as it glistens in the sunlight. It seems I'm being spoken to about peace, quiet and rest this Christmas season. Even the deer I meet as my friend and I go for our morning walks are quiet creatures. As I wrote the last sentence, Buzz, my neighbours very black cat quietly padded across my back yard, stopping long enough to glance at me through the patio doors. Buzz is a peaceful cat who tries his level best to keep out of trouble. See what I mean? Peace.

Sometimes it seems these peaceful moments are created for me and sometimes I get to order my days in a way that brings calm and rest to my very being. Sooner or later though something happens that disturbs that serenity. In the case of my back yard it could be a strong north wind catching that lovely blanket of snow, lifting it up and tossing it against the windows. The trees no longer would be standing still and the swing might begin to creek as it gets tossed back and forth in the wind. I have no control over a disturbance such as this. I can create my own calm space from time to time only to be disrupted for various reasons.

As much as I sometimes enjoy the hustle and bustle of city life I do enjoy the peace and quiet whenever I can get it. I always seem to be very aware though that those moments have time limits attached to them and I never know when the changes will take place.

This got me thinking some deeper thoughts today. Thoughts about the peace that I have deep inside me that has become stable, sure, and permanent. The peace I'm referring to can not be created by us. It has to come from God since He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:5..."For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.") The reason I say this peace inside me HAS BECOME stable, sure and permanent is because as I have immersed myself in God's love letter (the Bible) to us and learned to know more about Him and His character...who He really is, my knowledge has increased and along with that my faith and trust in Him. I believe that what He says is true and with that comes that deep settled peace. As I'm learning to trust Him and apply what He teaches I realize that peace abides in my very being. Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God. And the PEACE of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

That peace from the PRINCE OF PEACE far surpasses any temporary peaceful place we may find ourselves in and also takes us through all the ups and downs of our lives. It really is true that we don't have to worry or be anxious about anything and if we talk to God about our troubles He will give us a peace that humanly is unexplainable! It guards our hearts and protects our minds in a way that we cannot even understand! May you experience that sure, forever peace in your lives this Christmas Season and throughout the New Year!

...across the room to wrap up an amazing day....

2011-11-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

Some days are just so amazing in every way. Yesterday I thought to myself I really needed to be more scheduled in order to get things done around here. It didn't happen. I find it difficult to schedule a hopelessly spontaneous soul (that would be me!). It is possible for a short time and then suddenly I feel like I'm suffocating and the schedule gets tossed out the window. Thankfully I forgot to get out my dusty schedule thingy yesterday making this day totally spontaneous!

I felt my energy the minute I woke up and knew immediately this day would be extraordinary. Starting the day off with two slices of yummy toast topped with some good cheese and a delicious strong cup of coffee got me started on the right foot. An encouraging inspirational reading about gratitude and a thankful heart in every situation prepared me further for my day. It was easy to thank God for a friend to walk with in the morning all the way to a downtown coffee shop where we shared a fresh cinnamon bun, YES, WITH butter, and freshly brewed cups of coffee. On our way downtown we walked past a neighbours house and noticed the front door was open and that one of their two dogs was outside, following us until we persuaded him to go back home. We were surprised to see nothing had changed when we walked past the house again an hour later. It disturbed me enough to call my next door neighbour to come with me to investigate further. We rang the door bell, called loudly to see if anyone was inside while the dog inside the house barked furiously and the other dog jumped on us barking and growling all the while. Finally I decided to call the police. While we waited for them to arrive we had to keep chasing the more adventurous of the two dogs back into the house! The police investigated the home and found no one there. It would seem the door was not properly latched allowing our gale force winds today to blow it open. Apparently it was their second call of the day where this had happened.

Had I made up a schedule yesterday it would have most likely had me out and about picking up a new tube of toothpaste so I wouldn't have to keep using my husband's toothpaste; a trip to the post office; doing some church duties I need to get done before the end of the month; catching up with some reading I need to get done for next week; and the list goes on! Instead I started cleaning my bathroom, decided to do a really thorough job this time including washing walls, bathing the tree that's been collecting dust in one corner, cleaning light fixtures, dusting shelves and putting up my nice red towels I use only during the Christmas season. Since I had my ladder out anyway I decided to move into our bedroom to dust everything I can't reach any other way; bathed the plant on top of my armoire since I was up there dusting anyway; vacuumed the baseboards, floors and anything else that was attached to something and unable to get sucked into a vacuum hose. Then I opened my closet doors and began purging, continuing in the armoire. Two full large garbage bags later it still looked like very little had been removed from my closet. My armoire now looks orderly enough not to be embarrassed should I need to open it with someone looking over my shoulder! My closets are another story.

By this time I was shakey and somewhat dizzy (after all, when is the last time I've been up and down a ladder 37 times or hanging upside down to get every speck of dust visible to the naked eye!) I grabbed a quick sandwich and finished the last of the coffee I made this morning. Of course it was cold. And VERY ......... not good! But it was wet and didn't steal precious minutes needed to continue whatever I decided I would like to do next. What I decided to do next was vacuum the rest of the baseboards in the house, the brick on the fireplace, venetians, and again, anything permanently attached that couldn't get sucked up by a vacuum. I continued my obsessiveness throughout the TV room, kitchen and eating area ending up in the laundry room. My obsessive compulsive kick got me sticking the hose between the washer and the wall and that is when I heard that sound that nobody wants to hear where the end of the hose suddenly goes deafeningly quiet and the pitch from the unit in the furnace room suddenly sounds like a screaming cat in heat. When my husband came home I met him at the door with "how do you know whether something is stuck in the hose or in the pipes of the vacuum system?" (well that was after he told me how nice I looked in the bright teal blue top I was wearing :)

There is not one article of clothing in the laundry baskets (although there are probably 13 shirts waiting to be ironed!); I had a home made pizza in the freezer for our movie night at home so neither of us had to go pick one up somewhere across the city; and I just simply feel like WONDER WOMAN with a permanent smile on her face today! All because I just followed my instincts and for a change did what I just simply felt like doing!

Some days are just simply more amazing than others!

...across the room to share another favourite....

2011-10-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

OK I really think this would have to be one of Gloria Gaither's most fabulous songs ever written. I heard it sung today and just had to share it with you.

I Then Shall Live Lyrics
Words by Gloria Gaither
Music by Jean Sibelius
FINLANDIA

I then shall live as one who’s been forgiven;
I’ll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am His child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, I’ll forgive my brother,
The law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who’s learned compassion;
I’ve been so loved that I’ll risk loving too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I’ll dare to see another’s point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then I’ll be there to care and follow through.

Your kingdom come around and through and in me;
Your power and glory, let them shine through me;
Your Hallowed name, O may I bear with honor,
And may Your living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world through me.
Amen. Amen. Amen.

...across the room to share a Thanksgiving song....

2011-10-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving.....

Just sharing an old hymn; one of my favourites for many years...and one that my Mom and I used to sing together in our living room accompanied by either Mom at the piano or accordian or me on the accordian.

Thanks to God

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a memory,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and dreary fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
Thanks for heavenly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!

...across the room, out of the mouths of babes.....

2011-07-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

Some time ago when I was visiting at my daughter's home I asked my granddaughter to write and perform a song about prayer for me. To sweeten the request I told her I would pay to attend her 'concert' :)

The smile on her face stretched ear to ear, eyes wide with the wonder of her good fortune! She shot across the kitchen in record time, down the stairs and into the solace of her room. This Nana had almost forgotten the need to slot a very special concert into her afternoon when this spunky six year old bounded up the stairs and into the kitchen. She headed straight for my purse, found my wallet and brought it to me! After all, there was a price to be paid for this great pleasure! Downstairs she found the perfect stage, a large cedar chest, and front row seats for her Nana. Much fidgeting ensued when it dawned on her that my eyes would be on her alone with no distractions and that she was the star of the show with no help from anyone. When I finally convinced her that I would love her song simply because she, MY granddaughter wrote it she began to sing in a very soft, hesitant, very girly voice as I followed the words on the sheet she wrote on:

In mi bed

I pra to God

I tel him a bot mi dey

When I m don

He ses to me

I have lovd

you forevr!

or in my spelling:

In my bed

I pray to God

I tell him about my day

When I am done

He says to me

I have loved

you forever!

Out of the mouths of babes, hey? I may have to keep that piece of paper forEVR!! :)

...across the room to share my poem...

2011-06-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

Ode To Menopause

It seems absurd

the things I do

mistakes I make

to name a few

I laugh and blame

it on my “roots”

when shoes don’t match

or was it my boots?

The thing is this

it’s not that bad

until the FLUSH

turns my body red

and makes me feel

like hitting and biting

kicking and screaming

yelling and fighting

the stresses of life

are deadly for me

soaked to the bone

even behind my knees

take a few pills

is the advice I get

how would they know

I’ld be filled with regret

zombie filled days

don’t turn my crank

I’ll deal with the sweat

to be quite frank

just hand me a kleenex

no, make that a towel

when you see the beads

running down to my jowls

soaking my clothes

from the sweat of my brow

I’m having a moment

don’t touch me, NOT NOW!

...across the room to admit my condition....

2011-05-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

The evening was so beautiful my husband and I decided to go for a nice long walk following an early dinner and movie tonight.

I thought it was warm enough to wear my fancy red STRETCH WALKER sandals I bought last year that I never had a chance to wear in. Every time I wore these sandals last summer the strap would rub on my ankle bone, or the bottom of my fibula malleolus, the lateral bone of my ankle! Don't ask!

Remembering the aggravation this footwear caused me all summer and wanting desperately to be able to wear them this year since I paid an arm and a leg for them I came up with what I thought was a great solution to my problem. I decided I could insert an insole into each sandal that would lift my foot enough to give the ankle bone a little extra height and give me a chance to wear them in!

We headed out for our walk downtown enjoying the fresh air, scenery, and the people along the way. Conversation on our walks varies a lot and today we seemed to cover many topics. For some time now I've been trying to come up with an interesting personal licence plate for my Harley. We discussed whether I wanted the plate to describe me or just simply say something unique, funny or interesting. I said if I were to choose a plate that would describe me it would have to say something about my "blonde roots". As a brunette I just simply have entirely too many "blonde moments"! That's when it happened! AGAIN!

We were on our way back home when I told my husband I had a pebble in my shoe that I needed to get out. He looked down at my feet and said "Well, that's not all that's coming out of your shoes!" I looked down only to find what you are seeing on this picture! My insoles were working their way out of my shoes and were flopping behind me with each step I took! A teenage girl with a big smile on her face had just passed us on her bicycle. I remember thinking she must be enjoying this beautiful evening just as much as we were! We had a good laugh as I instinctively yanked the insoles from my sandals! As we continued our walk I told my husband I had been thinking people were smiling at me because they were admiring my pretty Harley T-Shirt :)

Since today is Mother's Day I thought I needed to post this little story in honor of my mother who would have such a great laugh at my blonde moment. She would relate because she had them as well. The good thing was that she shared these moments with me so we could enjoy a good laugh together. I guess I inherited my condition from her. Happy Mother's Day in heaven Mom. Have a laugh on me today!!

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

2011-04-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

A friend forwarded this song to me today and I enjoyed it so much I thought I'ld share it with you!

On My Father's Side

Written by The Village Singers

Just a young boy in the temple one day

Shared with the Doctors, they were so amazed!

Never had they seen one so young speak so swift;

They asked Him many questions, the conversation went like this:

What's your name son?

On my mother's side my name is Jesus

but on my Father's side they call me Emmanuel.

How old are you?

On my mother's side I'm twelve years

but on my Father's side I've just always been.

Where you from?

On my mother's side I'm from Bethlehem

but on my Father's side it's New Jerusalem.

What's your plan?

On my mother's side I'll be crucified

but on my Father's side in three days I'll arise

and I'll sit by my Father's side.

He was the Son of God yet the son of man

And I can't help but wonder how Joseph must have felt

Through an open door that day he heard his son reply

you see I'm the King of Kings that's on my Father's side.

..across the room to get back to the basics...

2011-04-15T12:12:00.001-07:00

After spending some time at my daughter's house recently looking after her family while she was away I came home to make some changes in my laundry room. She does her laundry in her basement in a room that is home to the washer, dryer, furnace and a whole lot of "stuff"! Doesn't seem like a place you would want to spend much time? Every time I went to add another load to the washer I wondered what it was about that room that was so pleasant! I think the answer is that first of all I enjoyed being in her surroundings and thinking about her as I did some of the work she normally does while looking after three children at the same time managing everything else on her agenda. Secondly, there's a window above the appliances letting in natural light...always a good thing. Then there was that clothesline that is actually somewhat in the way and yet so handy (can you tell I don't have one of those!). I used it all the time! I do think that what was most unique and what beckoned me all the time (other than trying to keep a handle on all that laundry!) was the tray on her dryer that housed a quart jar of home made laundry detergent, spray 'n wash, and a container of vinegar! I think I did some laundry almost every day! It smelled so good...so fresh and lemony!

When I came home I kept thinking about that tray and today I created my own tray. I liked the fact that my daughter used whatever containers she had around the house and I wanted to do the same thing. These are all items I already had that were not being used other than those lovely glamour gloves you see in the picture!

I also used a quart jar for my detergent, an old oil and vinegar set for my liquid Oxyclean to add to my white's, and Vinegar for rinsing. The blue spray bottle is my Spray 'n Wash and the tray was one I had in the junk cupboard in the basement!

Making your own laundry detergent, using vinegar as a rinse agent and having everything on a tray at your fingertips will find you wishing it was laundry day!! Oh, and the glamour gloves just BEG to be used!!

Thanks darling daughter of mine for the inspiration!!

Guess what I'm doing right now?!

..across the room to write a poem.....

2011-03-08T22:44:00.000-08:00

There are days I wish spell check on computers had never been invented! It drives me crazy. So here is my way of venting about it!!

There seams two bee a problem

with my spelling re cent lee

My knew Macintosh computer

thinks it nose bet her than me!

The men it eye start typing

it under lions my words

Two let me no I’m wrong a gain

end my writing is four the birds!

Eye real he can knot quiet bee leave

How this ma sheen can sea

The men knot eye slip up

end right an oh in sted of a pea!

Sum daze this knew ma sheen are re

seams two in true sieve four me

end eye wood glad lee go back

two pen, end pay purr from a tree!

Bee four these mod darn annoy an says

Miss steaks were rare four me

Butt now it seams to Finnish align

takes an eat urn it tea!

...across the room to meet Alexis!

2011-03-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

It was March 5, 2008 and if you care to check my older posts you will find an entry for this day. Apparently I needed to learn how to accept a blessing from perfect strangers! I was so used to being the "bless-er" I hardly knew what to do with the gift I was being offered.

In summery, a group of young people crowded me in the super market parking lot, so close I couldn't open my car door. They were waving a $5.00 bill at me they wanted me to have. I did not need the money and wanted them to give it to someone in need but they had other ideas and, long story short, I accepted the money from them.

Realizing how this random act of kindness affected me, I carefully folded the money tucking it into my wallet so it would be visible every time I opened it. Often I looked for just the right opportunity to pay this gift forward but never seemed to find just the right person or the right time. That is, until today!

We were traveling home today from visiting family for a few days. Our trip started off on shaky ground with snow and ice covered roads and blowing snow reducing visibility considerably. After the first two hours of a rather quiet ride I realized that my husband who was driving was not feeling very well. We stopped for fuel and I took the wheel even though I had a sore scratchy eye that was not responding at all to my really amazing new eye drops!! Four hours later I stopped at Tim Horton's for a sandwhich and coffee. As I was ordering my food and coffee a young woman interrupted and said "I would really like to pay for your food today. Please let me." Naturally I started with the protests to which she replied "I'm really quite stubborn and I just want to do this for you. Please allow me to buy your food today." Finally I agreed, asked her if I could give her a hug of thanks, hugged her and moved to pick up my coffee and wait for my sandwich. Instead of leaving she followed me, asking how my day was going! A few sentences later I discovered she was a student at a Bible College near by. Now I felt bad about allowing her to pay but at the same time I realized she wouldn't have offered if she was spending her last penny. After she left to join her friend at their table my husband told me an older man wanted to buy coffee for him, but since he wasn't feeling well he wasn't having any coffee! Sheesh! What a day this was turning into. I had already won a free coffee in the morning after rolling up the rim!! We were being blessed all over the place!

That's when this little voice said "Give her the $5.00!" and I just knew the time was right. I decided to risk offending my new friend and marched over to her table where I realized she was telling her friend about our initial meeting a few minutes prior. I explained the $5.00 bill in my wallet and asked her to do with it whatever she felt was right. She could spend it on herself or bless someone else with it and that it was simply my joy to know this was the right time and she was the person God had chosen for me to hand it to. It was just that simple. She could not say no and she realized that this was orchestrated by God Himself and neither of us had any idea at that moment how this money is going to be used in the future! It was an exciting moment for both of us and even though I will probably never know how this little $5 bill will affect the next person's life I know that when my new friend Alexis pays it forward it will be another perfect moment in time, directed by the God who brought us together today!

...across the room to share a cup of JOY!

2011-02-03T15:48:00.000-08:00

FAMILY.....it seems I'm still basking in the glow of all the family togetherness we experienced this Christmas and so it seems family is on my mind a lot even after all the festivities have ended and we are all back into life in this new year, 2011.

A number of years before my mother passed away she related to me how different her relationships were with each of her children. Each one was unique and equally special. I could tell she enjoyed the variety within her own family unit. This year I realized how true this is in my own life. My relationship with each daughter is different and so it is with my grandbabies, brothers, sisters and in-laws. My relationship with my husband of course is just simply a one of a kind, soaked in love, blast through life!!

Our latest grandbaby Sawyer is a cautious little guy and because we don't see him on any kind of regular basis we have to work our way back into his life each time we see him. Of course he is only ten months old so it is not surprising he didn't remember our first few visits. When I get as close to him as the above picture illustrates, I seem to forever remember the touch of his little hand on my head because it is such a precious moment complete with those baby gurgles and the lovey look in his eyes! His touch is ever so gentle and soft, yet leaves a lasting impression. As I recounted a few of those moments from this Christmas I thought about the way each family member leaves their touch on my life every time I see them. Each relationship is unique and every family member leaves a particular impression on my life.

We were blessed this Christmas to have a number of friends into our home before family arrived. Some were new friends and others were older relationships. Again, both types left their imprints on my life. I know that I probably will not see a few of these people again until next Christmas and others will become closer because of the connection we made. I realized this year that the tradition of sending Christmas greeting cards is dying out somewhat which means that some long distance friendships will end up being just that with little contact during the year. It saddens me a little but at the same time it is difficult to keep up a friendship without any contact.

I have one particular friend whose initial contact with me has left a life long impression on my life. When we first met I knew it would be a lasting friendship. The commitment from this friend was undeniably genuine, real, and solid from the very beginning. In fact, he made me a promise that he would be with me wherever I go and he has never gone back on a promise yet. I have spent hours with this friend throughout my life time and know him quite well by now. I know I can trust him with all my secrets and he knows me so well he can read my thoughts before I even think them! He makes me laugh some days at how well he knows me. Just like any other friendship though, I get out of this friendship what I put into it. When I don't spend time with him I sometimes feel that he has left and when I spend lots of time with him I see him everywhere I go. He reminds me that he is with me in all kinds of ways. The other day when I was looking for him as I was driving he reminded me he was with me when I headed up a hill and the sun suddenly shone on my face! He seemed to say "You're looking for me? HERE I am! I made this thing you know! When you don't see the sun I'm STILL with you. Look up! Look around you, beside you, underneath you, above you and you will see me EVERYWHERE! Look at the person beside you, across the counter from you, in the vehicle behind you. They are mine too and they are your reminder of me!" My Friend is God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit whom God sent to be my constant companion everywhere I go. My Friend is an open book to me. He WANTS me to know Him and has told me all about Himself in a letter to me.....The Bible! It's pages are filled with His wonderful plans for my life because He wants me to be prosperous and successful. In one place He wrote about the Bible "...meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. THEN you will be prosperous and successful!" (...don't be thinking financial prosperity here...there is so much more to life!)

I was telling someone this morning that with a Friend like THAT how could one not be full and overflowing with JOY all the time! Even in tough times and trials of every kind, He is always with me and sees me through every day. His hand is on me all the time! Oh the JOY!!

2011-01-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS! Is it really over for another year? This was probably one of my busiest Christmases ever and yet I thought I was relaxed. I took time for friends, coffee, parties, sending Christmas greetings to more

people than ever before, cooking, baking and shopping. I got everything done that needed to get done and was ready when family began to arrive. Some were suffering with the after effects of the flu and colds, dealing with plugged ears, watery eyes and runny noses.

My back decided to play games with me and kept me down for days. This meant my daughters spent a good amount of time in the kitchen doing what I normally like to do. Every year before my family arrives I entertain this romantic notion of quiet evenings by the fire, listening to Christmas music, reading stories, candlelight and gazing at the tree. Every year as soon as they arrive I am quickly reminded that all they want is to be together to talk lots, laugh lots, and play lots. There are new toys to be admired and played with; nail polish colours to try out on fingers and toes; books to be read; hair pretties to be attached to freshly combed hair; new movies to be watched and good food to be eaten. There is very little time to sit. Unless your back is wrecked. Thankfully it was not too wrecked to hold the baby and feed him. I love watching all the bonding that happens at Christmas time. Grandbabies are now at an age where sharing new toys is possible, even fun for them. SWEET for the parents (and grandparents too)! I absolutely LOVE having my family home for Christmas or any other time for that matter. It just doesn't get any better than having them all under my roof for a few days and nights.

The decorations are still up and I can now enjoy the candles, the fireplace and the music but I miss the noise level and all the energy that family brings with them. Maybe I should just enjoy this quiet to rest my back and concentrate on the year ahead.

I really don't want to forget about Christmas though. I will keep praising God for the gift of eternal life that He provided when He sent His Son Jesus to earth to fulfill all the prophesies, including His brutal death on the cross and the glorious resurrection which we celebrate Easter Sunday. I will continue to pray for all my family and friends to the TRUE, LIVING GOD because I agree with E.M. Bounds who wrote that prayer "lays its hand on Almighty God and moves Him to do what He would not otherwise do if prayer was not offered. It brings things to pass which would never otherwise occur." It is not "an untried theory; a recitation of words; a mere verbal performance or an empty ceremony" but "a divine arrangement". This is what I will concentrate on this year and I have no doubt that YOU, my family and friends, will be included in my praying throughout this coming year!

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

2010-12-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

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....

2010-12-01T19:53:00.000-08:00

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....

2010-11-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-10-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-10-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-10-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

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.....

2010-10-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

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".....

2010-10-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-09-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-09-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-09-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

“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.....

2010-09-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-09-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-08-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

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.....

2010-06-23T00:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-05-12T22:23:00.001-07:00

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....

2010-04-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

....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.....

2010-03-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-03-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

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....

2010-02-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

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!

...across the room for contemplation & revelation!

2010-01-05T22:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to an amazing quality cold I brought with me on my Christmas travels I have been worming my way into the New Year inch by inch rather than the usual frantic

start! It seems time has stood still for me. The clock has almost stopped in my achey little world. Since it would not be kind to spread this around I choose to keep my pluggy drippy puffy nose and face in the shelter of my own four walls for the duration. It's not all bad though. For the few minutes every day that my head feels clear there is time for introspection, review and reading. I've even taken time to complete yet another 'get to know you better' form that some friends send occasionally. The questions are rather mindless, requiring little or no thought at all, and so it was with this most recent form.

HOWEVER (you knew this was coming, didn't you?!). After I sent the form back to my friend I thought about my answers and realized something rather interesting about myself. Considering the Type A, rather opinionated, passionate person I am, I found my answers to be quite passive. Not what I would have expected of me! It made me wonder what's happened to me!

OK, I do have a bad cold and the only thing I feel really passionate about is getting rid of it. I have little energy or ambition these days. Still, I don't think I would change any of my answers next week or in a month.

I don't have a favourite brand of clothing and I have no place in particular I can think of to retire to when we retire. There is no day on the calendar I am looking forward to more than today and I don't like one season more than the next....I like all four. I can't choose between chocolate and vanilla; hugs or kisses; salty or sweet because I like both and I don't have a favourite day of the week. Out of the sixty questions I just didn't seem to have a lot of favourites or must have's of any one thing. My first thought was "what is wrong with me!" But as I reviewed the questions in my mind I came to the conclusion that I have finally evolved into a more content person than I used to be! And extremely blessed! This year I honestly could not come up with a single idea to help my husband with his Christmas shopping. I don't need anything. It's not that I have everything. Last year I made a conscious effort to curb my spending and I wonder if that constant reminder that I don't need to buy everything I like each time I went shopping is finally making a difference. (Coughing intermission!) All year I came across things I could use but did not have to have and therefore did not need to buy. It was a great exercise for me and I love the outcome!

There are other aspects to contentment and I may just need to do another segment next time.

...across the room to talk about legacy's....

2009-12-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

This morning I read a short article by Ron and Gilbert Beers on leaving your legacy. I thought about the wonderful people in my life who are spending Christmas in heaven and how they affected my life ... past, present and future. This article made me think about the legacy that I want to leave. They quote the book of Psalms in the Bible where it says this: "But as for me, I will sing about your power. I will shout with joy each morning because of your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety in the day of distress. O My Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love." To me there is just nothing more important to pass along to my family than God's mercy, His unfailing love, and that refuge and place of safety He has been in my life. I want my family to see God as the One who created them and therefore knows them better than they know themselves; loves them more than they could ever love and to see Him as a Father like no other. The article stated: " Many people think of God as being angry and judgmental, pointing his disapproving finger at our sins and failures. In reality, God is both holy and merciful. In his holiness, he calls us to moral and virtuous living; in his mercy he is willing to forgive us, and he loves us even when we fail. The psalmist is rejoicing that he can rely upon God's mercy, which becomes a protection against the destructive forces of evil." I think it is important to think about the kind of legacy we want to pass on to our children, their children, etc. Depending on how we were raised, we might pass along all the disappointments, hurts, frustrations, attitudes and pain of our own up bringing or we can break the destructive cycles of our pasts and give our children a legacy that will help them be whole and equipped human beings. I saw a lot of little children at the front of the church participating in a Christmas production this morning. They were so cute, uninhibited, adorable and talented. I couldn't help but wonder who their mommies and daddies were and what kind of legacy they are preparing to leave their children. Every day, every decision, every reaction, every word and gesture will comprise the legacy that we leave for our family. It's worth a little contemplation, I think.

....across the room to say THANK YOU....

2009-12-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS! What a celebration! Everybody wants to be in on the festivities and many who don't even believe in the real reason for this celebration get completely absorbed in the giving and receiving of this special season. Personally I am amazed at the way the people of our city get involved to make sure everyone has a special Christmas by donating food and gifts to be distributed by various organizations.

Most of my gifts have been sent by now and I have been the recipient of a few gifts myself by now. That brings me to the reason for this post. Some months ago we sent a wedding gift because we had not been able to attend the wedding. It was a gift of money. A month or so later I realized we had not heard from these people by way of a telephone call or a thank you note. Since we had just received a call from a charitable organization we had donated to six months ago to inform us they received the cheque just that day I began to wonder if our gift had been received by this couple. I contacted them to find out that they did not receive it. A few days later a very tired looking envelope ended up in our mail box. It looked like someone had used it as a coaster for their coffee cup! In fact it looked so bad I had to buy a new card to send the gift again. That is one reason we need to send thank you notes but not the main reason. I don't know how many gifts I have sent by now and never received a thank you of any kind. I'm left to wonder whether the gift was ever received and I can't help but wonder if it was even appreciated. The gift I received yesterday was a good reminder of how much time a friend will invest in finding something really special, wrapping it in pretty paper and sending it to my house. A gift of money is someone saying "I want to give you something you would really like, so here is some money so that you can choose it for yourself". Whether it is a gift of money or a gift chosen by someone I think it deserves to be acknowledged. There is no substitute for a hand written note (everyone loves mail!) but a telephone call is a great way of thanking your family and friends as well!

May you enjoy the gift of giving and receiving and let's all remember to say "THANKS"!

...across the room for my family...

2009-12-04T10:40:00.001-08:00

As I was tidying up my kitchen this morning I wondered what I should take off the counters before Christmas to make room for all the extras that always end up on the counter during family gatherings. Then the thought hit me that "this Christmas there will be no baby bottles, formula, soothers, or the DREADED SIPPY CUPS cluttering up my kitchen counter! Our grandchildren have all been there, done that, and they are all GROWN UP! This will all change again for next Christmas (and I can't wait to have a baby around again) but for this year things will be different. I think I feel the same way about my grandchildren as I did about my children. I loved the wee baby stage. They are so adorable and make complete idiots of the adults (remember cooing at the babies to make them coo back, cheering when they poop and laughing at their garbled baby talk?). Then there's the stage when they'll sit alone in the middle of the floor and never go anywhere! There is so much freedom in the very brief stage before they crawl all over the place and end up under the couch fast asleep like one of ours did! The walking and talking stage is always a real highlight even though they wear out the adults as they walk where they shouldn't and talk endlessly, asking questions and making comments about everything in sight. Our grandbabies are ages 3, 5, 7, and 9 so there are lots of conversations on every level and lots of surprise observations from inquisitive little minds! If I had to choose one particular stage of development I just couldn't do it. I love them all. I cannot wait for my house to be filled with noises from these special little ones in my life and I can't wait for the adults to try to get in some semblance of real conversation above all the "noise"!

I'm counting the days!

...across the room into the REAL world.....

2009-11-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

As we were raising our daughters my husband and I agreed on some very important common sense approaches to cleanliness and nutrition for ourselves and our children. One was to limit the use of antibiotics if at all possible. Sometimes I felt judged by other people because their kids were taken to the clinic or even worse the local emergency department at the first sign of a sniffle or cough and mine had to suffer through it! Did you know that even if a child feels sick Monday or Tuesday and is looked after at home, by Friday everybody has just had it and they head to walk-in or the emergency department for their instant anti-biotic fix! Nobody is allowed to ruin the family's weekend by being sick! REALLY! You may quote me:) At our house hands had to be washed after bathroom use and before and after a meal. Fresh fruits and/or veggies were served at most meals (we had to have something crunchy to eat at most meals). Don't think for a moment that this was what really happened at our house every day. We were not the perfect family. I'm just saying this was our desire for ourselves and something we wanted to instill in our daughters. That's just a little introduction into what I really wanted to post today which is an excerpt from a book I'm reading. I totally agree with the following written by Danna Demetre in "Change your habits, change your life":

Experts are reporting that many allergies and immune-system diseases have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled in the last thirty to forty years. Some studies confirm that more than half of the U.S. population has at least one allergy. Many researchers suspect the increase may be due to changes in modern living to include the "hygiene hypothesis," which blames growing up in increasingly sterile homes as the problem. Others have pointed to changes in diet, air pollution, and even the rise in obesity and sedentary lifestyles.

Interestingly, the rise in allergies and immune-system diseases are only showing up in highly developed countries in Europe and North America. The illnesses have steadily increased in other countries as they have become more advanced.

This is what health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola says about this issue:

As society in general becomes more "sterile" it is causing real problems for your immune system, which is becoming increasingly unable to differentiate between real threats and harmless things like pollen and dust-bunnies.

Think about it: how many people do you know who carry a bottle of antibacterial hand sanitizer with them wherever they go? Meanwhile, you're exposed to antibiotics, in your food and by prescription, while most of the food supply is pasteurized or otherwise treated to remove both good and bad bacteria.

And this is the key: while everyone was busy killing all of those "germs" they didn't stop to think about what this would mean for the future generation. Children are now growing up without being exposed to the bacteria, viruses, and parasites that have existed throughout the world - even in developed countries like the U.S. - since the beginning of time.

To some extent, this is a good thing. but to children's immune systems, which are not being exposed to bacteria and viruses like they were in the past, it results in an excessive immune response against a routine thing, like a peanut, resulting in allergies and auto-immune diseases.

While "clean living" is certainly a good thing, we must be wise and not take this to an extreme. We also need to stop pressuring our doctors to write prescriptions for antibiotics every time we have a sniffle or a cough. They should not be giving in to these requests, but unfortunately sometimes they do, which results in increasingly resistant strains of bacteria and a much bigger problem for all of us. Don't feel you have to avoid every germ on the planet. Let your kids play in the dirt. Yes, we do need to wash our hands after using the restroom and when in contact with sick people. but that old "ten second" rule for food dropped on the floor not being contaminated is a good one to keep. Our bodies get strengthened by small doses of bacteria. Let's not be afraid to live in the "real" world and leave our hand santizer behind on occasion.

2009-11-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

I am no authority on marriage and I speak only from experience and a firm belief that every relationship be it a marriage, friendship, family, etc. can survive anything. One of my great desires in life is to see people work through differences and difficulty to keep their relationship in tact and be strengthened as a person. As I thought about this today here are some thoughts I thought before I ran out of time!!

......my thoughts on marriage......

~great marriages are not made in heaven, but on earth, with time, respect for ones self and each other, understanding, honest communication, mental, emotional and physical support for one another.

~they don't just happen. They have to be cultivated.

~they are worth the effort it sometimes takes to get through the tough times

~can be great fun!

~marriages are forever!

~requires energy

~is not for sissy's

~are designed by God for our benefit!

~have to be based on mutual trust

~can sometimes be exhausting!

~is a gift two people give each other

~marriages are never perfect so don't expect it to be

"By WISDOM a house is built, and through UNDERSTANDING it is established, through knowledge it's rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures". Prov. 24: 3,4

...across the room to encourage you.....

2009-11-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

I was reading a book this week and in it was the account of Jesus telling Peter that he would betray Him. Peter who loved Jesus very much was shocked that Jesus would say this to him and of course denied that he would ever do such a thing. We would too, wouldn't we? We are no different from Peter. When all is well with us, things are going great, we're up on the mountain with Jesus we can't imagine our relationship with Him any different, any less, only more.

The author pointed out that Jesus knows our weaknesses. We think we are strong in our faith and yet we fail again and again to love God the way He deserves to be loved and honored. She talks about how Jesus appeared to His disciples after the resurrection and made breakfast for them by the lake. They had all fallen away from Him when the going got rough and this is how He responded to them! Breakfast at the lake!

After breakfast He asks Peter "do you love me more than these?" three times and each time Peter responds with a positive "Yes! I love you!" Of course Jesus already knew that Peter loved Him but Peter needed to be reminded that despite his betrayal, his love for Jesus was real and secure.

The author encourages her readers "...don't let the shame of bad behaviour or a lapse in your faith keep you from intimate time with Christ and being used for His glory. Do you love Him? Do you love Him? Do you love Him?"

Such a great reminder that God never gives up on us, isn't it? HE LOVES YOU! HE LOVES YOU! HE LOVES YOU! So if you need to.....pick up where you left Him, fix your eyes on Him, and get going! :)

...across the room for a year without Jean.....

2009-11-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

One year ago today....my life changed forever as my sister breathed her final breath and joined her son Del and our Mom in glory.

I will never forget that day and the week to follow as we looked after the details of our final good-byes to Jean. What I didn't realize then was that it was not my final good-bye at all. This past year has been filled with constantly having to say good-bye over and over again. I think that is what one has to do to come to terms with a loss. It takes time to let a loved one go and this process WILL not be rushed. This year has been long and without a doubt the most painful and difficult year I have had in all my life.

The text book cycle of grieving got all murky in my life it seemed. The shock and emotional release which most people experience more immediately hit me after I returned home. I put my life on hold to be with my sister most of the last six weeks of her life and I have no regrets about investing that time in her family to support them and to be with Jean even though she may not have known most of the time that I was with her. So I can't say that I have any guilt feelings of regret about needing to do more than I did. What I did find was that even though I thought I had progressed in the cycle of the stages of grief they seemed to need to be revisited and they would even merge and overlap to the point of almost immobilizing me at times. The pain of it all was worse than any physical pain I have ever had to endure.

As the year rolls to an end I am definitely experiencing less of it and am enjoying the memories and pictures without having to cry every time.

What I did for myself this year is try to surround myself with people who did not pretend to know it all. Nor did they try to cheer me up when I was sad, offer cliches or pat answers. Only two people told me they knew exactly how I felt and I immediately forgave them for saying it. Friends simply sat with me, didn't mind being around me in my state, asked me to talk about Jean, and were just simply themselves even though I was not. What a gift they have been to me! And where was God in all of this? Right with me! Holding me and whispering comfort, caring for me and loving me through it. He never left me alone.....never got impatient or angry with me. He just let me walk through at my own pace. To be in His presence has been my refuge, my rest, and my great joy!

I can't say that I ever thought that God was going to heal Jean physically. Her healing had been granted in her spirit the last year of her life. She experienced tremendous spiritual healing and understanding of who God is and she believed He was Sovereign and all-sufficient and had experienced Him as such. She trusted Him with her life. So I felt that He was taking her home to be with Him and spoke with her in that fashion, giving her my blessing to go to be with Jesus and promising her that I would be there for her family as much as they needed me to be and that is what I have been doing this year. I love each one of them as my own and would do anything for them.

Jean, I will always remember you as someone with whom I could share matters of the heart, knowing you would not only understand but have personal experiences very similar and often exactly the same and I miss that so much. I will remember you as the one I could call on to pray for me when I felt I really needed someone on my side and I miss that especially these last two days. I can clearly hear your fabulous hearty laugh as I write this and think about you and it seems like it will be forever until I will hear that again but then I know I can hear it forever! I will mostly remember you for your unwavering love and trust in our most amazing Savior and Lord of our lives, Jesus Christ. I miss you Jean!

...across the room to scream Part 2....

2009-10-28T13:09:00.001-07:00

Well, since my last post I have spoken with a few dear souls who were brave enough to share how they changed their immediate responses! Apparently it is possible and after thinking about it some more I realized that I have also changed some of my initial responses out of necessity!

One of those (not that I've completely arrived yet, but I'm feeling very positive that I soon will have this one conquered) is the habit of sucking in my breath when my husband is at the wheel. Although he has patiently explained for years now that he has no idea what sucking in my breath means when he's at the wheel (most of the time he thinks one of us is about to die) I simply cannot find words for the moment so I suck in my breath! Usually it means I think he is going to wreck my vehicle in some way! Last weekend, instead of sucking in my breath, I cautioned him in what I classified as a definite yet quite audible whisper, "No, NO, NO!" as I cowered beneath the dash of the car when I saw a vehicle rapidly approach our back end as we were leaving our parking spot. Again, it was my immediate response. For me it felt like a healthy change from the immobilizing breath sucking!

Another immediate response of mine (I don't know why I feel I have to tell all my secrets suddenly...ON my blog yet!) is to stand in front of the waste basket cabinet door whenever my husband walks into the room to throw something into the waste basket. It's not that I even know he needs to open that door or wants to throw something away, it's just where I stand when he walks into the kitchen! I do it every time. I can't seem to help myself. The door is under the sink. Why would I stand in front of the oven or refrigerator when he walks into the kitchen. Seems kind of silly. I stand in front of the sink. I'm feeling very strongly that I need to change my position though and will have to come up with a solution. Soon!

And finally, my husband says that when he needs to get my attention all he has to do is go to the bathroom. He claims that as soon as he walks in there, I'm right behind him. It's not like we don't have any other bathrooms in the house. I walk into which ever bathroom he is in! Go figure! It just seems that whenever he walks in there I have something I need to say to him! Before I forget, or before he disappears somewhere in the house that's inconvenient for me!

In retrospect, it's really all about learning to live together, wouldn't you say?

...across the room to scream....

2009-10-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is one of those nasty self portraits and yes I know it looks like I'm sticking out my tongue at something but actually it's supposed to look like I'm screaming at the top of my lungs! Why, you ask? I thought you'ld never ask! Because screaming, apparently, is my first reaction to shock! This is not news to me but for some reason my husband seemed surprised by an outburst such as this to something rather trivial to his way of thinking. We were out of town and stopped at a Starbucks before returning home. On our way out of the parking lot we v-e-r-y slowly inched our way over an exaggerated speed bump which caused our car to bottom out. The second I heard the crashing noise my mouth opened and I heard screaming. Extremely LOUD screaming! Then I realized it was my mouth that was screaming. I didn't WANT to scream. I just did! After the noise died down and my husband stopped sticking his finger in his ear to deaden the noise the conversation progressed somewhat like this:

"Why did you scream?"

"I don't know, it just happened!"

"It was just a speed bump. Why would you scream about that?"

"I'm a girl!"

"I can't believe that at your age you would still scream like a scared child." (or something to that effect)

"It was my first reaction. I couldn't help it. Can you control all your first reactions?" (it never crossed my mind at the time but I should have asked him if he could from this day forward control his habit of screaming without any warning whenever he sneezes! I only thought of that right this very minute! That would have been the perfect retort!)

That's when the laughing set in. I'm not sure who started it but we could hardly stop ourselves. Suddenly it just seemed like the craziest conversation in the world and the craziest reaction at my age, apparently!

It got me thinking though. I am in the middle of a 40 day journey to change some of my habits and I wonder whether it is possible to change an immediate reaction. Is it possible to change something that just hits you so suddenly that you don't even have time to think about it before you do it? I would definitely rather not scream when something happens unexpectedly but I also realize that it is my first reaction. This summer I was cleaning my patio doors when a bird flew at me at about waist height. What did I do? I screamed! I have screamed when my husband walked into the kitchen when I didn't expect him and I remember a dream about a burgler in our house who was about to hit me when my alarm sounded. You're right! I screamed! I could write a book about screaming. He is right though. At my age, it's getting a tad embarrassing when I'm out walking with my friends and a cyclist rings his bell to let us know he is approaching and I scream! How can I get myself not to do that, I wonder? Any similar experiences out there? Ideas? Help! I'm a screamer and I can't stop!!

...across the room for my personal review.....

2009-10-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

I just read the new Mitch Albom book "Have a little Faith". A quick interesting read and true story about the similarities between an elderly Rabbi and an inner city Detroit Pastor, the characters in the book are the kind of people you want to have in your life. They are interesting, devoted, passionate about what they do and immersed in the lives of the people around them. Neither seem to be concerned about their own comforts and needs and seemingly not at all about their wants. I found a lot of good things in this book about how to live out our faith. While the book kept my attention all afternoon as I read by the fire and keeping in mind Albom reminds us he is not an authority on religion I found that it left me feeling unsatisfied when I finally put it down.

The main reason for that I think is the fact that a search for Truth is not discussed in this book and as far as I'm concerned God and Truth are inseparable. There is really no discussion about the Trinity, or God's greatest Gift to us, His Son Jesus and His work on the cross for our total salvation, the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. No mention of the blood of Jesus Christ atoning for our sins, and the Holy Spirit who is God in us, empowering, regenerating and comforting us. Personally I just can't gloss over these truths in relating a faith journey.

I get the distinct impression when the author states that he hopes all faiths can find something universal in his story he believes that all "roads" lead to God when the Bible very plainly explains that there is only one way to God and that is through His Son Jesus. I'm very black and white about this and anything less than a clear explanation of God's instruction on how to come to Him leaves me feeling very dissatisfied.

Having said all that, I have to say it was a great read and I wish I could have met the Rabbi before he died. I think I would have liked him a lot!

...across the room to share my reading.....

2009-10-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying the works of Oswald Chambers and the fact that his writing is so closely based on the Scriptures. I just want to share some of my readings this week......I like how He describes our condition and our need: "Sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not a wrong doing, it is wrong BEING, deliberate and emphatic independence of God. Other religions deal with SINS...the Bible alone deals with SIN. The Bible reveals that Jesus took upon Himself the heredity of SIN, not our fleshly sins. Jesus Christ rehabilitated the human race; He put it back to where God designed it to be and ANYONE can enter into union with God on the ground of what Our Lord has done on the Cross."

This week I had a conversation with a young lady who talked about praying the "sinners prayer" as though they are magic words that will set us right with God. We talked about salvation being a matter of the heart. So many people seem to be satisfied that they have "said the sinner's prayer" and yet they wonder why their life seems so empty. God isn't there for them. Faith doesn't work for them. Prayers are never answered the way they want them answered. Nothing works! They don't realize that when their hearts are not right with God nothing will happen. As soon as they turn their eyes off God in an act of disobedience and sin their world becomes dark again. Chambers goes on to say that if there is anything that we have not cleaned up in our lives we will not go any further until we are willing to do what the Holy Spirit reveals to us. If He is convicting us of our habitual lies, deceit, broken promises, willful disobedience, we need to take that step of obedience and clean this stuff up and make right our relationship with Him. Chambers says "obey God in the thing He shows you and ... heaven opens and the profoundest truths of God are your straight away!"

...across the room to keep a plant alive....

2009-10-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm really not much of a gardener but there are times I get lucky enough to grow some beautiful plants. This was one of my favourites this year. It was tucked away outside in the corner of our house in my favourite designer planter that I bought for a song. It looked healthy all summer and just kept filling that pot and growing down the sides until it almost touched the ground. Two days ago I decided to bring it inside and hopefully keep it alive and beautiful in my house but just in case I lose my green thumbs this winter I took a picture of it. I even bought a new pot (it IS used to the designer pot after all) and a stand so it can continue it's downward spurts throughout the winter months.

Last November after my sister passed away (why do we say it like that?! She has not "passed away"! She has just moved to a better spot and is waiting for us to join her! She is very much alive today!) a friend of mine gave me a Christmas Cactus which will bloom white flowers every year to remind me of my sister (not that I need a reminder!) who loved white flowers! Can you imagine the pressure I felt to keep this thing alive? I kill every plant that has ever been in my house. REALLY! The other day this friend was over and wanted to see the cactus. Thankfully half of it was still alive and even has buds on it. She took one look at it though and said "Oh, WHY did I give you a plant!" LOL. Now I REALLY have something to prove! Like, can't I at the very least grow cactus?!

hmmmm. I wonder if I could grow thistle? They always look so healthy and hardy in my flower gardens!

...across the room to clean the other room.....

2009-10-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

It all started with the old refrigerator that came with the house we bought. Definitely on it's last leg, we decided it needed to be replaced before we faced coming home from a holiday one day to a stinky food mess! As usual I had my sights set on something that wouldn't quite work in the space the former owners had carved out for the small unit now in distress. Although the house was well looked after we had toyed with the idea of making some changes. Long story short, one idea led to another and before we knew it we found ourselves head first into a total home renovation project! With no prior experience to rely on I found myself having to learn at a seemingly impossible rate how to step into the "project manager" position and how to make me look like I knew what I was doing! Thankfully we survived the grueling year long endurance test and finished within the projected time frame. By that time we were both so finished with making decisions that we decided to take a break from making any additional purchases like furniture and a few other items. The one room that suffered from this decision was my laundry room/office. This room ended up being the junk room. I couldn't decide whether I should allow this room to function as a combination laundry/office or just let it be a laundry room and create a little office niche in another area of the house. One thousand and seven conversations weighing the pros and cons later I decided to combine the two. The past six months have been the most difficult for me as I tried to ignore the mess in that room. However lately I noticed that I was having a terrible time trying to keep the rest of my house organized and tidy when I felt like there was nothing I could do about the mess behind that one door in the house! Finally one day I went to the big city and bought all the units I thought I needed in order to finish this room. Thanks to my handy husband we managed to clean up that mess in just two short days! Miraculously my house seems to have expanded by so much more than that one space. I love to keep the door of my laundry room open now because it doesn't bother me at all to have people see what's inside! It is clean, neat and tidy! I never want to leave folded clothes on my dryer any more. I want to fold them on my new table and put them away! As for the rest of my house.....I have no trouble keeping it clean and tidy any more either. I love to walk from room to room and see that everything is in it's rightful place. Had I known it would make such a huge difference in my life I would have done this LONG AGO!

This experience got me thinking about my life and in particular my relationship with God. Sometimes I let an area of my life get a little messy. I might develop a habit that I know is not good or right in God's eyes but I choose to ignore how it makes me feel because there is a certain pay off, like perhaps instant gratification. If I persist in this sin it won't take long for me to let some other area of my life slide. Suddenly I don't want to hear from God so I slack off on reading His Word or praying. My life becomes messy. I have known God long enough that I just simply cannot tolerate something coming between Him and myself for long. I miss Him so dreadfully and soon I will find myself on my knees asking His forgiveness and help so that I can clean up, dust off that sin and throw open the doors of all the rooms in my heart for Him with nothing around to crowd Him out! What a great place to be. May we all be able to keep the doors of the rooms of our hearts wide open all the time! PEACE!

(notice no clothes on the dryer?)

...across the room to dance connection.....

2009-10-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

It seems all good things must come to an end...including lethargy!

For the past three years, I've been walking on a regular basis, usually at least 4 to 5 times per week, an hour each day. While this is good for me, especially the fresh air and the company of some good friends, I knew for some time now that I needed to get into more of an exercise program. I didn't feel that the walks were very beneficial anymore and that I needed a more rounded exercise program. While I've never felt comfortable in the very public gym setting I didn't seem to have what it took to start my own exercise program at home. Thankfully there are always people in my life at just the right time to spur me on and that's what happened in this situation. They even signed me up so I had no excuses!

The first session was yesterday and yes, I was anxious. I knew we were allowed to work at our own speed but this is a class setting and nobody wants to be the baby of the class so I did my level best to keep up. We concentrate on one specific area each day of the week. Yesterday was leg day! To my surprise I was able to keep up with everyone except for the last ten minutes. I was so pleased with myself! I know now that all that walking has paid off after all! My legs are in pretty good shape. Well, at least they were yesterday. Today is a different story all together. The operative word when sitting down, walking stairs, getting in and out of the car, is "OOOOUUUCCCHHHHH"! Thankfully today's preferred body part was arms. I almost died in that class today and I know tomorrow's pain will be but a memory down the road but for now I'm shaking in my boots! Wednesday is Abs day. I don't know what I'll be exercising because I haven't had abs in years! If I have some they are so well hidden it will take more than a few sessions to find them! The encouragement? The pain must mean something good is happening to my body and if I keep going sooner or later the pain will vanish and I will graduate to the other side of the building called "Boot Camp"!

(no pictures included due to excessive frown lines on my brow caused by pain in nether regions of my body!)

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

2009-09-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-09-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

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......

2009-09-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

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'......

2009-09-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

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....

2009-09-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

*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!....

2009-09-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

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!

...across the room to Barnes & Noble.....

2009-08-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

What happens to a person when you leave the comforts of home along with your scheduled busy life and hit the road on motorbike for three weeks for an unstructured, mostly unplanned getaway?! That's what we experienced this summer. We had some ideas about where we would like to go but we are always mindful of the weather systems and how it somewhat dictates our direction when we leave home. Who wants to head into a wild weather system on motorbike or any other vehicle for that matter?!

Since we both ride our own bike we spend a lot of our days with our own thoughts. How interesting?! It wouldn't be much of a good time for someone who doesn't like to think their own thoughts. We all know people who do not like silence so they establish ways of being distracted from their thoughts as much as possible. I am not one of those people. It would drive me crazy. I need periods of silence every day.

I usually take books with me and did so this summer as well but for some reason I just couldn't get into them. My husband read one of my books as well as what he brought with him and I just simply never felt like reading. One day as we were browsing in a book store after dinner I picked up a very nice looking boxed book with a leather like cover and I do admit it was the look of it that first caught my eye. I was actually looking for a gift for someone but as I paged through the book I realized it was exactly what I had been looking for since January! I know. A little late in the year especially since this was to be a book I wanted to read in every day this year! LOL! God works in mysterious ways, let's not forget! I love when I feel like I'm on to something really good and this was one of those times. This book was for me for right now! I couldn't wait to get to our hotel room to start reading.

"My Utmost For His Highest" daily devotional journal by Oswald Chambers is the book I bought. The readings start January 1st but of course that's not where I started! I started the day I bought the book! So what's the big deal? So far EVERY DAY has been a reading about the things I was thinking about, struggling with, praying for, searching out during this time on our bike trip! My heart is about ready to leap out of my body with sheer excitement and thankfulness of how this all came about. Was I ready to read this stuff in January? Probably not. However, God knew what I needed now and so He guided my steps to the restaurant, close to the book store which was close to our hotel and made sure I got what I needed! Ironically one of the first readings in the book was something I did not agree with but instead of being discouraged about it or the rest of the book I marked that page with my own thoughts which further cemented what I believe the Bible to say about that topic. I think it was a matter of Chambers trying to say something but not actually speaking the words on a matter that to me was very important to be clear about.

We can take a break from our lives and surroundings but as Christ followers we take God with us wherever we go and He is just never silent. Not even when I'm on my bike! He can get my attention above the roar of the engine and speak absolute peace into my soul! We have an AWESOME God!

....across the room to end this....

2009-08-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

If this looks really good to you I would suggest a drive through Creston, BC to enjoy these bottomless cups of coffee and the biggest cinnamon roll we had ever seen. The topping had a decidedly syrup-ee taste to it. Different and yummy. I'm sure it's not necessary to mention here that this giant roll generated a number of comments from passers by as we smacked our lips and licked our fingers, not to mention enticing a few new customers into the bakery as well!

The best part about this coffee break was the sunshine, warmth, friendly strangers, and most of all the relaxing pace of the day....that is to say, we are in slow mode.

Our ride today brought us into Fernie with no room at our favourite hotel. We were about to leave when the hotel clerk came running out to let us know he called a place on the ski hill that had all kinds of rooms available. We made our way up to a great place with a big balcony, leather sofas, and a bed so tall we almost need a ladder to get into it! The bonus? There's nobody up here! We haven't heard this much quiet since we left home three weeks ago! What a perfect ending to the best holiday ever! Tomorrow, we're homeward bound and I can't wait to get into my kitchen to bake something. Cinnamon rolls, perhaps?

...across the room to make some notes...

2009-08-24T22:56:00.001-07:00

The day started off with a nerve-wracking ride across a 7 km. bridge laden with various and sundry road kill.

We kept turning in the wrong direction although in the end it turned out to be the right direction. I was having one of those days where left felt right again.

I wanted to stay in the town where we had lunch because the food was just that good.

We stopped to buy a set of head phones for the GPS and a guy came to talk to us. He asked where we were from and then told us that he came down from heaven in 1972 but he only told special people about that and we were special people.

Our GPS kept telling us to go right so we went around the block.

We finally found a beautiful Hampton Inn, Starbucks and Olive Garden all in the same town.

We stayed!

It was a very good day!

...across the room to remember a little song.....

2009-08-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Oregon today and made our way up the coastal highway taking in scenes such as this along the way. I don't know when I've ever enjoyed the ocean as much as I have on this trip. The wind, cooler temps, annoying motor homes, truck/trailer combos etc. didn't even get to me! We found interesting places to stop and little sea side restaurants and coffee shops to unwind and talk about the scenery and the ride.

As I looked across the water as far as the eye can see I was reminded of a song I learned when I was a kid...."Wide, wide as the ocean, high as the heavens above; deep, deep as the deepest sea, is my Saviour's love. I, though so unworthy, still am a child of His care; for His Word teaches me, that His love reaches me EVERYWHERE!"

I couldn't believe I remembered all the words to this little song. Actually I remembered them better than I used to sing them. When I was a kid, not thinking about the words, just enjoying the melody, I used to sing "I, no so unworthy!" I also used to sing "True patrot love, in all our signs command" during the singing of "O Canada"! I could go on! I was always more interested in the melody than the words! Today however, the words spoke to me. That water is looks so enormous, sounds so strong, and seems to be everywhere at the same time. I sang this little song and basked in the assurance of God's great love for me no matter where I am. As another song says "He's as close as the mention of His name". It was a sweet moment in the middle of my day to be reminded of God's love through a song I learned as a kid.

Parents, I hope you don't think that taking your children to church and sunday school every sunday is a chore or not important. The scripture they learn there through memorization or songs or in stories will speak to them throughout their lives. It will get them out of tough situations, help them make the right choices and draw them to God. Throughout my life God has used what I learned as a child in sunday school and church in my life to teach, help and encourage me. Make the sacrifice, take the time, and remember, children learn by example. While I was in church or sunday school my parents were there as well. You'll never be sorry for putting in the effort to be a spiritual leader and example to your children.

...across the road to keep my pants down....

2009-08-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

I bet that title caught your attention! Normally I like to wear chaps when I'm on my bike but honestly this heat has got me 'taking 'em off'! In fact when we arrived in Redding, CA this afternoon I had to shed the new "mother of all leather jackets" I got for my birthday this year too. I felt the heat stroke coming on and it just had to go! One of the problems of not wearing chaps is that the wind catches the hem of my jeans and hikes them up over top of my boots. Hence the handy dandy jean straps! These babies are leg savers! It was so nice not to have to worry about baring my legs and accidentally burning them on the pipes!

Something else I bought at the Harley shop that saved me from heat stroke today was a tube band, long enough to tie around your forehead, neck/throat to keep cool on the ride. The tube is filled with some type of beads that expand in water so the trick is to soak the whole thing for about 30 minutes which is long enough to cool you for a two day trip! Ingenious invention! They even have vests that are made of the same stuff (I just don't know that I could wear a wet vest under my jacket all day!)

We rode from Chico, CA this morning through the Lassen Volcanic National Park. As soon as we entered the park we felt like we had found a new world! Everything looked brighter, sharper, greener than where we came from! Stunningly gorgeous and comfortable temps. Then we got to Redding and almost sweat to death! I think it's possible to see the heat in the air. Looks like fog! Even the palm trees look tired here!

Speaking of tired, there's a king bed waiting for me! G'nite!

...across the room to Silver City.....""

2009-08-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

I love doors and doorways and like to take pictures of them when I see one that especially interests me as this one did. The picture didn't turn out well but I still remember the feeling of standing here, looking at this doorway and wondering what the history of this place was. I hope it was a haven, shelter, refuge and safe place to walk into.

As I got on my bike to resume our ride for the day I remember thinking about all the doorways I've walked through in my life. There have been many. So many were great experiences and opportunities to learn and grow.

Some of the doors I walked through were painful experiences and as I thought about those I was asking God to clarify some things for me that I do not understand. I asked Him to speak specifically to me in order for me to be in that place with Him where there is nothing standing between me and God that would block our communication and fellowship. I knew that I was dealing with some things in my life that are not pleasing to Him and I wanted to be forgiven and made clean in those areas.

He brought to my mind a passage from the book of Proverbs 3:5,6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight."

I have to admit that I simply do not understand everything in my life and sometimes I have to just let things be and trust and believe that God will direct the outcome of the parts I do not understand in the way that it needs to happen. My part is to acknowledge Him in everything that I do and say. That's the tough part.

For instance today we stopped at a place to fuel up our bikes and I ran in to use the washroom. I looked around and saw no washroom facility signs so I asked the clerk where they were. She said "Oh, it's broken!" My eyebrows automatically rose to my hairline and my lips mouthed "Don't you ever have to go?" "Oh," she replied "I have a washroom through the back office where you can't go!" I said "PLEASE! You've GOT to be kidding!" as she pointed to a restaurant across the street and said "But you can use their washroom!" I wanted to scream "I HAVE JUST PURCHASED FUEL FROM YOU. You won't let me use the washroom but you would like me to go to the restaurant across the street where I do not want to eat because I just had lunch and use their washroom! Do you not even feel the slightest twinge of shame suggesting something like that?" etc. but I heard that little voice inside me saying "In ALL your ways, acknowledge HIM" and I had to ask myself how that applied in this situation. I don't know what their policy was. I don't know if the toilet was broken. She probably just works there and is not the owner. I have no idea and it doesn't change anything. I had a choice to make and I chose to walk out without making a scene and I'm glad I did.

The Word of God is sharper than a two edged sword and it cuts right through everything. Just when we think we're a special case or start making excuses for ourselves that Word cuts our excuses into bits and exposes them for what they really are. So often we want to make an exception for ourselves for what we would consider wrong for everyone else. But if we actually acknowledge God in everything we do and say He really will make our path straight.

At the end of the day, that's what really counts!

The picture was taken in Silver City.

...across the room to Carson City and Starbucks...

2009-08-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at the beginning of our trip. Our second day, actually. We decided to stay the night in Fernie and the next morning as we were packing up our bikes we struck up a conversation with another biker couple who almost instantly became our photographer, posing us this way and that way (I thought she might run off with my camera. She couldn't stop herself from taking pictures!).

Tonight we're in Carson City, Nevada after a 500km trek on "The Loneliest Road in America". After settling into the Gold Dust West Casino Hotel (I'm not sure there are any hotels in Nevada that are not Casino hotels!) we went for an early dinner and a walk which wonder of wonders ended at a rather lonely Starbucks (not too many coffee drinkers in Carson City I guess)! We settled in on their outdoor patio, just the two of us, to enjoy our refreshments and watch our fellow bikers ride by, looking for hotels or places to eat I suppose. As usual, our conversation drifted from one topic to the next until we settled on "what constitutes a date within the marriage relationship" (thanks in part to our son-in-law's blog!) I have to say I enjoy nothing more than going out for lunch with my husband and I think he feels the same way. We would just as soon cook our own dinner at night and enjoy the comforts of home in the evening but there's something very special about having lunch together during the week when he has a day off and these lunches often turn into two hour "dates"! We are both rather spontaneous people and I have to say that the enjoyment of these spur of the moment decisions to do something together far surpasses any planned date we've ever had. One of my friends and I often talk about how our expectations can spoil or ruin things for us. Spontaneous dates are free of expectation and usually end up being full of surprise! For me, a date is enjoying being together even if it's something as simple as going for a late evening stroll, coffee on the deck after the kids or grandkids are in bed, or cooking a meal together at home. And THAT dear friends, is a rather abbreviated version of our coffee date tonight!

...across the room to Park City, Utah!....

2009-08-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

If we could find it in our hearts to stop whenever we travel an exceptional stretch of road I would have pictures to post today but honestly, the best thing to do it seems when you're on your motorbike and you suddenly find yourself on a spectacular road is to just do what comes naturally (shout for joy, smile, let the jaw hang, stare in wonder, shed a tear of disbelief) and keep going! Such as been our pleasure and sheer enjoyment as we've travelled through Montana, Idaho and now Utah. Oh the beauty that is ours to enjoy!

Every day so far I've thought "This is the most amazing rock I've ever seen" or "the colour on that mountain is like nothing I've seen before" only to be even more surprised the next day that there is something even more stunning than the day before. Can this continue? Really? I'm in awe. That's all I can say.

At the moment we are in Park City close to Salt Lake City, Utah. This is actually a ski resort. We only go to ski resorts in the summer on our motorbikes! We love the down town area with all the unique shops and restaurants. Everyone is out and about in the evening and it's just a pleasure to be part of the crowd. We ate on an outdoor patio tonight and enjoyed a little 3 yr. old photographer two tables from us. He chose my hubby as his target and kept calling "Hey man" to get his attention so he could take his picture. I'm sure he took 37 pictures of us eating! He sure was cute!

Arizona, California, here we come!!

...across the room for a GREAT PLAN....

2009-08-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

"Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say you will not understand. When you see what I do you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them." Acts. 28:26,27

Those were the final words from Paul to the Romans before he left them although those words originally were spoken by the Holy Spirit to Isaiah (Isa.6:9-10). Everywhere Paul went he told people about his experience on the road to Damascus and how God changed his heart. He told them that God had a plan for his life before he was even born. And so it is with each of us. God has a good plan for each of our lives. The thing is, it won't just happen like magic. We have to participate in His plan for us with open ears, eyes that look for Truth, and hearts that are receptive to His instructions to us in His Word.

However, just like the people Paul spoke to who refused to believe the words God gave him to encourage them to believe in Him, even today, in spite of all the access we have to Bibles and solid Biblical teaching so many have deliberately closed their ears, hardened their hearts, and focused their eyes on lies instead of truth. Truth is so easily accessible. Inside the pages of God's Word, the Bible, He introduces Himself. He tells us that He knows the plans He has for us. Plans for good and not disaster, to give us a future and a hope. In Jeremiah we read that the Israelites were going to be away from their home for a long time but that God had good plans for them and would bring them back. Still, I'm sure they must have despaired at times during those years and felt pretty hopeless about being away from home for such a long time.

I read today that our sins often make us feel hopeless and despair and sometimes it could even be someone else's sinful decisions or actions that make us feel this way. We can't control other people but often their sins directly affect us. I think in these circumstances we just have to remember and believe that God has a good plan and future for all of us. If you are confused about what that plan for your life is or how to hear from God personally, I would love to pray for you or converse with you.

...across the room for cabin number seven.....

2009-08-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

This morning I did something I've never done before. I dropped one of my grandchildren off at camp. I couldn't believe how hard it was to leave him in this cabin, walk to my car and start my 4 1/2 hour drive back home!

He seemed a tad nervous so I decided to make it a two day outing. I picked him up at home for the drive to the big city to find a nice hotel where we could spend the evening and night. He chose the hotel (with my approval) and seemed quite pleased with his choice. The food was "the best" "awesome" and "very tasty" and his queen bed was "the best bed ever"! While I checked into the hotel he made conversation with the desk clerk who seemed quite taken with him. After checking our room I escorted him to the hotel restaurant which included a slight detour to the hotel gift store which he decided was an "antique store". I'm not quite sure why. Before entering the restaurant proper he read the menu posted in the entry and then discussed it with the host. Together they decided he would not leave hungry; the clincher being that ice-cream would be included with his meal! After cleaning our plates it was obvious the pool was beckoning and he had little patience to wait for our check. I had to make it clear we could not leave without paying for our meal and then made the mistake of glancing out the window by which time he had left the table in search of our waitress with said check!

An hour in the pool with two new friends prepared him for a good night's rest. Good enough to sleep until the alarm woke both of us at the same time! This is unusual for this early bird!

I can find my way around the big city but I never get anywhere fast due to the fact that I lose all sense of direction and simply always feel the necessity to turn right. Right always seems right to me! Lucky for me this 9 yr. old is fluent in map and helped me find my way out of the city including a stop at the Golden Arches where he ordered a "sausage and bacon McMuffin" (something they don't have a key for on their till! LOL!) I guess he's the first to order one! It was, of course, the "Best Ever Breakfast!"

We arrived at the camp in record time, thanks to my little navigator! Registration was a breeze and meeting his camp counsellor was a very pleasant surprise. Since this was his first time at camp I had hoped that he would get a great counsellor. Someone he would mesh with. I liked him immediately and I could tell he did too. In fact he walked us to cabin number seven where wonder of wonders the top bunks were not spoken for yet! We got my little man all settled in and introduced to another first time camper. I could see he was settling in for the duration, got my hug, and said my good-byes. After a short walk back towards my car I decided to go back to the cabin and take just one tiny little picture for my little "grandchild picture collection". I couldn't help but smile as I walked in to find him as well as his new buddy sitting on their bunks writing in their notebooks! I got my picture for my collection and left. Again!

On my drive home I kept remembering his cabin with the closed door and I wondered what this experience will be like for him. I also thought how trusting it is of his parents, his Papa and I to leave him with total strangers like this. The family that usually protects him, cares for him and watches over him are hours away from him. Then I thought of the people in charge of the camp and all these little campers! What a tremendous responsibility they take on every year as they welcome these kids into their care. It didn't take long for me to start praying for everyone there. Not just my grandson, but the other campers, and everyone involved in providing this experience for these kids. Some are obviously college students who could be making a lot more money elsewhere. I admire them for basically donating their time during the summer months so that kids can have a place like this to come to. Working at a camp is not something I would enjoy but I can participate by remembering to pray and committing all to God's care! I am also in a position to send kids to camp which is what we did for our grandson this year. What a great way to be involved in this fantastic ministry!

...across the room to quote Mark Twain...

2009-08-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

"Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry."

Mark Twain

This quote reminded me of my days in the funeral service industry. One of my favourite aspects of my duties as a funeral director was to help families write an obituary. I was always disappointed when they offered to write their own! With experience I developed my own way of getting the information I needed to come up with a write-up that would be honoring to the deceased and a special keep sake for the family. Through family feed back I also realized that this exercise was healing for them as they laughed and cried their way through memories and special events they related to me.

Sometimes of course I was given information that was not conducive to printing in the local newspaper and editing would be necessary. Death can bring to light the most awful truths in a family. Like a secret mistress who suddenly feels she has some rights and needs to participate in the funeral proceedings. I could write a book on the terrible things that people sometimes have to deal with in addition to the loss of their family member!

Thankfully though, the norm was to meet with families who had a good relationship with their loved one. I have always loved biographies and auto biographies so it was just natural for me to listen to families reminisce and talk about their loved one. As they talked I would make notes and ask questions. I preferred to do the write-up after they left the funeral home. It meant that I didn't have to hurry but more importantly, I would usually make an appointment with them to meet at their house so that we could look at it together and I could see where and how they lived. Often by the time I had their stamp of approval to send it to print i would find myself telling them "I really wish I could have known your "loved one"! Many times I just knew I would have enjoyed knowing that person.

Every person has a story to tell. Another aspect of funeral service is to prearrange funerals for people. This is not nearly as intense or sad because nothing has happened yet. There has been no loss. I remember one couple in particular who came to see me in the office to prearrange their funerals. We laughed and talked as we made all the arrangements. Later she told me that when she went home she called her sister and told her "We made our funeral prearrangements today and did we every have a great time! You should go too!" Her sister's response was "You are crazy!"

Often as I heard people's life stories I would tell them "Why have you not written a book about your life!" There are some amazing stories and heroes living right in our neighbourhoods! Do you know your neighbour? Your might be very surprised at their life story! These are the people I got to meet, know and enjoy before their time on earth is up!

Have you ever wondered about your story? Have you ever tried to write your life story or at least a certain aspect of it? It's a great exercise to get it down on paper even if it is just for your own eyes. You may just start dancing for JOY and THANKSGIVING for the life that you have. Or it could help you sort out some of your difficulties if you are experiencing struggles. There's nothing like seeing your life in black and white to gain insight, provide clarity, and pave the way for tomorrow!

....across the room to share my family......

2009-07-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

There was at least one goofy looking person in every picture we took this weekend so I'll have to post more than one. We should know not to take pictures at the END of a long day! Next time we will get that over with closer to the beginning of the day. It was our great pleasure to finally get our family together for at least one day this weekend. These four little ones do not see each other often and yet they got along famously except for a very popular pretty pair of pink shoes that kept getting "stolen" because "I just wanted to look like a bootiful pwincess"!

During the day all the males in the family took in the Alberta Air Show and had a fantastic time while the women lunched, napped and talked our faces off like most women do when they get together after a long absence! The month for birthdays in our family is definitely July so that was our excuse to have a yummy birthday cake after a scrumptious dinner of potato salad, garden salad, and chicken and pork kabobs on the BBQ.

Later the driveway got decorated with sidewalk chalk and we were even able to get the new kites up in the air. It seems like the entire day was a buzz of activity, chatter, lots of laughter and expressions of love for one another. Considering how I can weep about anything these days I'm surprised I can see my screen right now! I feel so blessed to have such a loving and wonderful family!

...across the room to make good on a promise...

2009-07-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the most insignificant deed can turn into a very pleasant "big deal"!

That was my experience today as I made good on a promise to a special friend of mine...a promise made a number of years ago. I remember very clearly the day she so very nicely made her request to some day, when I had time, when I was ready, be given a ride on the back of my Harley Davidson motorbike. Deb lives on the way to one of my favourite coffee/lunch places approximately 35 minutes from my home. We decided that I would pick her up for coffee this afternoon and we would go on my bike! I was not surprised to find her waiting for me wearing a nice pair of jeans (I had nixed the "longer shorts" idea), ankle boots complete with pointy toes and little spikey heels (I said no to gym shoes!), soft caramel coloured lamb skin leather jacket (because I said leather, not fabric) with matching gloves (I said, please wear them even though it's hot outside!), and of course, her designer sunglasses to match her jacket! Always the fashion statement...that's my friend Deb!

She loved the ride, especially on the way back since by then she saw that she could trust my riding skills. Perhaps I put the fear into her by being overly demanding of her riding attire! I think I enjoyed providing the ride as much as she enjoyed being the passenger, but more than that, we both thoroughly enjoyed our two hour visit! One of the greatest blessings in life is to have a friend with whom you can share matters of the heart. Deb is one of those people in my life. There's something very relaxing about knowing you are understood especially when you are sharing rather controversial material. On the flip side it is an honour to be trusted with another persons thoughts and words. When you never have to mention the word confidential you know you are in the company of a very trusting and safe friend.

What started out to be the fulfillment of a promise turned into an amazing afternoon of bonding with an amazing friend!

....across the room for peace....

2009-07-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts"

WOW! That really caught my attention in church this morning. Can you listen to an entire sermon and hear only one thing? It's happened to me before. Today it was that sentence from the Bible in the book of Colossians 3:15a. What does that mean for us on a day to day basis?

If I could remember to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart in every situation in my life I dare say my life would look very different. For instance.....

*I could forfeit my rights to let the other person feel good about themselves

*Maybe, just maybe I could let that other person learn from their own mistakes instead of trying to correct them

*Rather than looking at a problem as a hazard or an obstacle perhaps I could see it as an opportunity as the pastor mentioned this morning

*I need not take offence at someone talking down to me like they tend to do at a business I frequent in my city

*The words "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" could become part of my daily vocabulary

The Christian Motorcycle Association was represented in the church we were at this morning. This organization has come up with a beautiful and very meaningful patch that you get to wear on your jacket or vest if you are a member. However, not just anybody gets to be a member. You have to qualify. They want to be sure that as a member of their Association you are letting the peace of Christ rule your heart in every situation (my interpretation).

How much more so should I then allow the peace of Christ to rule my heart! After all, I belong to the family of God and as a Christian, I'm sporting the seal of the Holy Spirit! Every day, I ask this of my Lord:

"Search me O God, and know my heart

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me

and lead me in the way everlasting"

Psalm 139:23,24

"May the Words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in Thy sight

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer"

Psalm 19:14

Note: We were at Centre Street Church in Calgary this morning but unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the person speaking!

...across the room to celebrate summer.....

2009-07-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

The blog has been a little on the heavy side lately so I thought I would share some of the sunshine in my life for a change. This spring, for some reason I felt the need to buy some new "summer dishes". I had broken a few of the dishes I use every day and felt the need for a new set, something bright and cheery. However, this was to be my year of curbing my spending and I just wasn't sure whether I should give in to this desire or not. I had been eyeing these pretty bright dishes at our local Safeway store and decided finally that if they went on sale I would get them. Not too long ago I needed a few things from the store late in the evening and there they were again! Discounted and waiting for me to take them home and now one of the bright spots in my day is waking up to these dishes, coffee, and whatever else my heart desires. I use that big plate even though I'm just having a little piece of toast, a muffin or some fruit and cheese! Even raisin bran tastes good in those beautiful big bowls!! I love my new dishes and I'm not sorry I bought them :)

...across the room for a sermon...

2009-07-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

I was reminded again yesterday that my God is a God of order. He is not about chaos and confusion. If you have read my last two blogs you will see that I have been through a valley in my life. I have experienced Psalm 23 in a very real way recently. God showed Himself to be faithful and a present help in my time of trouble. He used His Scriptures to lead me through my troubles and also to encourage me. Then on Sunday He used a sermon to put it all into perspective! "Where Is God In My Darkness" was the title of the sermon. I immediately rummaged through my purse for my pen because I knew I was going to hear from God. In our darkness we often don't look for God because we're too busy trying to find our own way. He referred to that period of time as "Pain of life without God". Once a person has known what it is like to have God in one's life there is no satisfaction of life without acknowledging Him. We thirst for that relationship when we allow something to come between us and Him and we are broken because of losing what used to be. Discouragement sets in as well as a sense of isolation because suddenly we feel abandoned even though we are the one that has done the abandoning! We experience an overwhelming sense of helplessness when the pressure of the situation is uninterrupted and we feel lost, as though we're living without any direction. Exhaustion sets in, and I think that could be mental, emotional and physical. We've gone from a spiritual high to a spiritual low because we've pushed God away in a sense and we really feel that distancing. I'm amazed at how just one area of disobedience or sin in our lives will cause us to feel so disconnected from God. I really do not like to go there!

To restore our life with God we have to recognize the problem and admit where we are at. It is good to remember the past experiences with God as they will encourage and strengthen us. We have to make intentional choices like eating, sleeping properly and surrounding ourselves with people who will lift us up instead of drag us down. Committing ourselves to a life of worship and trusting in God who has told us He will never leave us or forsake us will restore our life with God.

If we have ever had a relationship with God and then leave Him out for a period of time we will find that we really miss Him and the only cure for our darkness is to turn back to Him by repenting and accepting His forgiveness and embracing His love and grace.

That's a very abbreviated version of the message in our church on Sunday. I thought it was great! It was for me! Thank you Lord for showing me one more time how intimately you know me, what I need and what is best for me!

...across the room to give thanks....

2009-07-10T23:27:00.000-07:00

To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. You rescue those who are humble......As for God, his way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true.…Psalm 18:25-27,30 NLT

Promises such as the following.....

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control......Galatians 5:22 NLT
....ahhh yes! It is the Holy Spirit inside the life of every devoted Christian that helps us to persevere through those struggles that overwhelm us at times. I don't know why I'm always surprised by God's faithfulness and help to me. I know it comes from Him because I cannot change my heart on my own. It is impossible. I can try to change my mind, my will, my actions but I cannot change my heart. My heart has needed some repair work lately and although I knew that, sometimes I let myself stumble onto a path that feels good to me for awhile and then when I realize that I'm heading into a situation that will cause a mess for me I have a hard time turning back because by now it may be a matter of pride, "justifiable or righteous anger", or just stubborn will! When I get into a situation like that I know that God is very near, I can feel Him close, and I know that He is waiting for me to make my move. It reminds me of when the Israelites saw the Egyptians closing in on them by the Red Sea. They were so scared and crying for God to rescue them. God's answer to them was to "get moving"! Well that's been me this last while. Praying and crying for God to do something. Finally I heard Him "Get Moving Elayne"! That left me with a choice....do what is right, or drown in my sea of frustration. Well, I decided to start moving. Moving to a state of repentance, forgiveness and obedience. Oh what a sweet spot. Humbling , yes, but so very sweet. It brings me right into the arms of Jesus, as close as the air that touches my skin. I just KNOW I'm forgiven, hugged, squeezed, and I feel completely whole again.
Larry Holder wrote this song that describes my grateful heart today.....

You love me as a Father loves His child

Your boundless grace pours out to me;

I am fully reconciled.

Your Spirit calls, and I reply,

"Lord lead me day by day

To know Your perfect will, Your holy Way."

My one desire - to know You in the fullness of Your Grace

To hear "Well done, my precious one"

when we meet face to face

Lord, I aspire to please You in obedience and faith

For You, my God, are worthy of all praise.

Your favor has sustained me all my days

The faithfulness You've shown to me;

Oh, how awesome are Your ways.

My heart cries out; I can't contain

The joy that lives in me,

To know that You give life, abundantly!

As night gives way to morning

I'll arise to meet the dawn

As Your Spirit deep within me

Gives me strength to carry on,

Carry on...

My one desire - to know You in the fullness of Your Grace

To hear "Well done, my precious one"

when we meet face to face

Lord, I aspire to please You in obedience and faith

For You, my God, are worthy of all praise.

My greatest desire in life is to be completely devoted to my God....to passionately worship Him with my life and be totally committed to His will and His way for me.

...across the room to make room for grizzly's.....

2009-07-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

This blog is supposed to be a place for me to express myself and yet so much of the time I hold back from saying what I really want to say because I'm afraid it might offend someone (yeah, REALLY! ... just in case some of you might think I'm already too outspoken :)

I have to admit that I am struggling with some issues at the moment that once again, I feel I just am not ready to write about today. The past few weeks have tested me in many ways and at this point in time I find I have the head knowledge to know what some of the answers are but my heart and my will feel sluggish. Fear, disbelief, anger, frustration, disappointment, heartache and pain are interspersed with peace, reassurance, calm, joy, and gladness. This is my reminder that God indwells me by the presence of His Holy Spirit who comforts, reassures, and calms me whenever I get over myself and focus on Him and what it is He would have me to do. I admit that this past while there have been many moments (OK, well HOURS!...DAYS, even?!) when it just felt better to feed my "self" and wallow some. That, however, is not a place I'm comfortable in for long any more and I THANK MY GOD for that! I'm so thankful that He is patient with me and allows me to pace myself on this journey with Him. I have every confidence that when I have worked through the tough stuff I will look back and be grateful for sloshing through the valley!!

A little reprieve for me was a five day ride on my Harley as far as Osoyoose, BC where I met up with my guy who had ridden to Vancouver a week earlier. I spent a night in Fernie where I discovered a fabulous little coffee shop "Cincott Farms Organic Market". Should you be lucky enough to travel through Fernie at breakfast time you would want to order the spinach and black pepper gouda breakfast croissant. Trust me that all that butter is well worth the calories just this once! A definite highlight of our little get away was the sight of a magnificent grizzly bear on a mission to cross the highway in front of us! I really believe it was those disgustingly obnoxious noisy pipes on our bikes that made him change his mind about completing his mission and it boggles my mind how quickly that huge animal turned back and disappeared into the forest. It all happened so fast we only had time to brake hard enough to smoke our tires and no time to be afraid!! It was after the fact that I began to wonder whether one of us would have had to hit him! I was so mesmerized by how shiny his beautiful brown coat was in the sunshine I didn't even think about fearing that big beast! He was stunning!

As we continued our trip I thought about how determined and focused that bear seemed to get somewhere and how quickly he had to change his mind and back track. Does it remind you of anyone? Yourself? Sometimes I'm so sure of the path I'm on and yet it is a path that could lead me into danger or destruction. God uses all kinds of ways to get me to back track and change my direction. Most often He uses the instructions in the Bible; sometimes a friend or a book; sometimes it's a sermon or a song.

This morning I heard a sermon on "An Introduction To The Book Of Romans". The book was written by Tertius but was dictated by Paul. Paul's credentials are listed as "...a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News." God equipped Paul to minister throughout the Roman empire through his Hebrew Heritage, Greek country of origin, and his Roman citizenship. The Pastor said that just as God equipped Paul for the work that He wanted him to do, so God equips us for what He wants us to do. That is why when we go through tough times, the valleys of life, we do so with a certain amount of anticipation of how God will use those trials to equip us, and strengthen our faith and trust in Him.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow...." James 1:2-4a

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

2009-06-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable how low some people will stoop for a REAL bike ride! This guy was so desperate to try my bike he even went to buy a new helmet and boots. Seems to me he had new gloves as well.

I don't allow just anyone to ride my bike though. I am very particular about that and fiercely protective of my Harley but must admit I have a tough time dealing with grovelling. And grovelling is what was happening here!

Honestly! What do you do with this kind of desperation? I just made sure he promised much before I handed those keys over and then watched him ride away. I have no idea where in the world he was going when he took off so when he left I was on my knees as close to the ground as possible praying for safety. He appeared to be heading towards the embankment when he suddenly veered right and disappeared down the street to the bottom of the hill. Slow down my racing heart!

(in all honesty, it was my pleasure to allow my brother-in-law Larry to enjoy an afternoon of riding on my Harley and must thank him for the posing!)

2009-06-02T21:35:00.001-07:00

After my last post I felt I had to follow up with a picture and short note about my day. I went for my usual early morning walk with a few friends which gave me just enough time to get cleaned up for coffee out with a few more friends. One of those friends is from out of province and since we don't see each other often any more she decided we should celebrate my birthday early (my birthday is July 3rd!) I told her it was actually my sister's birthday and I had planned to celebrate her birthday that day! So I ended up getting a gift from my friend and buying another gift for myself for my sister's birthday! What a crazy day!

I shopped and shopped and couldn't find anything I thought was appropriate and was about to give up when I spotted these two mugs. I love everything about these mugs! Each had it's own gift box and came complete with two packages of hot chocolate mix and a ceramic spoon. How appropriate! Jean loved coffee and I don't know of anyone who loved chocolate more than she did! I guess some of my fellow bloggers might think that's debatable?! The French Bistro scene was the deciding factor and since it just isn't right to buy only one mug I picked up two....one for me and one for someone to share a cup of coffee with. I even found some bite sized chocolates to go with the cup of coffee! Every time I use these mugs I will be reminded of all the cups of coffee, conversation and laughs I shared with my sister.

...across the room and out the door for fun and laughter....

2009-06-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special day. Bittersweet for me, but a special day nonetheless. This is my sister Jean's first birthday in heaven. I wonder if they celebrate birthdays there? If they do, it will be the best one she has ever had! I am going to try to make this a day of celebrating rather than a day of tears and sadness. I did that all day yesterday. I rode my motorbike for two hours crying most of the time. Note to self: Must not cry on motorbike!

I was telling a friend of mine one day that I don't have anything in my possession that belonged to Jean and I really wanted something like that. She suggested that on her birthday I go shopping and find something that reminded me of her. So today I am spending time with that friend and I will go shopping to see what I can come up with that reminds me of Jean! Sounds like a good day to me!

Many times since November when Jean left us for heaven I have spent time looking at pictures of her. I could never get through them without shedding many tears. This morning I just looked at a few and the thing that struck me once again is that she is always laughing or smiling big smiles. Today I want to concentrate on fun and laughter in memory of my dear sister with whom I shared so many good laughs! Happy Birthday Jean! I love you and miss you but I know I'm going to see you again to continue our love of laughter!

...across the room to protest....

2009-05-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

"I don't plan to grow old gracefully. I plan to have face-lifts until my ears meet." Rita Rudner

I went for a walk in one of our parks recently and just as I was about to start walking a lady drove up in a very fancy sporty car and parked right beside mine. When I go for my morning walk I don't wear any make-up, simply run my fingers through my hair, and dress in some sort of comfortable work out clothes and shoes. You can imagine my surprise when this women got out of her car dressed in three inch heels, tight skirt, hair and make-up perfectly arranged and applied to spend some time in the park exercising her dog! Each to his/her own though, right? I couldn't help but take a closer look at her and realized that I knew this person but had not seen her for probably ten years or more. At her age I would expect to see some changes after ten years but not the kind I saw that day. I'm sure her lips are twice the size they were at one time and honestly I don't think her face moved at all when she smiled at me other than her lips looked even bigger!!

"We are in this awful youth-driven thing where everybody needs to look 30 at 60, but I'm not fiddling about with myself." British actress Emma Thompson

Later that day I was amazed again as I did some business with a young lady who had obviously been distressed by her bra size and now had two extremely firm, unmovable breasts spilling out of her top and pointing directly at me! I noticed them before I saw her face. She probably spent all her money on her breasts and had nothing left over for her lips so she just simply decided to enlarge the circumference with a $7.95 lip pencil. A brown lip pencil. It was all I could do to control my impulse to take the used tissue in my purse and start rubbing it off! Honestly! Could it be that she looked in the mirror after applying that dark circle under her nose and say "THAT'S perfect, and just the way I like me to look today!" How can it be?!

"Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end." Jerry Seinfeld

I like to experiment with make-up and hair like most women but I feel sad that men and especially women take such drastic measures to change their appearances. Who are we listening to and why? Who is to say that my lips are too small, my nose too big, my breasts too small? And do I have to redecorate my house every year because this year the colours are orange, purple and putty and last years monochromatic greys are old and tired looking? Who says everybody should wear the same hair style; the same heel height; the same skirt length?When do we just simply say "This is what I like" and be happy and confident with our own preferences and ability to choose what is suitable for us.

After all that, I think just for today I shall leave my face completely NAKED in honour of Elayne's Day of Protest!!

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

2009-05-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

I dropped the grandkids off at their home today and on my way home I was thinking about a conversation I had with my eight year old grandson today. We had to deal with an "issue" and he needed some time to think about it so he went to "his room" until lunch was ready. Their's was ready before mine so they thanked Jesus for their food so they could start eating. When I sat down to eat I guess I prayed a bit long so they wanted to know what I was doing? I explained I had been praying to which my grandson added "That's what I was doing in my room before". I asked what he had been praying about and he said "I asked God to help me get out of this mess!"

As I was thinking about this moment I was also praying for him and some other people on my mind. I find that my car is the best place for me to pray. No interruptions and I can feel free to express myself in whatever way I want because I really don't pay attention to whether or not other drivers are looking. They can just think I'm crazy if they want :) As I was thinking and praying suddenly one particular song in my CD player seemed to play louder than any of the other songs to that point. It didn't take long and I had tears streaming down my face. I know, it's not cool to cry and drive ... but hey, when the Spirit moves you just follow His lead!! I'll try to remember some of the words:

He's ever interceding to the Father for His children.

Yes, He's ever interceding to the Father for His own.

Through Him you can reach the Father,

so bring Him all your heavy burdens.

Yes, for you He's interceding,

so come boldly to the throne!

Just like sheep we've gone astray

Struggling 'neath the debt we could not pay.

Not ever hoping to renew

the love and fellowship that we once knew.

But He began to intercede -

crying Father please forgive, I plead

And as the nails pierced through His hand

God once again reached out to man.

And He's ever interceding

to the Father for His children.

Yes He's ever interceding to the Father for His own.

Through Him you can reach the Father

so bring Him all your heavy burdens.

Yes for you He's interceding

so come boldly to the throne!

So many times I find I'm almost speechless (hard to believe, I know!) when I am praying. I was trying to visualize what Jesus speaking to God on my behalf might look and sound like. All I can say is I was a mess by the time that song was over! What a great GOOD MESS!

...across the room to fall?

2009-05-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

What a day! Was I always sweating like this when I was a young Mommy or is it just the Nana's that work so hard at looking after these little charges? I could have used 13 showers today but there was no time for that! We had things to do and places to visit.

The day started off with a trip to the lake (missed church this morning....sorry Mommy & Daddy) for lunch and a walk-about. Sadly the little princess fell and wrecked up her knees after which she walked around with her skirt bunched up at her waist exposing her diaper and tummy for all the world to see because nothing and no one could touch those poor knees after that.

By the time we got home she was feeling so incredibly sorry for herself she pretty well put herself down for a nap and slept 2 1/2 hours!

Meanwhile my little guy made friends with "Poppy" the neighbour and as you can see the infatuation is reciprocated! They have a date for 10:30 AM tomorrow for their second walk.

It took some convincing but they finally agreed to be taken to a different playground than the usual one and ended up loving it. After begging some cheese for both of them off a family trying to have a private little picnic I scooped up the little princess and took them both home for our very own sausage and pasta picnic.

We've all had lots of fresh air, plenty of activity, giggles and laughter, and oodles of talks and we are so ready for a good night's sleep. One of my favourite "talks" tonight was hearing the princess say "This is the best days ever!" and my little man asking how many arms I thought God might have. Could it be a million?"

Tomorrow they go back home and right now I can't even imagine coming home to an empty house so I won't go there just yet!

....across the room for crocs, shades and Royalty....

2009-05-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

The Royals have graced our home once again and that usually means the writer suffers from "bleary, dry and burning eyes" for a few days. By dinner time tonight I wondered if I had ever felt this tired before. Nothing has changed except for the fact that they're a little older this time. It just means they' ve got more energy than last time and a lot more than I've ever had!

Requests for breakfast this morning were made last night and included "bacon, eggs and toast, although I won't have any toast"! I made the toast too. The itinerary today was written in stone before I had a chance to review it. "I need a pweasent" meant a trip to the mall for new crocs. It was easier than anticipated what with the little princess doing all her own negotiating....."Man, can I have Dowa Cwocs?" and "Man, I need to see dis one!" and a little later, "Man, I need some shades!" They entertained the staff enough to leave the store with big fat sugar laden donuts. One each! UGG! Getting the shades required a trek down the mall past the store that sells the dreaded scooters! Lucky for the little man they were half price and this Nana could not resist! He's such a natural....just hopped on and started doing stunt-ery type stuff much to this Nana's chagrin!!

McD's is a given for lunch and after that came a special request for the "Pet Store". Ever tried dragging a three year old away from "fish-ees"? Let's just say EVERYBODY in the store heard and saw us leave!

Nap time is our, er, my favourite part of the afternoon. The princess was in dire need of it and it's always a special time for the little man to have some one-on-one Nana time. We washed the front door, window, one side window which apparently was "extremely dirty" and then we played. It was mentioned during this playtime that some chocolate chip muffins would be really good to eat out of doors on a sunny day like today! In twenty-five minutes we munched on chocolate chip muffins INSIDE! It was illustrated to me how much better they are when dunked in milk! This Nana is still not convinced.

Next on the aforementioned agenda was a trip to the park they never get tired of going to. As usual they met new friends and the little princess ended up running after a grown up man pushing him and saying "I'M the king!" Apparently he was not welcome on the play structure she wanted to play on. I noticed he just couldn't stay away and enjoyed the "game" as much as she did. Meanwhile his own three little guys were playing on a different structure with his girlfriend!!

Dinner was to be at our house and the request was for Nana's soup and hot dogs but without the bun. The soup was creamed and hid some of the nasty veggies that some people I know would turn their noses up at. Mushrooms, green beans, celery, onions (YES, onions!) and potato were enthusiastically slurped up!

Dinner was followed by baths and then to end the night a hilarious movie complete with popcorn! Where do they leave all that food!!

And so once again, my usual orderly house has that decidedly lived in look and I for one would rather see a coffee table laden with little plastic dishes and toys than a fancy candle holder any day! Sweet dream, little ones! Tomorrow is another HEAVY day!!

...across the room to walk.....

2009-05-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

SHOES! Have you tried buying a good pair of shoes lately? I have wasted so much money on shoes in my life time it's downright shameful! Been there, done that, when it comes to high heels and pointy toes and trying to fool people into believing "they're so COMFORTABLE I could shop in them all day"! Let's face it. Forcing your feet into a shoe shaped anything other than your foot is not comfortable and I have been the queen of uncomfortable shoes for many years. I remember a few years ago being given a beautiful pair of black, pink and white heels by a friend who was moving away. They looked great on my feet and with one particular outfit I had. I was speaking to a group of women one day and decided to wear those very high heels with my special outfit. Before I got up to speak they had a podiatrist do a presentation. As soon as they introduced him as a podiatrist I felt uncomfortable and just automatically tucked my feet under my chair. Fortunately he had to leave the group as soon as he was done. I teetered up the steps to the podium in my very high heels and told my audience "I NEVER wear shoes like this and I can't believe that today of ALL DAYS I would have to choose these horrible shoes to wear!".... followed by "But are they not perfect for this outfit?" to which I received a standing ovation!!

So now I'm at the point in my life where comfort has become more important that style. Don't get me wrong. I'm all over fashion and style but just not at the expense of my feet anymore. That is not to say I will never wear those stupid pointy shoes just because they look better with my outfit but hopefully I will do it less than I used to.

I've been searching for a good walking shoe for a long time and since recently I noticed that my shins were hurting all the time I was forced to get out there and make a decision. It's astounding to me that shoes in the $150 - $175 price range still have very little cushioning for the feet. I tried several pair and found nothing satisfying. Then I spotted some rather ugly shoes in a separate area in the store. My attention was drawn to the shape of the soles. They didn't look like they'ld be easy to walk in but when I tried them on I felt like I was walking on a trampoline. I wanted to jump. I actually DID jump a little....something the sales clerk found rather amusing! They were pricey but I couldn't justify spending $175 on the best pair I had found before I spotted the STRETCH WALKER by Xsensible. They claim it's probably the most comfortable walking shoe on the planet. I hope so because at $230 a pop (and I usually buy a new pair of walking shoes every year) they better keep my feet happy for a long time!

If my camera battery was charged I would show a picture of my black and silver Stretch Walkers but you'll just have to take my word for it that they were the cutest of all the ugly shoes in that grouping!