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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE RIVER ..... by Brian Doerksen

To the river, I am going,

bringing sins I cannot bear

Come and cleanse me, come forgive me

Lord I need to meet you there.

Precious Jesus, I am ready

To surrender every care.

Take my hand now, lead me closer

Lord I need to meet you there.

In these waters, healing mercy

Flows with freedom from despair

I am going, to that river

Lord I need to meet you there.

Precious Jesus, I am ready

To surrender every care.

Take my hand now, lead me closer

Lord I need to meet you there.

Come and join us in the river

Come find rest beyond compare

He is calling, He is waiting

Jesus longs to meet us all there.

Precious Jesus, I am ready

To surrender every care.

Take my hand now, lead me closer

Lord I need to meet you there.

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

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

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

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

THE WAY I SEE IT.....

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

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

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

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

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

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

JABBERWOCKY

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabes

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand;

Long time the manxome foe he sought -

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

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

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh, Callay!"

He chortled in his joy.

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From the hands it came down

from the side it came down

from the feet it came down

and ran to the ground.

Between heaven and hell

a teardrop fell

in the deep crimson dew

the tree of life grew.

And the blood gave life

to the branches of the tree

and the blood was the price

that set the captives free.

And the numbers that came

through the fire and the flood

clung to the tree

and were redeemed by the blood.

From the tree streamed a light

that started the fight

round the tree grew a vine

on whose fruit I could dine.

My old friend Lucifer came

fought to keep me in chains

but I saw through the tricks

of six sixty-six.

And the blood gave life

to the branches of the tree

and the blood was the price

that set the captives free.

And the numbers that came

through the fire and the flood

Clung to the tree

and were redeemed by the blood.

From His hands it came down

From his side it came down

from the feet it came down

and ran to the ground.

And the small inner voice

said you do have a choice

the vine engrafted me

and I clung to the tree.

And the blood gave life

to the branches of the tree

and the blood was the price

that set the captives free.

And the numbers that came

through the fire and the flood

I clung to the tree

and was redeemed by the blood.

From His hands it came down

from His side it came down

from the feet it came down

and ran to the ground.