"Have We Got Any Peanuts?"

How to Knit Correctly... and Other Things that Grandma Taught Me.

2011-02-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

"What are you doing?" my Grandma asked.
"Knitting." I said. (I thought the wool and knitting needles made that rather apparent.)
"No you're not," she retorted, "that's not knitting. Stop that right now."

This conversation was the beginning of one of my favourite memories of my Grandma Klassen and, since I've taken up knitting again, I think of her often while I knit the "correct" way. You see, Grandma was born in Russia so of course she learned how to knit the European way or what is commonly known as the Continental Method. I first learned how to knit from some friends while I was away in Bible School (Canada) so I learned the English style - the wrong way, according to Grandma.

She was very patient with me as she demonstrated over and over & I tried to relearn the way I had been doing it for years. The continental method is not easy to learn, wrapping the yarn around your fingers with just the right tension, never letting the wool out of your hands and wrapping the stitches with your left hand and not your right. I was ready to give up so many times.

But she knew something that I didn't know.
When I mastered it I would be able to knit twice as fast as before.
And she was right.

To this day I am grateful for that knitting lesson.
But Grandma taught me so much more than that...she taught me by her example and how she lived. Grandma went through some pretty tough times in her life and yet her motto was always "it is what it is." I'm pretty sure that she had plenty of days when she doubted God but she trusted in Him until her last breath.

Today would have been Grandma's 98th birthday, she's been gone for quite a while now - I still miss her. Now I'm an 'Oma' and I just pray that when my grandson looks back on my life, what I said and what I did will have left the same impact on him as Grandma left upon me.

A Glimpse of Spring

2011-01-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, Peter, one of church family members shared with us about the season of winter. Not the actual growing season of snow and cold of the environment around us but the season of winter in our hearts. The times when we go through loss and hurt and disappointment.

It's a hard subject to talk about or, for that matter, even to listen too but Peter spoke to us from a heart that is, unfortunately, all too familiar with the subject and, as I listened, I found myself thinking back to my life's seasons. I have to admit, though I don't want to (I'd rather live in denial thank you very much) that this last year has been a bit of a winter for me. Letting go of some dreams and picturing them now through a heavy dose of reality? Watching my friends go through illness and my family go through loss? Not my favourite way to pass the time and a really good way to lose sleep.

I get it. I get that I need these times to grow in my faith but I'm impatient and what I really want is Spring and green and warmth and light.

So at the end of his message I was feeling a little heavy. Don't get me wrong, the message was awesome, it just gave me a LOT to think about.

Then the most wonderful little thing happened... Peter invited the worship team up to end the service. He said we were going to sing "Come, Now is the Time to Worship." I was in the back that Sunday and there had been no Sunday School that morning so all the kids were in the back with their parents. The drums kicked in, the music got louder and suddenly the children started to dance. They jumped into the aisle and just started to dance.

It was something... we all stood there smiling and watching and enjoying.
They had no worries.
They were being watched over by those who loved them.
And in their happy faces and dancing feet we all saw, and were reminded of, a season of Spring.

Snow Day

2010-11-25T14:25:00.000-08:00

It's been snowing all day. It started last night and it hasn't stopped. The weatherman told us it was coming and I can't say that I was surprised but still I'm not happy.

I don't like snow. And I don't understand why people do. I just spent a while on Facebook and you should see the statuses... everyone seems so happy about it! Yes it's pretty and you can have some fun in it... if you don't mind being wet and cold. It's quiet and peaceful. That's about it.

So I've spent most of the day making the best of it and trying not to grumble (yes I realize that this blog is sounding very grumbly) or resent the disruption of my day. I cleaned my house and vacuumed, I cleaned the fish tank, did my dishes and washed the kitchen floor. And I'm blogging - something I've neglected for a long time. And while I've been checking off a long neglected to-do list I've been mulling this over, wondering why I'm feeling so out of sorts.

Yes there are the obvious reasons... dangerous driving conditions, missing work, shovelling, slipping & sliding. But I think the thing is that I am truly a West Coast girl. I live on the West of British Columbia and have my whole life. I've grown up with rain, living on the edge of the rain forest. I love the smell of the wet earth, green and musty. I love the sound it makes on my roof and I love how I can smell it in the air when it's coming.

We've been told that this winter we should expect cold weather and lots of snow. I guess this is my way of venting and bracing myself for it. I guess that I will have to make the most of my "snow days" and learn to accept them when they come. There isn't a whole lot I can do about it is there? So you know what? "Singin' in the Rain" is on TV and I'm going to watch it and enjoy every minute of it. I think that's the closest I'm going to get to rain today.

Full Circle

2010-09-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Whew....it's been a year.
And when I say that I am not talking about counting the last 365 days either.

Last August 29th our lives took a definite hairpin turn (not just a bend) in the road and the rollercoaster ride began. We gained a son-in-law, a grandson, another son-in-law and lost a nephew in just under 365 days.
Like I said...whew.

So last weekend Tony and I went back to Princeton, where we were when this whole rollercoaster ride began. We felt we needed to go back there and finish what we started.

And it was good.
Being able to reflect on the past year and seeing that, even though it didn't seem like it at times, God was there with us through this whole journey. He saw us through the disappointments, the fear, the busy-ness, the stress and the joy. I don't know how many times I read Jeremiah 29:11 during this time.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
In the middle of it all I'm not sure I believed it, in fact there were times that I was downright mad at God and told Him so and questioned His plans for me and my family.

Too bad that hindsight is always 20/20 and our foresight is sometimes non-existent. Now that this year is done I can say "Yup, it wasn't so bad. God was with us." It sounds so trite and I'm sorry that it does.

But He was.

"It's A Mystery!"

2010-07-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

I love a good mystery.

We had a couple of mysterious happenings this morning at church and it got me to thinking about how much fun they can be and how much I enjoy them.

Yes I know there are plenty of bad mysteries out there but today I'm talking about the fun ones - like who gave you the anonymous Valentine's card, where exactly is Noah's ark or, like what happened to Pastor Wes this morning, who washed your car for you while you weren't looking!? It's a mystery!

This is probably why I love geocaching so much. I tie on my hiking boots, grab my gps and drive to a trailhead. Looking out over a huge forest-covered mountain I think "there's something hidden out there just waiting for me to find it. Where could it be? It's a mystery." After I find it I just want to do it all over again. That's probably why, as of today, I've done this process exactly 1646 times!!!

I think the best mystery for me is what exactly heaven is going to be like and look like. I try to picture my loved ones who have already gone there, walking the streets of gold, and I just can't. Yes I know that John does his best to try and describe it to us in his book of Revelation but I seriously doubt that his words do it justice. Not for me anyway.

So I guess, for now, I'll just have to live with the wonderful, delicious mystery!

But let me tell you something wonderful,

a mystery I'll probably never fully understand.

We're not all going to die - but we are all going to be changed.

You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet,

and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes - it's over!

I Corinthians 15:51 (The Message)

Are You Needy?

2010-06-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of Saturdays ago I went hiking with my cousin.

We probably hiked for 3 hours that day and talked and visited the whole time. Hiking is so great for that. We talked about our kids, our grandkids, our families, what's been great and what's been not so great in our lives.

One thing that I've always appreciated about my cousin is her insight into what makes people tick and how much she loves to delve into how God works in our lives. She loves Christian non-fiction, learning more and more about the human psyche, where I just glaze over when any book is deeper than a good Karen Kingsbury. She made an observation that day that has stuck with me ever since. She said "I think God created us needy."

I don't think I've ever thought about that before. My first reaction to that statement is that being "needy" is not a good thing. When we hear the word needy we equate it with someone who is annoying and cloying. But the more we talked the more I understood her statement. We talked about our grandsons (they were born within a few months of each other) and how needy they are right now. Their whole world revolves around their parents and what their parents can do for them. Isn't it amazing how God created our children this way? We are 'forced' to take care of them 24/7 which ultimately forms this bond that connects us to our offspring in a way that nothing else ever will because they are so needy.

I've often wondered why God allows us to go through bad times. I think we all wonder that. Maybe it is because He wants us to need Him just like our children need us when they are born. We are born with this insatiable desire to fill a void and then we spend the rest of our lives trying to fill it when it really is so simple... go to the Father. The One who gave us life. It never ceases to amaze me what the world thinks it needs at this point... the list is never ending. Money, sex, work, parties and vacations... there is definitely enough things to choose from. Or we can fill our lives with good things - spending time with our spouse or our children, volunteering and taking care of others, going to church or building a house in Mexico. Good things. But they're all just things, they are not a relationship with the One who loves us and made us. We need Him, plain & simple.

So thanks, my friend, for giving me so much to think about the past couple of weeks.... looking forward to our next hike and our next talk.

Thankful for the Storm

2010-05-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights ago we had a wicked wind storm. Of course living in a rural area with many large trees it was inevitable...our power went out. Great.

Being the techie that I am I don't do well without my gadgets. What am I supposed to do now? And it didn't take long for my daughter, Tessa, to start experiencing Facebook withdrawl. "What am I supposed to do all night!" she complained. Wow, are we really that bad?

Soon Tony brought out the propane lantern and put it on the kitchen table. Even though it wasn't quite dark yet we gravitated towards it. Jenna got out her text books, announced that this was perfect for her because she needed to study for a class anyways. Tony grabbed some Outdoor Life magazines that he hadn't had a chance to read yet and Tessa decided that she would knit with me.

We had some hot water in the carafe so the girls made some tea and I made a snack. We started telling stories about how it would have been in the 'olden' days and pretty soon we were just laughing and talking and catching up. Before we knew it three hours had gone by.

Sometime during that evening, Tessa, in all her wisdom said, "Actually this is a lot of fun. We should do this more often."

Hopefully we won't need God to send us another storm to remember that.

Be Still

2010-05-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

The older I get the more I realize that I really don't like wasting time. And if you're over 40 maybe you're feeling this way too? It's not that I don't love my leisure time, I really do, I just often feel that I need to be doing at least two things at once, even when I'm relaxing. And I'm not sure why that is, all I know is that it's getting worse.

When I drive I listen to an audiobook.
When I clean my house the TV is always on.
When I watch TV I knit.
When I talk on the phone I empty my dishwasher.
When I have to wait I read a book.

I'm not sure why this has been on my mind... maybe because I've noticed that I become anxious when I am forced to do nothing. Am I afraid to be alone with my own thoughts? I'm not sure.

I know what the Bible will tell me, they are words that I have heard and sung my whole life...
"Be still and know that I am God..."

But can I take them to heart?

What a Difference A Day Can Make...

2010-04-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

What a difference a day can make.

On Wednesday my life was as it always has been and on Thursday I became a grandmother.
This little human being came into my life and I was lost.
So many things became important
and, suddenly, so many things became unimportant.

My view on the world has changed now that he's in it.
I smile at families with babies.
I stroll through the baby aisle just to look at the little clothes. I'm shopping for a carseat.
I'm actually looking forward to babysitting.
I can't wait for the next time I see him.
I am a grandmother.
Wow.

What a difference a day can make.

With Glowing Hearts....

2010-02-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

The sights & sounds, for good & for bad, surrounding the Games in Vancouver have become an integral part of our province since Jacques Rogge said those few simple words in 2003, "The International Olympic Committee has the honour of announcing that the 21st Olympic Winter Games are awarded to the city of... Vancouver." And then it all began...

VANOC became a well used word on the news, we heard everything about the planning that was going on as well as all the protesting and inevitable controversies. Then the countdown changed from years to months and it started to become real. Still I had no plans to "be there" and thought I'd just watch it on TV.

The months then dwindled down to days and an almost palpable energy began to sweep over the country and our province. If there was any question as to our country's patriotism and the pride we have in our nation, it was dispelled the night of the Opening Ceremonies. Never have I seen a more beautiful collection of Canadian images and sounds. That swell of pride became a tidal wave and swept us up in it - me included.

I am at a loss to say what happened after that. When I was in Vancouver, during the games, I watched hoardes of people, no longer strangers because they were bound together by this great thing, laughing and dancing, bursting in spontaneous choruses of O Canada, all wearing the flag and red & white, obviously awash with national pride. It was beyond what I expected and I think beyond what anyone expected.

And then it all came together with the best hockey game, I think, that Canada has ever experienced. What happened to the quiet and polite patriotism that the world expects from us? Well it sure wasn't around that night!!

The 2010 Olympics Games may not have been the best choice for our tax dollars, and that will always be up for debate, but I do know this:

The world's athletes are a shining example of courage and determination, not to mention, fitness. Maybe now we'll get off the couch and get out there and when things get rough we'll stop whining and try perserverance instead.
Our national pride has been rejuvenated and our sense of community has been restored. Maybe now we'll feel more connected to each other and be more willing to invest into the lives of our neighbours.
We've rediscovered that Canada truly is the best country in the world. Maybe now we'll stop taking it for granted.

Valentine's Day...

2010-02-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

I have noticed lately that a lot of my Facebook Friends have changed their profile pictures. The idea is to post a picture of you and your significant other in honour of Valentine's Day. Since I am a "jump-on-the-band-wagon" kinda gal I, of course, had to join in. Here's mine....

That photo was taken 29 years ago (while he was visiting me at Bible School)... almost to the day. A few weeks after this was taken he proposed, on Valentine's Day. Best question he ever asked!! Best answer I ever gave! Needless to say, February 14th is one of my all time favourite sentimental days.

And so I've been blessed, with a man who loves me, despite the fact that I hate to cook, I dust only when you can write your name in it and I forget anything that I haven't written down. And I adore him regardless of his aversion to any clothing that isn't camo or plaid, his insane need to sneak up on me and scare me and for making me sleep in the back of our truck in the middle of the dark wilderness. Our marriage has had its share of heartaches but looking back on those 29 years - its been full of fun, laughter and joy. Like I said... so blessed.

So now we've entered that phase in our lives where our daughters are grown. Not long ago "men" started coming into our house and finding excuses to stick around and it seems that two of them have perservered, gotten past the whole "yes my dad owns many rifles" tactic that he tried and, to our great joy, they have decided that they want to join our family and be in it for the long haul.

There is nothing like seeing your child happy and in love. I pray that God will bless them and give them joy, happiness and adventures as they start counting the years.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

The True Spirit of Christmas Past

2009-12-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

I decorated our Christmas tree this last week.

This is one of my favourite things to do during this busy season because -being the sentimental soul that I am - it gives me a reason to reminisce.

Like most of us I have quite the assortment of ornaments and I've kept them all (they just don't all go on the tree!) There's all the Disney ones that my friends and family have given me, the mice ornaments that I've bought myself (one every year) and of course the handmade ones that my girls made during their elementary years - with glitter and paint and waaaay too much glue.

But my favourite, by far, is the one my mom bought for Tony & me when we were just newlyweds.

It's round and white and it has two "Precious Moments" characters on it, riding on a sled in the snow. Underneath the drawing it says "Our First Christmas Together" and on other side it says "1981."

Every time I take that ornament out I can't help but revisit the many ghosts of Christmases past...

Our first Christmas together we (OK... me) bought all new decorations and ornaments, and then our 4 month old puppy broke into the house while we were away and broke half of them. I kept the boxes (with his little puppy teeth imprints) till last year. I told you I was sentimental.

The one Christmas that my family came to our house for Christmas morning I had the worse appendicitis attack ever and spent most of the day puking in the ER. Oh the joys... Now that I think of it, that's probably why my mother has never agreed to let me host since then.

There was also the "Christmas-Tree-Incident Christmas." After numerous attempts to get our live tree to stand upright and many not-nice things said about the Christmas Tree Farm staff, Tony brought his chain saw into my livingroom to straighten the bottom of the trunk. Wood chips went flying everywhere and I got the giggles. Apparently it was not meant to be funny.

Then there was the year that Tessa got her first cell phone. We wrapped it up the night before and rang her new number while she tried to open it. We'd never seen her cry over a Christmas present until then. It was awesome.

Our last Christmas was the most stressful as Tony struggled with a severe back injury and of course it was our worst winter ever. I think there was 12 blizzards that year and I had to shovel us out after every one of them. Most of that Christmas he spent in a Percacet induced fog.

My Christmas memories are all so vivid, some good and some not so good. They will forever be etched on my heart, but what I remember most is the family dinners, the laughing and the visiting. I remember the songs that we sing out about Christ's birth and I thank God that each of my children believe that that baby was born on this earth just for them.

And that is the True Spirit of Christmas Past.

the Journey

2009-09-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of weeks ago I went on a road trip to Winnipeg with my parents. We stopped whenever we felt like it, we had dinner in a remodeled & restored Pulp Burner (so cool), found about 15 geocaches, soaked in the incredible Rocky Mountains and marvelled at the open expanse of the prairie.

The trip reinforced what I already knew about myself. I am all about the journey.

Just recently Tony & I were exploring the Murrayville Cemetery (yes we were geocaching!). We were looking for Paul Murray's tombstone. Paul Murray was a pioneer and a pioneer in the truest sense of the word. Planning to settle in British Columbia he travelled with his sons from New York City, through the Panama Canal and up into the thick temperate rain forests of BC. He braved an untamed wild land, lived in a giant old growth cedar and, tragically, lost a son to the mighty Fraser. When we finally found his tombstone we saw a verse from 2 Timothy inscribed on it. It said, "I have fought the good fight, I have run the race, I have kept the faith." What an amazing way to sum up this man's life.

This past month has, for the lack of a better word, sucked for us. We have dealt with anger and disappointment, worry and fear. There have been more than a few times when I've thought it would be so much easier if we were all in heaven right now... no worries, no sadness... we are all finally at our destination. But, when you've dealt with all that, it's time to be realistic and move on & it's time to make a choice. What do I do with all this? What is the road going to look like in front of me from now on? I have a choice and I choose joy.

God has given us this particular road to travel right now. It's a little scary, I don't know what's around the bend but I need to trust Him. I know that it will be exciting and new, I will learn something and have the chance to let Christ show through me. Time to start a new journey.

Lessons from a Barnacle

2009-08-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went to Saltspring Island with some girlfriends. We were geocaching on a wonderful rocky beach and reveling in our freedom. Yes, it was only for a couple of days, but for those few days we are just young girls again, no worrying about children or what to make for supper, no laundry and no schedules. And what I love the most... complete freedom to explore.

We were doing just that, exploring this beach (which was called Octopus Beach), when Joan turned to me and said, "I'm so glad I'm not a barnacle!" I laughed and then thought, "That is so going to be the title of my next blog!"

We talked about spending your entire life glued to a rock or a ship. Never having the freedom to explore, have fun and see the world. Nothing sounds more depressing or boring or stupid as far as I'm concerned.

And then I Googled 'facts about barnacles.' Hmmmm....

Turns out barnacles don't spend their entire lives glued to something. They spend most of their adolescent lives swimming about, complete freedom to go and do whatever they want. Then, when they become adults they choose to attach themselves somewhere using one of the most powerful adhesives known in the world. They don't worry about the necessities of life, they trust that it will come to them and they wait patiently for it. I thought about this for a while and how I spend my days floating about, here and there, running around, trying to keep up and worrying about tomorrow, when I should be attaching myself to a Solid Rock.

Doesn't sound so stupid after all.

Hummingbirds

2009-06-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been having my breakfast while standing at the kitchen sink.

No, I'm not doing the dishes from the night before. I am enjoying the show outside.
My hummingbirds.

I have two feeders... one at the kitchen window and another outside my diningroom window. A constant source of amusement - they chirp, fight, divebomb and eat - while we watch in amazement. And boy do they ever eat. Did you know...

A hummingbird must consume approximately 1/2 of its weight in sugar daily. The average hummingbird feeds 5-8 times per hour.
Hummingbirds cannot walk or hop, though their feet can be used to scoot sideways while they are perched.
When still, the hummingbird's heart beats 500 times a minute and doubles when excited.
They can fly right, left, up and down, backwards and even upside down, and they move their wings about fifty times a second. They are extremely fast in flight and able to change directions instantly.
Despite their small size they are extremely aggressive and will often fight over food, mates and territory. They will even attack crows and jays.
At night, their "thermal generators" shut down as they rest, and allow their body temperature to drop, so that less energy is used up while they sleep. This deep sleep is called "torpor."

I stand there and watch these incredible creatures. Perfectly and uniquely designed by an incredible Creator. And it makes me wonder - how can anyone possibly believe in evolution?

May 30th

2009-05-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

I always get a bittersweet feeling when May 30th comes around. On May 30th, 1990, our youngest daughter was born and it was the day that our lives changed forever.

At 5:57pm on that day 19 years ago (she will refuse any "Happy Birthdays" until this moment has come) our Tessa came into the world. It was immediately apparent that something was severly wrong with her... for one thing she was an alarming shade of blue and her legs, which should have been wound up tight like clocksprings, were lying flat and lifeless.

While the team of doctors & nurses worked to resuscitate her I begged God to deal with this for me. "I can not do this" I said. The change that came over me was immediate and, to tell you the truth, a little bizarre. When someone tells me that they had an 'out of body' experience I believe them, because it happened to me. After that it was like I was watching what was happening from the corner of the room. The peace that overcame me was overpowering......"You can do this," It said.

The next three weeks were insanely busy and overnight we became experts on Spina Bifida. We learned words like meningomyocele, hydrocephalus and scoliosis. We learned how to scrub up like surgeons and function on no sleep. I overcame my fear of driving to Vancouver, learned how to sleep in a chair & memorized every nurses name in the SCN (Special Care Nursery). We spent countless hours on the phone talking to friends, family and surgeons who needed consent.

Now all these things have faded into one fuzzy memory and for that I am so glad.

But there are things I never want to forget.

The dinners brought to us every day - so many that I didn't have to cook for nearly 2 months! (you know how I'd love that now!)

The gifts - Tessa had so many new dresses that she didn't wear them all in one year.

The help - it was incredible how our family and friends and our church came alongside us.

The power of prayer - it is overwhelming. God's peace is without measure. How does anyone go through something like this without God's divine intervention? I don't know but I never want to forget what it was like to experience it in such a powerful way.

Today Tessa is a wonderful, healthy 19 year old. I'd like to say that it as been wonderful and miraculous and that it's now all in the past but that would be a fairytale. What I can tell you is that the joy she has brought into our lives is immeasureable. She makes us laugh (she has her dad's sarcastic sense of humour) every day and she never complains about her situation. She absorbs every great moment she experiences and hangs on to the memory forever.

On her birthday this year she turned to us and said "I love my life!"

This is the girl that God gave to us that day.

Tess on her 19th birthday with Canadian Idol Greg Neufeld

(he just happens to be her 2nd cousin too!)

Democracy

2009-05-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Last Monday Simon Cowell was on Oprah. The theme of the show that day was talent shows... a growing, worldwide phenomenom that is showing no signs of slowing down. I watched with some interest...zzzzzz... then they mentioned how this craze has hit Afghanistan. OK... now you have my attention.

"Afghan Star" has taken that country by storm and turned it on it's side. Thirteen years ago the Taliban outlawed music. You could be put in prison just for singing. Now this television show has given a platform for that supressed talent, including women, that has had to keep silent for far too long.

When Oprah asked Simon about these shows and the effects they've brought to their home countries he said, "The great thing about it is it's democracy. They've brought a certain kind of democracy to places like China & Afghanistan."

Millions are watching ‘Afghan Star’ and voting for their favorite singers. If they don't have power they use generators to run their televisions so they don't miss an episode. For many this is their first encounter with democracy and they are revelling in it... their right to vote.... even if it's just for who is their favourite pop singer.

Wow.

The next day was our Provincial Election. I took a few minutes to pop down to my local polling station, considering this, I am sorry to admit, somewhat of a nuisance. The room was virtually empty except for the volunteers. I quickly cast my vote (I had lots on my to-do list that day) and popped the ballot into the box. The older gentleman at the table gave me a smile and said "Thanks for voting" and for a split second my eyes filled with tears. How blissfully unaware I have been of a world that is starving for any type of democratic freedom and how much I take for granted my right to vote.

Shine... Make 'em Wonder What ya Got!

2009-04-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday morning we had a guest speaker. He spoke about how we are to shine to those around us and he read from one of my favourite verses from the Sermon on the Mount:

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and then hide under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Coincidently one of my favourite songs by the Newsboys is called Shine.
The chorus goes like this:

shine
make ´em wonder what you´ve got
make ´em wish that they were not
on the outside looking bored
shine
let it shine before all men
let´em see good works, and then
let´em glorify the Lord

I had the feeling that God was trying to tell me something and that's the trouble... I'm not feeling very shiny these days.

After church, during coffee time, I had a great conversation with Carolyn. We talked about two people in our lives that are living very similar, and troubling, lives. We talked about the frustration of not being able to get through to them and not being able to say the things we want to say. I told her about the few things that I was able to do and how it didn't seem enough... and she said, "But you are shining!"

Thanks Carolyn for that encouragement! (See? This is why we have a church family!) I guess what I needed was the reminder that regardless of how I feel there are people in my life that will always be watching and even through the "dull & dingy" times, with God's help, I can continue to shine!

Parched, Dry and Dusty

2009-04-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Yes I know... I've neglected this blog lately. I usually wait until a lightning bolt hits me, a thought that springs to mind, and then I write about it. The words seem to come like a downpour and it is easy. But I haven't felt a storm coming... no lightning bolts in quite a while now. If anything it's been more like a bunch of teeny zaps of static electricity in a dry, crackly desert.

Here are a few of the zaps I experienced in the past month:
- Pain is not fun. It's even less fun to watch in someone you love.
- 50 is suddenly a pretty young age.
- The West Coast smells amazing in the Spring.
- Is there such a thing as a "soulmate?"
- Dirt is meant to get under your fingernails.
- There is no replacement for wonderful friends.
- I don't have enough money to explore like I want to.
- We are so blessed to live here.
- Clean windows are highly over-rated.
- Greed makes people do horrible, horrible things.
- Daffodils are my 'happy flower'.
- The older I get the less I care what people think of me.
- Life can be so unfair.
- Green is God's best colour.
- I don't read my Bible enough.

When I read this list I see that my thoughts lately have been disjointed and disconnected.
Maybe this is a dry season for me.... Lord, bring on the rain!

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-03-08T23:01:00.000-07:00

Tony and I just came back from watching the movie that won the Oscar for "Best Picture." I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about. Was it really worthy of nabbing the coveted Golden Boy?

It was... and then some.

The movie begins with foreshadowing. We are told how it ends. Jamal wins $1,000,000 dollars on India's version of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE. Then the real story begins... How does he know the answer to almost every question that is thrown at him? We're taken back in time...

Jamal's life begins as a child in the garbage slums of Mumbai. He experiences far too much tragedy in his short life but amongst all the sorrow and pain he does one thing. He remembers and learns from what he experiences and he hangs on to what is good... refusing to let go of hope.

This was the first time in a long time that I've been at a movie where no one left the theatre when the movie was over. The credits rolled as the song "Jai Ho" played. I googled what Jai Ho means. It means "may victory be yours."

I think that that's the reason that this movie won Best Picture. It captures the essence of what our society refuses to acknowledge - life is full of disappointments and tragedies and they are not always a bad thing. Ultimately in the end we will be victorious. God never promises that life will always be easy. What He does say is that He will be with us through it all. God says that our whole life is laid out before Him. He know what every one of our days will hold. What we choose to do with those days is up to us. We can choose to just exist or we can choose to live each day, soaking it all in, no matter what the day holds.

Only He know why things happen and what the lessons from them are worth. Our job is to pay attention.

My Good Samaritan

2009-01-22T16:34:00.000-08:00

If you read my post about a month ago entitled "Yesterday" you know that my husband, Tony, suffered a pretty severe back injury a while ago. The last few weeks have consisted of every type of "therapy" that has been recommended to us including spinal inversion therapy and magnet therapy. He talks about Aaron like he's his new best friend (Aaron is his chiropractor) and he can now recite, from memory, the dialogue in every TV commercial known to man. He hasn't been able to walk, much less work, we had to cancel our favourite annual holiday to Texada Island, I'm pulling double duty around the house which included shovelling 12 storms worth of snow and just when I thought it couldn't suck more... it did.

I truly was beginning to question God and His wisdom on keeping humans on the planet. Why on earth would he tolerate us... we are so weak, fallible and sometimes, I'm sorry to say, not very nice.

Being the person I am, I was ruminating these thoughts, over and over, as I was on my way to Langley to pick up some office supplies at Staples. Of course, considering the mood I was in, it was completely fitting that it was pouring rain. I was loading everything out of my store buggy when an older gentleman (who, by the way, looked exactly like my Uncle Ed) came up to me and said, "I'll take that buggy back if you'd like." "Sure" I said, thinking that he needed a buggy for his shopping. So glad to get out of the rain, I got into my van and just happened to glance back and I saw the man take my buggy and put it in the buggy storage in front of the store. Then he went inside. He didn't even need a buggy. He did that just for me... a complete stranger in the parking lot.

That simple act of kindness hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't believe how it lifted my spirits and made me realize there is still goodness and good people in the world.

I came seriously close to going inside the store and giving him a huge hug but I knew that would just confirm that I was becoming unglued (and probably a bit scary)! Instead I thanked God for the Good Samaritan He gave me that day and vowed that I would pass it on. A simple, random act of kindness that, for me, that day, was not simple at all.

Boxing Day

2008-12-26T13:14:00.000-08:00

It's Boxing Day today.

I have always found the origins of this day to be very interesting. There are many theories as to how this day came to be... from church clergy smashing open the alms boxes to give the money inside to the poor to the Lord of the Manor filling boxes with necessities & gifts to give to all his household servants, serfs and tenants. During the two World Wars it was customary that, on this one day, the Army Officers of Commonwealth countries would trade places with the enlisted men. I'm sure that was an interesting experience for everyone!

Whatever story you believe you can see the common thread running through them all. It was a day to give to the less fortunate and to treat them like you would like to be treated yourself.

So......can someone tell me what happened?
How did it become the day of the year that we spend the most money on ourselves?

Yesterday

2008-12-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

Life is good. Life is fine. I am making my list, checking it twice. Everything is going according to plan, it's going to be a great Christmas.... and then Tony bent over to tie his shoes.

Seriously. That's all it took to turn my nice organized week into upheaval.

By Wednesday morning it was apparent that he was not going to get better without some significant help from the medical profession. The trouble was he couldn't even stand up, let alone get in the truck....hmmmm....

....the paramedics I called were very nice when they came to the house and actually got him to crack a smile as he crawled down the hall on all fours. They joked that obviously he had been working with animals for way too long. They managed to get him on the stretcher and I said I would soon follow. I watched the ambulance drive away as the first flakes of snow started to fall. Great... I hate snow....

..... I white-knuckled it to the Hospital, paid an exorbitant amount for the priviledge of parking at the Emergency room (do you hear the irony in my voice?) and found my pain-racked husband lying in a depressing, curtained-off cubicle. Maybe, I hoped against hope, a doctor has seen him already.....

.... two hours later a frazzled doctor whips the curtain open, apologizing profusely for taking so long. "That's OK", I say. Meanwhile I have been resisting the urge to grab some morphine and a needle and administer it to him myself. "Let's see what we can do to make you more comfortable." she says to Tony. I want to kiss her feet....

.... three hours later he is so comfortable he actually forgets who I am and asks me out on a date. At least he still thinks I'm cute....

.... 1 hour later I have developed a whole new appreciation for the Nursing profession as I watch them deal with an elderly man obviously suffering from dementia. He has already been "fixed up" and is beyond ready to go home. I know exactly how he feels. For the 27th time a nurse tracks him down as he makes his escape. "Mr. Crick," the Nurse says "you need to sit in your chair till your wife comes to pick you up." "When is my wife coming?" he says. "Soon," the Nurse says. "In June?!" exclaims Mr. Crick. Although unintentional, Mr. Crick, provided the only joy in our day.

.... two hours later we are still waiting to see "if the meds worked" and for a written prescription from Doctor Frazzle. I have to tell myself to be patient but, now, even I am getting bored and I never get bored. At least Mr. Crick is still there.

.... finally, finally our wait is over and we get to go home. As I get the truck I contemplate the now near blizzard conditions. It's going to be a long trip home.

.... 1 long hour later, reaching 'break-neck' speeds of 20kph, we are finally home. Tony is sleeping and I am now contemplating the day and marvelling that day after day, I think that, by ordering and check-marking, I am in control.

I am not and, after yesterday, I am really thankful that God is.

"Please Protect Daddy Today"

2008-11-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

When my husband is not working, or taking care of us, he is in the mountains. He loves the mountains. The trouble with this is that he has to get there somehow. Sometimes, when I know he will be travelling a particular treacherous route, I wish that I could just snap my fingers and he would be there safely. Then, a week later, snap them again and he'd be home.

Unfortunately that only happens in the movies.

So, since my girls were able to talk, we have taught them to pray..."God, please protect Daddy today."

I'm sorry to say that that prayer has become rote and too familiar. I've said the words so many times over the past 27 years I've barely remembered what I've been praying for. So God, in His infinite wisdom, decided to give me a small reminder (and then another....)

About a month ago Tony was coming home from a hunting trip near Hedley. He spent two days travelling the high mountain roads and then made the trip back home on the Coquihalla Highway. For those of you who aren't from British Columbia, the "Coq" is a mountain highway notorious for very long steep grades and eating up cars for breakfast. Tony made his way down the mountain without a mishap and through the Fraser Valley on the #1 Freeway. He turned onto our street, put on his left turn signal to turn into our driveway, stepped on the brake and... nothing. The pedal went to the floor. Using the emergency brake he managed to keep the truck on the road, avoid oncoming traffic and squeak into our driveway.

Ever time I think about his trip home and that last moment I cringe. The long hills that he went down, the speeding freeway traffic and the high cliffs in the middle of nowhere....the brakes could have failed anywhere on that trip and it happened at our driveway. I was so grateful that he came home safe and sound but I am embarrassed to admit that I don't remember praying for his safety that day.

I guess the Holy Spirit began to speak to me then. "I should write about this," I thought but nothing came of it. I stepped back into my daily existence far too easily.

Then yesterday morning I got an email from my friend Joan. This is what she wrote:

It's Saturday morning at 10:30. Werner just called me. He and Steve left late last night to go hunting up by Bowron Lakes (behind Barkerville). They expected the trip to take about 8 hours. They were almost at their destination when Werner fell asleep at the wheel, which he has never done before. Steve was sleeping and they were travelling about 70 to 80 km per hour. The truck went off the road, spun around, but didn't roll. Werner and Steve are both unhurt even though the truck is totalled. He has photos and says that's it's amazing that they weren't hurt or killed. He believes that it wasn't his time yet, and that it's only God's protection that kept him and Steve safe. I think it's a gift from God too, and I'm very thankful.

I was overwhelmed after I read Joan's email and I was reminded once again of how much God loves us and protects us and how easy it is to forget that when all is going well, when your loved ones come home, time after time, trip after trip. My daily little prayers... thanks for the food, thank You for my family, bring Tony home safe... have been said without much conviction because I had lost sight of how important even those small prayers really are. Fortunately, for us, our God loves and protects us when we don't deserve it and we haven't really talked to Him in days.

Tony, Werner and Steve... so thankful you're home safe.

Thank you, thank you God.

Payback?

2008-10-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

It's 1975. I'm 15 and head-over-heals in love with a very cute, long-haired boy. My best friend and I are on a double date with him and his best friend. It doesn't get much better than this. Young and free...a teenager in love in the summer time. Then the truck broke down.

To make a very long story short, I got home at 1am that night. Now you have to remember that this was the age before cell phones and, where we were, there wasn't even a phone booth. To the guys credit they did try to use the phone at one house, but they didn't exactly look like the Hardy Boys. I wouldn't have opened the door for them either.

When I finally did get home I saw that the house was completely dark. "Great," I thought, "Maybe I can sneak in and mom will never know that I was in way past curfew." I quietly entered the basement and made it up the first flight of stairs, carefully stepping to avoid the squeaky spots. I rounded the corner, past the dark livingroom, to continue up the next flight when, from the dark shadows of the livingroom, I heard the unmistakable sound of my mother quietly clearing her throat. It's a sound I will never forget.
So busted.
I was grounded for one month... I think I got a day for every horrible scenario my mother imagined that night as she sat there in the dark.

Fast forward to a week ago. My parents, now in their late sixties, have gone on a trip of lifetime. They have wanted to go to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry for as long as I can remember. Finally they were getting their chance. They even rented a limousine to pick them up at home and drive them to the airport. They could hardly wait.

Before they left mom said, "Check your email often OK? We'll make sure to stay in touch." Perfect.

They left at 4am Thursday morning. On Saturday we were at my brother's place. "Have you heard from mom & dad?" he asked. "No," I said. "It's wierd that we haven't. Dad has his Blackberry with him all the time." Hmmm.... A few days later I emailed them. "Where are you?" I asked. "Hope you're having fun." No response. A week after they left I am checking my email every 10 minutes. Thursday night I can't fall asleep. Every time I closed my eyes I imagined every kind of horrible scenario and believe me I have a very vivid imagination. It was not pretty. By 1 am I am convinced that the limo driver was deranged and he tied them up and left them in the crawlspace of their house!!

I got up, knowing I would never sleep, and sat in my dark livingroom for a while. What should I do? What if something really did happen to them? Then I remembered that mom gave me their hotel phone numbers in case of an emergency. As far as I was concerned this was an emergency. I'm calling Tennessee!

The hotel lady was very nice and understanding as I babbled on (it's now 3am) about not knowing where my parents were. "I don't need to talk to them, you don't need to wake them up, I just need to know that they checked in, that's all." She clicked away on her computer for a few seconds and then said the words that set my world back in order. "Yes, they're here. Safe and sound."

It's funny how that night in 1975 was the first thing I thought of when I finally crawled back into bed. A little perspective? Or maybe a whole lot of payback? Whatever. When they get home they're grounded!

Object Lessons

2008-10-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

When I was in Sunday School I loved it when the teacher would use the flannelgraph to illustrate her story. David & Goliath, Moses in the basket... I can still see those images in my mind.

I remember so vividly my 10th grade Social Studies teacher, climbing on his desk, brandishing a sword, as he told us about the battle at the Plains of Abraham. Go ahead, ask me about that day in history and see if I don't remember.

During any family vacation my father, a 6th grade teacher, would pull over at every 'point of interest' sign. We would look at whatever it was that we stopped for and dad would make sure to point out all the things he felt we should know and learn.

When Jesus saw the poor woman give her last two coins into the treasury he took the opportunity teach his disciples about giving sacrificially. They saw the woman and they saw her sacrifice first hand.

Object lessons.... life is full of them if we take the time to look.

The other day I was doing a little geocaching and it brought me to one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. I thought... if ever there was an object lesson for my life, at this time, this is it. As I looked at this picture of resiliance and strength in the middle of adversity, I realized that I needed the reminder that who I am is because of what I've been through. My trials and struggles have shaped me into the person I am today. I cannot remove them, they are a part of me and my life, but I can decide to grow in spite of them.

Take a look at the object lesson God gave me today.

An Unexpected Gift

2008-09-23T23:35:00.000-07:00

My friends and I just spent a wonderful week in Fairmont Hotsprings in the Kootenays of British Columbia. We planned each day carefully, making sure that we each got our "princess day" and that there was lots of time for geocaching, shopping, eating and hiking. Did I mention that we did a LOT of eating?

Then one afternoon, during a very "unplanned" spur of the moment, we decided to go for a quick hike, just before dinner, to find a cache that was hidden not too far from our resort.

The hike was not too hard, the air was warm and still and as we got closer to the cache co-ordinates we couldn't help but notice the growing cliffs on both sides of us. Then we saw it... this waterfall that looked like something that you would see in a National Geographic magazine. The pool underneath the waterfall was aqua blue and we soon realized that the water was warm. The falls themselves were as warm as a shower and the temptation to jump right in was irresistable. We went in...all of us...clothes and all.

What a magical moment that was for us. The excitement of being impetuous and spontaneous. We revelled in it until we were water-logged and all prune-y. I didn't want to leave. It was a 'once-in-a-lifetime-I-will-probably-never-do-this-again' experience.

Have you ever had someone beckon to you, whispering, saying "Come over here... I have something special to show you?" Do you say just a minute? It made me wonder how many times God has a gift to give me and I've been too organized to notice. I have a very busy schedule you know, things to do and places to be...

By the way... we never did find the cache that brought us there in the first place. And you know what that cache was called?

Kumbaya.

Do I Trust Him?

2008-09-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Tony and I just celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary last weekend and we celebrated like we always do every year. We go on a DA trip around British Columbia.

What does DA stand for?
Drive Aimlessly.

I know it sounds weird but we love it. Going down gravel roads that we've never been down before. Taking in as much as we can. Camping wherever we end up when it's dark. We've put on thousands of kms on our rusty, I mean trusty, 4Runner. We are never quite sure where we'll end up and that is all part of the fun.

I have been thinking about this since we got home. About the situations that we put ourselves in during our treks. Driving backroads that haven't seen a vehicle in months, braving deactivated ditches that punish my kidneys and sleeping in our SUV tent when he says that there are "probably no grizzlies around." Notice I said "probably" and "tent."

It made me realize how much I trust my husband.
When we set up our tent in pitch darkness and there are glowing eyes in the forest... I trust him.
When there is mountain on one side and cliff on the other... I trust him.
When we're going up an old logging road that's barely even there... I trust him.
When we see a grizzly (and then another one)... I trust him.
When he tries to get at a rattlesnake so I can get a better picture... I trust him.

I trust him to keep me safe, to protect me, that he knows where he's going and that he is an expert on wildlife behaviour. I trust that he's checked the gas gauge, he knows how to fix a flat tire and he's there beside me while we're sleeping in our tent.

I have had a few disappointments this past week... things not going like I planned. I had these things planned perfectly, in my mind anyway, but obviously God has another plan in mind. And I wonder... why am I so worried?
Do I trust God?
Do I really think that His plan is perfect for my life?
That he knows me best?
Does He love me more than I can imagine?
Do I trust Him?

This is What I Know....

2008-08-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

I will be 46 next Tuesday.
After 46 years this is what I know...

blueberries make me shudder
frogs make me freak
bottle feeding a baby giraffe is not easy
Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth
I can tell you what html is
I was born to create things
I adore my computer
without a doubt, geocaching is the best hobby in the world
scrapbooking is a close second
I love living in the country
I hate deactivated roads
hiking in the woods is incredible
driving in the woods, at night, makes me stop talking
I love my Mapbooks (yes they are mine, not Tony's)
the GPS is the best invention since the telephone
the difference between horns and antlers
I cannot sleep without a blanket over my ear
1 am is my favourite time of the day
old dogs CAN learn new tricks
My parents raised me right
no one has better cousins, uncles or aunts than me (OK that's a little biased)
I have the most wonderful friends
God's peace is miraculous
My daughters are amazing
My husband loves me unconditionally (while knowing all these wierd things about me)
I love how my Creator designed me to be uniquely Me

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful

I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13 &14

The Perfect Holiday

2008-08-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

I just came back from my vacation. 8 days on the shores of Shuswap Lake. The weather wasn't the greatest, between the wind and the rain we managed to get a sunny break here and there, the cost of our campsite went up, the store ran out of icecream, the trains were as loud as ever and we even got a flat tire on the way there.

You know what? It was the best holiday.

Not one of those things mattered because what mattered the most was the people who were there with us.

I came home thinking that
God has given me the best
family in the world.
We laughed together, ate together, fished together and laughed some more.
We geocached, watched movies, did a puzzle and went for long walks. I watched my girls as they bonded with their friends and I tried my best to capture it all through my camera.
I loved watching my husband tease "the boys" and I got caught up with my sisters-in-law (they really are special ladies).

My nieces and nephews are just too fun for words...there was hardly a moment that we weren't entertained.
I marvelled as my parents opened their hearts (and their trailer) to all their granddaughters' friends. Their hospitality knows no bounds.

And my mother-in-law mothered them all,
as only she can do, with food, bandaids,
dry towels
and wisdom.

I've always known that's it's not what you do that is important but who you are with. And who I was with made my holiday perfect.

(Justine, Jenna, Graham, Eleah, Maggie, Me, James & Karlee)

What Are You Sinking About?

2008-07-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in a long time... but it's summer so I have a bit of an excuse, right? The weather has been lovely, my raspberries are ripe, I spent a great long weekend geocaching in Tofino with my cousin and now we're getting ready to go to Shuswap with our family. It doesn't get much better than this and it is turning out to be a perfect summer. So, quite honestly, I can't think of a thing to write. Usually I wait for God to place something on my heart and then the writing comes so easily. This past month, whenever I've been driving to work in my van (my Blog composing time) I have asked myself "What are you thinking about?" And this is what always came into my head. Happy summer everyone.

Wall*E

2008-06-27T23:53:00.000-07:00

My girls and I went to see "Wall*E" tonight. It's nearly two in the morning and I am still mulling it over.

What was it about this simple, little film that touched me this way? This was no adrenaline filled movie with endless car chases and scene after scene of things being blown-up. There was no long-haired, sweaty hero that sweeps the heroine off her feet. The hero in this movie is, in fact, a garbage collector and is quite broken down and rusty. He doesn't talk, there isn't anyone to talk to anyway (except his pet cockroach), and in between collecting garbage, he finds treasures that he adds to his growing collection. A plastic fork, an old copy of "Hello Dolly" on VHS and a Rubiks cube are all special to Wall*E.

We were about 10 minutes into the story when I noticed that my mouth was hanging open and my handful of popcorn was still only halfway to my mouth. I couldn't believe that the scenes I was seeing were not real...my artist's mind was mesmerized. It was about 30 minutes into the movie when I realized that there hadn't yet been one word of dialouge. It didn't matter in the least.

Wall*E is a delightful, artistic masterpiece full of love, humour & hope. But it is also a story of mankind's excessiveness, society's bent to overindulge and the consequences of those decisions. Wally*E and his friend are the unlikely heros that show them all what is important and that it's time to return to what they have lost.

The more I mulled it over the more I found to learn from this wonderful little movie.
Oh, and just in case you're wondering... I'm pretty sure kids will love it too.

An Eye on the Prize

2008-06-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

"Whose dumb idea was this anyway?" I asked.
"Pretty sure it was yours," says my friend Carol, "Don't you remember?"
"Yah, well it seemed like a good idea at the time."

That was the conversation we had on Sunday afternoon while perched on the mountainside 3 kilometres above the little town of Yale in the Fraser Canyon. My legs were screaming, my lungs were gasping for oxygen but I was determined to get to the end of this trail. Why? Because there was a stupid piece of tupperware hidden in a cave, just waiting for me to find it!

I know, I know... I'm obsessed with geo-caching. Yes, I can say it out loud and yes, Terry, I know that makes me a geek. But we all need something we're passionate about right? This is my thing. I love the challenge of finding something that's been hidden in the middle of acres & acres of forest... testing my observation skills and getting me to places I would have never considered before. And when I am soaked from the rain, splattered in mud and covered in a stinging nettle rash I keep my eye on the prize. It is what keeps me going when it seems too hard and I want to give up.

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Sometimes the life lessons are just so obvious. I love it when God does that.

A Lesson from Grandma & Her Lilacs

2008-06-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have always loved lilacs. I don't know too many women who don't. They smell heavenly and they are so delicate. Even the word "lilac" sounds pretty.

These past few weeks I have been enjoying my lilac bush beside my front patio. If the breeze is blowing just right the fragrance from it wafts in the front door. mmmmm.....

Of course, being the sentimental person that I am, it got me to thinking about my grandma and her wedding day. I had heard the story of Grandma and Grandpa's courtship & wedding day quite a few times during my childhood. I loved how they "met" through their letters and shared photographs. How he travelled to another province to meet her for the first time and how, the day of their wedding, she went out into the garden and made herself a huge bouquet of lilacs.

But it wasn't until I was writing our family's history a few years ago that she told me about something that happened years after their wedding.

Grandpa Klassen decided to surprise Grandma by having their black & white wedding portrait colour tinted and then give it to her as a gift for her birthday. Now apparently Grandpa wasn't much into surprises and definitely not the most sentimental man so Grandma was extremely touched by his gesture. As she opened her present and saw the portrait her heart sank... the colours were wrong! I guess since it was years later and, being a man, (sorry, but it's true) he didn't remember the details of the day all that well. On that day Grandma's dress was blue and the lilacs were white. Grandpa told the artist her dress was white and the lilacs were blue.

You know that Grandma never told him that he got it wrong. I can imagine her, putting on a wonderful performance... thanking him for his thoughtful gift and then proudly hanging the photo back on the wall.

There's such a valuable lesson in that, don't you think? We allow little things to become so major when we could just let them slide. We let one little thing pile on top of the next until it becomes a mountain when not one of them is really important. What is more important? The person we love or the fact that he never puts his dishes in the dishwasher or he missed the fact that you just got your hair done?

Thanks, Grandma, for all the wonderful stories you told me and lessons you taught me. Miss you.

Father Knows (and loves) Best

2008-05-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

Ahhh.... the long weekend. All the way home from work I was looking forward to an evening of relaxing, sitting and catching up on the week's happenings with Tony. Our two oldest daughters were on their way to Kamloops to visit their cousins and we had just one child at home.

Peace and quiet for three whole days.

We had just finished supper and sat down when the phone rang.

"Mom? We're at the snow shed. Can you believe it? We got a flat tire! I just laughed when it happened! Is dad there?"

Now I have to interrupt my story to say that Tony had for weeks before this expressed his concern over this 3 hour trip in her little Honda Civic loaded with 4 girls and significant luggage (as only girls can do) and a stupid little donut (his words) for a spare tire. He reminded her on more than one occasion to buy a proper spare tire. Did she choose to listen to his fatherly wisdom and buy that spare tire? Obviously not... hence the phone call from somewhere on the Coquihalla Highway. Trust me, she might have been laughing, her father was not.

After many phone calls back and forth, Karlee making a "Please Help" sign, Jenna standing on a sand pile to get reception to talk to her dad and him saying, "No, don't try to take the lugnuts off the ornamental hubcap," they got the tire changed and we came up with a plan where they could still get to Kamloops and enjoy their weekend away that they had been anticipating for so long. The plan, of course, consisted of me driving to Hope to give them my van and me driving back home with her car and the aforementioned stupid donut. And since Tony had to work that evening what did I do? I called my dad. I know... the irony is not lost on me. Because what do we do so naturally when we're in trouble...even when we've got a major "I told you so" coming? We turn to the one who has guided and cared for us all our lives....our father.

So my nice relaxing evening did not end up remotely close to what I planned (we even got pulled over by a policeman on the way home), but I did have a nice visit and a cup of coffee with my dad (in Hope), my girls know that, even when they don't heed the advice they should have, their parents (and grandparents) will do almost anything to make them happy and I learned a valuable lesson in the wisdom and love of a father.

Now if you'd like this story from the girls' point of view go here.

Me and my Village

2008-05-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

I am a mom.

I have thought about that sentence a lot since last Sunday. Sometimes it kind of takes me by surprise. I guess part of me feels like I'm still just the daughter.

It made me wonder too, how did I do? How have I been in my Mom job?
My girls have turned out to be strong and motivated. Beautiful and gracious. They face daily struggles and face them without complaint or blaming. I really don't think I can take much credit for this. My mom skills are sadly lacking in many areas. I strongly dislike (my mom taught me not to use the word 'hate') cooking, grocery shopping is definitely at the bottom of my "things I love to do" list and I was the worst school mom ever. I didn't join the PAC and Sports Day made me shiver. I did do some things right. I taught them manners and how to make friends. They have the best memories of our trips to Disneyland and their scrapbooks are magazine worthy. And I have prayed for them every day.

Yes, as a parent, you are the biggest influence in your child's life. But what about all those other people that God brings to them? The Sunday School teachers and Youth Pastors? The Camp Counsellors and the best friends? The generous uncles and aunts and the loving grandparents? I know they have all had a hand in moulding my girls into what they are today.

I really think that the old African proverb, "It takes a whole village to raise a child" has quite a bit of truth to it. So I want to say thank you to my "village". I truly couldn't have done this job without you.

But that won't stop me from having just a little proud mom moment.

Angels Unaware

2008-04-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

By now most of the people living in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia know about the floor collapsing during a Christian concert at Central Heights church. About 40 people fell through the floor to the basement....lighting and scaffolding and pews crashing on top of them. They are saying it is a miracle that no one was killed... it could have been so much worse. Except for three people, most walked away with just minor injuries.

I was out of town that Friday night... and my two oldest daughters were at that concert.

When Eleah told me what happened to her and her best friend, Maggie, that night, it opened my eyes to a unseen world that I know exists but, I have to admit, I don't really think about.

The Starfield Concert was Maggie's birthday present. The two of them had been looking forward to it for so long and no one was more excited to see her favourite band than Maggie. The first song had barely started when the two of them made their way down to the front. (I personally don't get why the concert is better if you jump around during it, but then apparently I'm old! lol) It didn't take long and Eleah started to become anxious. She told Maggie that she wanted them to go back to their seats. Maggie said no.... she wanted to stay up front. That was when Eleah started getting upset with her. "I want to go back," she said, very forcefully. "I'm going back!" Now, you have to understand that my daughter is one of the most complacent people on the planet. She never rocks the boat and is a people pleaser. This was completely out of character for her. It was then that Maggie realized... Eleah never does this, maybe I should pay attention. They turned to go and had just started walking back when the floor gave way.

I really don't know what to say about this other than my being is filled with gratitude. Was it an angel tugging at her? Was it the Holy Spirit? I would love to know. I think that we would be awed and amazed at the battles that are being fought and won on our behalf.

We live each day in happy oblivion while miracles happen at our feet.

In the Beginning God Created....

2008-04-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

Eleah and I went geocaching last Saturday in Derby Reach Park. We were making our way down to the bottom of a ravine just as the sun was starting to set. That's when I noticed these 'strange creatures' coming up all over the place and I couldn't help but take a picture or two! They were just so cute! They looked like a bunch of little green people coming up from the ground.

It was right then that I wished that I could have been there when God was creating the earth so I could ask him all the questions that I have. Why did he decide to make just these ferns come up like this?
(Someone, somewhere started calling them fiddleheads.) Was it just for me, just so I could enjoy this tiny moment in my life? He could have chose to make every plant the same. Every bird look like a robin. Every animal look like a cow.
He could have made the whole earth look like the prairies (I'm not saying that's a bad thing! lol) and we would have never known the difference.

Instead he made the world with mind-blowing variety, eco-systems so diverse that most of the time it just leaves me speechless and full of thankfulness. And questions.

Flowers on the Freeway

2008-03-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone has their herald of Spring. For some it's seeing that first robin, for others it is that first day you can go outside without a jacket. For me it's my flowers on the freeway.

Have you ever noticed them? Bright yellow daffodils growing haphazardly in the median, through the thick dead grass and in between the enormous fir trees. For as long as I can remember they have been growing there but I always wondered why. There is no rhyme or reason, they seem to come up wherever they please. Then one night while we were at a family dinner the subject came up. (I'm sure I was the one who brought it up by the way...) My mom said, "Oh I know why they are there. They were planted for BC's Centennial Celebration."

Are you kidding? Wasn't that like in 1967?

For just over 40 years those daffodils have been coming back year after year. Surviving winter after winter, droughts, weeds and massive mowers. No one has baby-ed them and pampered them. There has been no weeding or watering. As far as I'm concerned they are as beautiful as any flower in Minter Gardens.

There has to be a lesson in there somewhere don't you think? Yes, that's it...

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you."

I knew I loved them for a reason, I just didn't know why until now.

(Just in case you were wondering... Yes, I found a way into the middle of the freeway to take these shots. Shhhh...don't tell Tony, OK?)

Psalm 23 and other verses I should know...

2008-03-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Have you watched this video on youtube? I have lost count on how many times I have watched her, this adorable little girl named Abby who quotes the 23rd Psalm complete with giggles, drool and saying "surely?" about 5 times (my husband's favourite part is "now my head?" It is heart-warming to watch.

Then, after I had watched it for about the 10th time, something started to happen to me. I felt this tremendous amount of guilt. I realized that my total sum of memorized Bible verses added up to John 3:16 and Jeremiah 29:11. Not too great. I knew I needed to change that and quick. It wasn't long after that that Wes (our pastor) suggested that we memorize scripture as a Lent challenge. To the best of my knowledge he's never done that before.

OK Lord, I can take a hint.

So 30 days later I am happy to say that Psalm 23, Matthew 5:1-16 and Isaiah 40:28-31 are permanently (I hope) etched in my memory and I even though Lent will be over in 10 days I am determined to memorize more. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

Thank you God and thanks Abby.

We're All Ears (Among Other Things)

2008-02-19T13:57:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about this for a while now. The question arose when my Magic Kingdom compatriots and I posed for this picture.

So you tell me... why is it that wherever else we go, most of us fight to conform, to fit in? My husband's favourite line is, "You should always blend into your environment." (honestly, the man should own shares in every camouflage clothing line on the market... but I digress.)

So even before we stepped through the gates into Walt's World we noticed this.

Grown men & women wearing all types of hats and headgear. Grandmothers and grandkids wearing t-shirts & sweatshirts with goofy dogs and grumpy dwarves on them. I saw one man with so many pins on a lanyard around his neck that I had a flashback to Mr. T. and the A Team. I am quite certain that not one of these people would show up to work the next week wearing Mickey Mouse Ears that glow in the dark.

And this phenomenom is not restricted to theme parks. Have you seen what people wear to sporting events? Crazed fans carry banners with questionable phrases on them and they paint their faces in irridescent team colours. My friend told me about a trip that her and her husband made to the Nascar races in Las Vegas. When they arrived they scoffed at the "attire" of most of the attendees. By the time they left they each were quite in the spirit, sporting plastic Jimmy Johnson visers and two very "loud" t-shirts.

So this time I am looking for answers and opinions. What happens when I swipe my ticket and walk through those gates? What happens to logic and reason, not to mention any trace of dignity? You tell me.

144,564 Steps!

2008-02-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

I have been to the Magic Kingdom eight times now, each time cramming as much into 5 days as humanly possible, so just for fun I thought that this time I would wear my pedometer... to see how far I would actually walk in 5 days.

Can you believe it?... I walked 88 kilometres! 144,564 steps! That's like walking from Langley to Hope! No wonder my feet felt like they belonged to someone else!

You have to understand that we've been there, done that a few times now.... so our trips to Disneyland aren't exactly like they show you in the brochure, we don't "see" Disneyland like we used to. This time I tried something new and did some geo-caching in and around the Park (I found 7)... that took me to places in Disneyland that even I hadn't been to before. We went on every major attraction at least 3 times each. We watched Aladdin, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies and Steve Martin. We chatted with Cast Members, got soaked on Splash Mountain till we got just the right picture and wearing our Ears was mandatory when entering the Park. We gave Disneyland tips to other tourists (apparently our Ears gave us away) and we rode in the cockpit of the monorail (you just have to ask).

It was all I imagined it would be and then some. Was it worth the the tired feet, exhausted bones and blisters? Was it worth 144,564 steps! You bet!

The Parable of Glass Beach

2008-01-08T00:37:00.000-08:00

Our first stop after we got to Texada was to find a geocache called "Glass Beach." After reading the cache page we learned that this site, on the northern tip of the island, was previously an old dump site used by the residents of Texada for many generations. The area has now been reclaimed by nature but since then the most wonderful little thing has happened.

I guess, many, many years ago, there were a lot of glass items dumped here. Old pop & beer bottles, noxema jars and even china was deposited here when it was no longer useful. Now add to this the continuous action of the waves and you can imagine what has happened. The entire beach is strewn with brilliantly coloured "pebbles." Beer bottle amber, noxema jar brilliant blue, 7up green... they are all there. Over the years the waves have worn them smooth, no jagged edges or sharp points anymore. It is really something beautiful to see.

What I love most about this story, though, is how some of the islanders have discovered these "pebbles" and seen the potential of it. They scour Glass Beach for the right shapes, sizes and colours (apparently blue is the most sought after) and turn them into works of art. What was once discarded and worthless is now searched out and of value.

I loved going to Glass Beach. Probably because it was an unexpected surprise that gave me a lot to think about. I love my life but it has not turned out exactly as I imagined it would and there are times when I've felt like I've been hit like that glass, tumbling in the waves, again and again and again. What was ugly can become beautiful, what was useless can be made useful, what was sharp and hurtful can become smooth and soothing, what was once considered worthless becomes worthy. We were standing in the middle of a wonderful, moving object lesson.

No wonder Jesus taught in parables.

If you'd like to see some beautiful examples of beach glass art click here.

The Beach

2008-01-07T21:46:00.000-08:00

Tony and I just spent four wonderful days on Texada Island. We rented a little cabin by the beach... far, far away from life, work and reality. One morning I went for a walk along the beach. The wind storm from the night before had died down and the morning by the bay was blissfully quiet. I sat on a piece of driftwood, the only person along this stretch and closed my eyes.

I had been told what to expect but still I was so amazed at what I heard. In the quiet of that morning I heard the beach's song.

Did God, when He created this earth, say to himself, "Let's make this beach special. It will be a gift to those who take the time to listen?" The beach, you see, is made up entirely of tiny pea size pebbles. Worn smooth by time, they move with the waves and every time a wave rolls away the pebbles make the most musical sound, like wooden wind chimes in the breeze.

Then God and I had a wonderful little talk and I said thanks for the song on the beach.

I couldn't keep from smiling.

Tony's Story of the Lady, Two Cars and the Key that Didn't Work

2007-11-20T23:54:00.000-08:00

My favourite part of the day is when my husband tells me a story. Usually it's something new, something that's just happened to him that day or happened that week. Quite often I will hear him tell an old story to a whole new group of people. I know where all the punch lines are, where he will pause for effect and how it will end, and still I love to hear it like it was the first time.

There are so many of his stories I could share with you but today let me tell you his latest one.

Tony had just dropped me off at the grocery store and went to park and wait as I quickly grabbed a few things. Not long after he parked he watched a lady pull in and park just in front of him. This in itself wasn't unusual, what was unusual was that she parked right beside the exact same car...same colour, same model, same everything. Just a few minutes after that, another lady came out and walked to her car. Tony watched with increasing interest as she walked to the car that had just parked. She got out her keys and proceeded to unlock "her" car. Of course the key didn't work. So she walked to the passenger side. That didn't work either. Let's try the hatch. Nope. By now she's getting noticably frustrated so Tony decides to end her frustration. He rolls down his window and says to her quite nicely, "Maybe that isn't your car." Much to his surprise she barks at him, "I think I know my own car!!!" OK then.

So he decides to just sit back and watch the show for a while. The lady has now got out her cellphone. Who she decides to call is a mystery but whoever they are, they are getting an earful. Tony sat with the windows rolled up and he could hear her quite distinctly. The whole time she's on the phone, yelling at the poor soul on the other end, she is continuing to try her keys in every lock.

At this point Tony can't stand it anymore. He decides to give it one more try. This time he gets out of the van and walks up to her and gets in her face. "Lady! he says, "that's not your car." He points at the other car which she has amazingly not seen this whole time. "That's your car!"

She is silent, her tirade suddenly over and then proceeds to get very red in the face. Without another word she gets into the right vehicle this time and speeds away. Not a word of apology or thanks. It's a miracle that she didn't take out a few people on her race to get out of there.

I laughed when Tony told me this story and then I thought how sad it was, that she didn't accept the help and advice when it was freely first offered to her. How many times in our lives does God freely offer His help and advice and we bluster back, "I can do it myself!" How many times will he have to get in my face before I pay attention.

Trees, Trails and Tupperware

2007-10-16T00:12:00.000-07:00

Let me paint you a picture....

It's pouring rain and the trail in the dripping forest is muddy and slippery. It smells like pinetrees and wet earth. The creek is running fast and getting higher by the minute. Good thing her boots are Gortex. Now the rain is coming down harder and she slips climbing out of the creek, her jeans soaked to the knees. She can barely see because her glasses are all fogged up and covered in rain drops. She climbs the hill, slipping and grabbing roots to keep her balance, her fingernails clawing into the hillside to get a better grip. She's almost there. What did the paper say? Inside? Under? Suddenly she notices that something doesn't look quite right. The leaves and branches under that stump look too perfect, laid out in too precise a pattern. She moves the leaves and there it is! She has done it!

That "she" is me and that was me this morning searching for a geocache. The whole time, while I'm pushing my wet hair out of my eyes, I'm thinking, "what a stupid hobby," but then, there it is, in my hands, the elusive hide and what is the thought going through my mind at that moment? "I wonder where the next one is hidden." I can't help it, I just love it! I love what one cacher wrote online after they had had a particular difficult time finding a cache. He said, "All this to find hidden tupperware." That's probably the most eloquent thing I've ever read about geocaching and I can totally relate.

Why do we do it? I know I've always been a curious person and I love puzzles. I love a mystery and trying to solve it. And I love being outside in nature. I am so glad that God created us this way giving us that desire that makes us want to explore and learn new things. It just makes life so much fun. Aren't you glad that He gave us this whole amazing planet to explore?

There's only one thing that scares me about that.... do you have any idea how many places on this earth a person could hide a piece of tupperware?

Anticipation

2007-10-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am going to Disneyland in a few months. Yes... again.

Those of you who know me, know I love Disneyland and just about anything related to Walt Disney. I've been asked many times why I love it all so much and I'm really not sure but it started when I was about ten years old. My first trip to the Magic Kingdom was in 1976... the Americans were celebrating their bicentennial that year and there was red, white and blue everywhere. One huge celebration! It was incredible.

Walt Disney himself had an amazing imagination and it seemed like he could see into the future. His attention to detail was masterful.

Here are a few bits of trivia that you might not know about Disneyland. Did you know that:

Gum is not, and never has been, sold inside Disneyland. Any gum found on the ground is scraped up immediately. The moment Disneyland closes the garbage is searched out by crews with flashlights.

All the gold used throughout Disneyland is real.

There is a gymnasium inside the Matterhorn. Next time you see me, ask me why.

The lady who played Tinkerbell during the fireworks jumped off the Matterhorn till she was 65 years old!

Up until 1982 the Frontier Shooting Arcade was repainted every night. It took 2000 gallons of paint a year to keep it fresh and new looking. (now they use lasers instead of lead bullets)

So by now you're probably asking yourself, "Why is she writing all this? Does she have a point?

I do. I've thought about it all day today. Because I've been wondering why I don't have that same sense of anticipation, the wish that the days would hurry along, before I go to heaven. I know it's going to be incredible. I know that there will be celebrating and singing. God built it with me in mind with a supernatural attention to detail. He is the master creator. The streets will be paved with gold and there will be a mansion built just for me. I will never grow old there and I will feel like a kid all day long.

I really do want to be excited and filled with anticipation about meeting my Lord face to face for the first time. I think I just need to read His "brochure" again...

26 Years

2007-08-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

It's my anniversary today. Twenty-six years ago I was a new bride. Sometimes it feels like we've been transported in time, like in a Star Trek episode. Beam me to 2007 Scotty.

Tony and I celebrate our anniversary the same way every year. We go away to explore some remote place in British Columbia (that's me, hiking in the rain, up Stoyoma Mountain this past weekend). I have many friends (OK most of my friends) who don't quite understand the whole "sleep-in-tent-4x4ing-hiking-fishing" thing, but for us it's the perfect way to celebrate who we are and who we've become. Twenty-six years ago I was a very fresh faced teenager whose most rugged camping experience was staying at Manning Park with her family. He was 22 and grew up in a family where words like venison, thirty-odd-six and ford fender were used in every day dinner conversation.

How we ever got together still remains a mystery.

Looking back at these past years, I realize that we both were willing to embrace each others' passions in life, we were both willing to learn new things and we were both willing to give the other the space to grow . We are so not the people we were that day 26 years ago.

So today I thank God for that man he brought into my life in 1977. I thank Him for the strength and courage he gave us when we needed it.

Because August 30th was when the true adventure began.

Do you Facebook?

2007-08-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit it. Yesterday I signed up for Facebook. I really tried hard to stay away... really, I did. I valiantly resisted the urge to go into that cyber world of Super Walls, Photo Albums and Friend Poking. I am weak.

A few minutes after I joined up. I received three postings on my "wall."

my daughter, Eleah, said..."You know Dad will find out eventually."
my daughter, Jenna said... "Mom, you are going to get addicted to Facebook...and when do you have time for this?
my computer-whiz cousin, Kevin said... "Welcome to the Dark Side."

Very funny.

And then the most wonderful thing happened. Through Facebook I reconnected with another cousin. I haven't spoken to her in over a year and I missed our weekly email chats. I didn't know what had happened to her, her emails just stopped and I was getting a little worried. We had a wonderful little "talk" yesterday and now I know where she's at. Big relief.

So today I am thanking God for the internet. Yes, there is all that stuff that can clutter our lives... chat rooms, forums, pop-ups and spam. I know I have to be so careful not to let it take over. But if used right it can be a powerful instrument to explore the world. Yesterday it helped me find my friend.

LYLAS

2007-08-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

If you're an emailer or a blogger or you love "talking" in your favourite forum, then you're probably familiar with all those acronyms that people use. You know...like LOL or SYL. I use LOL a lot, way too much probably but I joke when I write and so I want to make sure that you (the reader) laughs at the appropriate moment. OK, now... LOL.

But this was a new one for me. LYLAS...

I belong to a group of seven. No, not the Group of Seven (I'm not nearly talented enough for that). This is a group of seven women. We've dubbed ourselves the Seven Sisters. Sometimes, when we feel it's necessary, we add an adjective in between the seven and the sisters... like silly or sleepy or senile. LOL.

Back in October some of our group went to the Ladies Retreat at Stillwood. The speaker was Moira Brown (fantastic, btw) and she told us how she learned about LYLAS. The moment was very poignant for me, since I don't have a sister. I have one brother and he's an amazing man, but he's also a man of few words. I am sure that when we were growing up, he decided he didn't need to talk because I did it for him (and then some). I am sorry to say but I grew up feeling quite jealous of any friend who had a sister.

So God, in His wonderful, mysterious wisdom decided to bless me instead with an amazing group of friends.

Wendy, Laurie-Anne, Pat, Rita and Dorothy

and the six of the Group of Seven - Joan, Carol,

Yvonne, Cindy, Rachelle & Lorraine.

To you I say LYLAS.
And to the rest of you - have you figured it out yet? LOL!

What's the Point?

2007-07-12T14:40:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to write this for a while now.

This happened after our friend's memorial service. I had to go buy groceries after the service. It was the only time I could fit it in in that week. I really didn't want to be there, somehow it felt disrespectful to her. I looked at all the people I passed as I slowly went up and down the aisles. Everyone looked so busy, staff working stocking the shelves, customers (including me) checking off those long lists. All of the sudden I was overwhelmed with an empty feeling of pointlessness. And then it happened. God gave me a gift right there in the middle of PriceMart. My song began to play over the speakers! (read my previous post for the story about my special song.) I couldn't believe it! I stopped and listened to the words, said thank you to God and kept on moving.

Dare you to Move

2007-06-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

The other day just before I was leaving for work and I found Eleah's "Walk to Remember" soundtrack. For seem reason I decided to listen to it on the 20 minute drive to work.

If you've never seen the movie A Walk to Remember, don't, unless you have an entire box of kleenex handy. Trust me on this one.

I popped the CD in my player and the first song came on.... a ballad called "Dare You to Move" by a band named Switchfoot.

Have you ever had God speak to you so directly that there is no way you can ignore Him. Some times He is subtle and he speaks to you in a soft voice and sometimes He is in your face. This was an in your face time for me.

Here are the lyrics that I heard that morning:

Welcome to the planet

Welcome to existence

Everyone's here

Everybody's watching you now

Everybody waits for you now

What happens next

I dare you to move

I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor

I dare you to move

Like today never happened

Today never happened before

Welcome to the fallout

Welcome to resistance

The tension is here

Tension is here

Between who you are and who you could be

Between how it is and how it should be

Maybe redemption has stories to tell

Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell

Where can you run to escape from yourself?

Where you gonna go?

Salvation is here

I dare you to move

I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor

I dare you to move

Like today never happened

Today never happened

Today never happened before

As I listened to these powerful words I went over every terrible thing that had happened to me in the past. The passing of my father in law, the traumatic birth of my youngest daughter, the loss of a friendship. I remember literally being on the floor after Tessa was born with no desire to move on. Who dared me to move? How did my Christianity show as I went through these dark days? Was I a witness despite everything?

Because it is so true, what the song says.... "everyone is watching you now. What happens next?" As Christians we are under the world's microscope.

Thank you God. Forgivness and salvation is right where I fell.

Friends

2007-05-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

If one falls down,

his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls

and has no one to help him up!

I read these words from Ecclesiastes today and I realized how true they are. I’ve always placed a high value on my friends but hearing it straight from God’s word was just what I needed to hear.

I am constantly guilty of not having enough time for my friends. Just last night I sent an email… “Sorry, can’t make it this week. Too much to do.” I think I said the same thing last week. Boy, that’s lame.

About 6 months ago I went through a mini crisis. I sent out an email to my Wednesday night friends (you know who you are) and asked them to pray. I didn’t send out any details, I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. And they didn’t ask. I just felt their prayers all day. What an exceptional experience that was, to be able to just reach out, and minutes later know that they are there for you. No questions asked.

Now I have to ask myself. Am I going to let that slip away or am I going to work at cultivating it and making it better and better? If I don’t, maybe the next time I fall down there will be no one there to pick me up.

Let me Share...

2007-04-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

While I was driving to work this morning I did some thinking about what I was going to write in my Blog today.

There are so many things I would love to write about, not necessarily important, but a little noteworthy nonetheless. So I thought to myself, "What is it you love?"

My Lord? Yes - though I don't tell Him often enough
My husband? absolutely, with my whole heart
My girls? - without question
My job? - you bet
My family? - they are the best
My friends? - each one is good for my heart

As I was thinking about all this, I realized that I put all these things I love in my scrapbooks. Did I mention that I love scrapbooking? I do - it is my joy.

So today I am going to share some of my scrapbook layouts. These are some of the things I love...

Love this photo of Tessa and Karlee. The three of us went to a sleep over at the Aquarium for Tessa's 16th birthday. What an awesome time we had.

Every year Tony pulls this old homemade trailer up to Shuswap for his mom. His dad built the trailer in their basement and they're all pretty proud of it, as you can tell!

We love Disneyland. This was one of our favourite trips there. Just us girls - 2006.

This layout is called "Pass It On." I designed it for a competition to celebrate marriage. We are very blessed to have had these wonderful marriages before us.

This is me.

I think Joan or Carol took this picture. We love to go pictographing together (looking for indian rock paintings) and they love to tease me about how I have to touch every one. Just can't seem to be able to help myself.

This is probably my favourite photo of Tony. We had found this wonderful old homestead on the west side of the Fraser and of course I was taking way too many pictures. When I turned around, this was how he was standing, waiting for me to be finished. When I saw the photo for the first time I thought how well it captured everything about him. I call this layout,"Born 100 Years Too Late."

What do you love? Have you thought today about how God has blessed you? Why don't you share your blessings with someone today.

Did I Tell You I Got a New Camera?

2007-04-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

My family is getting so tired of this sentence but it's true. I've been waiting for this for so long so they're just going to have to put up with me for a while - I got a new camera!!

I have always loved taking photographs...there’s just something about capturing a moment in time and preserving it for posterity. I walked the Fort-to-Fort trail this morning (looking for a geo-cache of course) and my beautiful new camera was with me - it has become my constant companion. It seemed that wherever I looked there was another "kodak moment" - a tugboat with an enormous barge, a beautiful trillium, a old, old barn that was built a hundred years ago. They are all now captured on film (ooops...memory card.)

For some reason looking through the lens of my new camera has given me a renewed sense of the beauty around me. I think I have a pretty good appreciation for God’s creation... but lately I have appreciated His artistic ability more and more.

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

My List

2007-03-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

I am a task oriented, list person with a short attention span. Problem is I'm 44 years old and I have just figured this out.

I think maybe it has something to do with all the things I want to accomplish in one day. Tony gets so exasperated with me. "Pick one thing and finish it!" he blusters. It drives him crazy... I tell him that Oprah calls it multi-tasking. He doesn't care what Oprah calls it.

I love my daily "to-do" list and there is nothing like the thrill of adding another checkmark to that list. (Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about.) My goal (usually unattainable) is to have everything checked off that day. The problem is that if it doesn't get on the list it's not going to happen. Tony thought he'd be funny and added his own ideas to my list one day.... things like "breathe" and "blink" were on the bottom. Very funny.

I've come by this habit quite honestly. My mother has lists everywhere, usually on little yellow post-it notes stuck in obvious, make-sure-I-don't-forget places. My father has kept a coil notebook for his lists for as long as I can remember.

I don't understand how people can function without a list. I've tried it and it's not pretty. Usually I end up somewhere, like Safeway, wandering aimlessly.

So what is my point in my Blog today? I'm not sure, but now I can put a check mark in front of "Write in blog" on my list.

"Thanks God... I Found it!"

2007-03-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought that there are just too many wonderful things in this world for you to absorb? That God made this world with so many hidden gems & secrets just for you to find?

I have. I think that all the time, every day.

Yesterday Tony and I went geo-caching in a little known park north of Campbell Valley Park and the moment we stepped off the road onto the trail I was in awe of the beauty around me. The trees were dripping with bright green moss and huge ferns grew all around. It was like stepping onto a green painter's palette. I never knew this little park existed and I've lived in Langley for almost 40 years! Can you imagine what else is out there for us to find?

Like I said, we were geo-caching - one the hottest new hobbies to take hold of people these days. In a nutshell this is what you do.... you use your GPS unit to locate a box with specific co-ordinates. The box (or geo-cache) has been hidden somewhere on the planet. They are hidden everywhere, (that's me pulling a cache out of a tree) with little trinkets and a logbook inside. There are thousands just in the lower mainland. It's so addictive, the moment you say the words, "found it!!" you are ready to find the next one.

Why is it that we don't treat God's hidden wonders the same way? I truly believe that God made all this just for our enjoyment. And what do we do? We race by, going 120 on the freeway because we have to "get there." One of the greatest lessons I learned from my parents was that the holiday, the adventure, your day-to-day life, begins the moment you leave the driveway, not when you arrive at your destination. God must truly puzzle over the way we race around His planet, trying to keep up, missing everything.

Thank you God for Your creation. Please help me appreciate what a gift it truly is.

Everything I Learned From Washing Dishes

2007-03-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

For the past three Thursdays Tony & I have been washing the dishes for the Marriage Course Dinner at our Church. I told him, "It will be fun" and he agreed to it, though he wasn't too sure about the "fun" part.

After three weeks this is what I know for sure:

Our church dishwasher rocks - I want one just like it.
My husband is a much better cleaner than he has let on.
Apricot stuffed ham is so yummy.
The care groups in our church are simply amazing... I've never seen so many happy, willing people in the kitchen.
Serving others is so good for your heart.
We're signed up for next time.

I'm supposed to be working....

2007-02-26T11:33:00.000-08:00

I'm supposed to be working. Shhhhh...

But here I am blogging in the church office and technically this is work since I am in charge of our soon-to-be Blog website and all our new bloggers. I am very excited about this new ministry that we're undertaking and all the people who have agreed to "blog" are so talented, I'm sure everyone will enjoy what they have written so far.

I've got to say that it's exciting to be here at this job - to be able to see and hear all around this place. The upstairs is busy with running little feet at the Preschool, the parents busily coming and going. I hear the laughter coming from the fireside room as the women have their Monday Morning Bible Study, Jennifer is huffing at her computer (though she does her job with a joyful heart I'm sure) and Wes was just in here chatting with us both.

There's a feeling of excitement around here. Of things past and wonderful things to come. I know I am right where God wants me to be. And now I'd better get back to work.

Time Flies....

2007-02-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is a special day for my husband and me. Tomorrow it will be exactly 26 years ago that he proposed. How can that be? I remember when my parents celebrated their "Silver Wedding." They were old.

How on earth did time slip away so quickly? How can it be that I have a child who is 23?

I don't feel old. Honestly, I feel like I'm still 18. I enjoy so many things and I feel like there is so much I still want to do. So many places left to explore. I wish that I could just hold on to time and make it stand still for a little bit.

I guess there really is some truth to the adage: "Time flies when you're having fun." It has been an amazing, thrilling, wonderful ride with just a few unexpected bumps along the way.

Welcome & Let Me Explain.

2007-02-12T12:08:00.000-08:00

I know, I know.... the first thing you're wondering is "Why on earth did she name her blog "Have We Got Any Peanuts?" Well.... here's the story.

This sentence describes me and my husband and our relationship to a T.

We were sitting watching a movie (a chick flick he would say) and the moment was intense, the climactic ending to a heart-wrenching story. I am weeping with emotion, not a few tears mind you, but weeping, into my soggy tissue, when my dear, dear, completely-devoid-of-any-sentiment husband turns to me and says... "Have we got any peanuts?" I looked at him like "Are you kidding me? Are you watching the same movie as me?" and he looked at me like "What?"

That moment has become the defining moment of our marriage. It happened years ago and we still laugh about it and talk about it. It has become his sentence of choice when I am sad... he uses it whenever he can see that I am becoming overcome with emotion. It lightens the moment. Because, you see, I am the most sentimental, weepy person on the planet. To quote Dolly Parton... "No one cries alone in my presence." That's me. I cry during movies, I cry at commercials, I cry when someone wins a car on the Price Is Right. In the past 25 years he has had to learn to deal with me and my emotions... this man who could be Grizzly Adams the second. I on the other hand have learned to be a little tougher and a little less sentimental. It's funny, but we both think that the other has been the one to change.

So that's it in a nutshell (pardon the pun). One sentence that reminds me to lighten up. One sentence that reminds him to tread softly. One sentence that tells the both of us to not take life too seriously.... we're only visiting this planet.

Welcome to my Blog.