Hot 'n Steamy

Back in February when we had been in a deep freeze for far too long, my husband randomly suggested that we just drop everything and leave for a warm, tropical vacation. It didn't take much to convince me, so we just went.

What a wonderful relief from the bitter cold! Warm...steamy....refreshing waterfalls...tropical plants....colorful birds.....beautiful butterflies.

Yah....... me, birds, butterflies, warmth, water and plants.....that's heaven right there.

It was absolutely wonderful. I let every moment sink in as my bones drank in the warmth they so craved.

Then after about 3 hours we came home.

Actually, the vacation was less than an hour's drive and cost under 25 bucks for the two of us. You guessed it. A butterfly conservatory. I highly recommend this mini vacation when you just need some warmth and beauty.

Mind you, when we walked back outside into the -25C temperatures, my husband remarked that we'd probably get a cold because of the drastic shock to our systems. I assured him that was all an old wive's tale because colds come from viruses. Three days later....I was flat out in bed for the next three days with a miserable cold.

But as I shut out the world and cocooned under the blankets to recover, (can't say I emerged as something beautiful), I still felt it was totally worth it to have gone on our mini vacation!

Remember what the birds know....warm weather is coming.

Make yourself a hot cup of tea, wrap yourself up in a nice warm blanket, and enjoy the show....

(Click on it for a closer view)

Foggy morning

I went to work in a fog this morning.

Just before going out the door my husband, who had quickly perused the obituaries, informed me that an acquaintance had passed away suddenly while on vacation. He was 53.

My mind immediately went back to the last moment I had spoken with this now deceased man - a great guy - and his wife. We had been standing in a very long line in a funeral home and some of our reflections together had been how so many younger people that we have known have passed away. In a few days, this man's family will gather in the same funeral home, perhaps even in that very room, to mourn his passing.

I drove to work in a blur, sat down at my desk blinking back tears, took a deep breath, and wanted to curl up in a fetal position and sob for this man's wife and his two sons, though I really don't know them well.

Death and separation stinks. We feel helpless when it happens and we can't change it. Some days it seems just too hard to handle. Grieving can last for such a very long time. We can't just 'snap out of it'. Life seems to grind to a halt. The sadness of the loss can be triggered very suddenly by memories, music, sounds, even smells, long after we think we should be moving on with life. Over time the memories will become happy ones to revisit, but for now, they elicit pain. But grieving is necessary. Weeping is necessary to bring healing. And friends need to stand alongside, grieving with the heartbroken, interceding for peace and hope to uphold them.

There is One who is very acquainted with grief and with death. He grieves alongside and will never leave us. Death makes us feel very alone, but we can trust that He is as close as the next breath we take, for as long as we breathe....and then for eternity. Here we live in an imperfect world of which death is a part. But it is the unseen world that is far more real than anything we can fathom.

Eternity.

Hope.

Expectation.

Reunion.

Right now life can be foggy. But then....we shall see clearly. Hope will be realized....and loved ones embraced.

We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!
We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him
directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that
completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:
Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of
the three is love.

(I Corinthians 13: 12-13 The Message Bible)

(Note: The above photo is the work of Giuseppe Andrea Mosca. Click on the picture to see more of his stunning work on Flickr. Thank you Giuseppe. This photo captures such a beautiful thought!)

Uninvited guest at the table

I have a broken but adequate dish outside our front door that serves as a table for invited guests...of the bird variety of course. Birds of all kinds come to dine and I can hear their chatter when I pull in the driveway as they await my arrival home.

If I don't provide dinner right away, they sit at the empty table, looking in the window of the door....waiting.

After it is filled, they quickly pounce...often within seconds of the door closing as I retreat into the house again.

This morning I wasn't prepared for who was waiting for a handout.

I wouldn't mind feeding him if he would eat seeds or fruit. He might be handsome, but I wasn't about to provide any of my beautiful birds for him to eat. I purposely put out some peanuts for the crows today because they pester, chase and dive at this hawk.

Never thought I'd want crows in my yard, but I'm beginning to appreciate them!

No more

Now I ask you girls.....is there any better Valentine's gift than a brand new, sparkling clean toilet?
That works?

Look at this beauty.

No more leaving the lid off the tank indefinitely and pulling the chain to make it flush (maybe).

No more desperately mopping up the floor when the toilet decides to overflow instead of flush.

No more 'guests' choosing to go somewhere else to use the toilet rather than chance using ours.

No more.

I had one other little surprise on Valentine's Day. I saw a robin! I had heard him a few days earlier, and though I'm quite sure our robins don't leave us for the winter, I was still so encouraged to see him!

Soon there will be

no more snow,
no more ice,
no more cold,
no more short days.
No more.

Just warmth and spring bulbs and lilacs and toilets that flush.

Heavenly.

Toilets and Valentines

My Valentine's gift this year is a toilet. My husband is the king of romance.

Oh it might not thrill you, but I'm quite excited about a new toilet...I've wanted a new one for several years. But for the last month the crappy thing has not been behaving very well, and when you only have one bathroom in the house, that's not a good thing. So we hope to buy a toilet this weekend and install it soon. My husband and plumbing don't get along so well, but installing a toilet's got to be better than fixing an old one!

Actually, my husband is the king of romance. He's always been one to try to pull off surprises and he's gotten better at it over the years - I used to be able to read the hints, but he's learned not to drop them anymore. He walked in the house Thursday night with a dozen red roses and fresh chocolate dipped strawberries....to avoid the rush and the cost. I thought I had him trained not to buy expensive roses, but he promises me he got a deal.

Even so, it's not the surprises that I love most about him. It's the every day guy that he is. We have been married for 28 years (gee, it used to be really old people that would say that.....we got married when we were both 12), and honestly, this man has brought coffee to my bedside every morning of our married life. He used to bring toast as well until I finally requested that he not bring it anymore - too many crumbs in the bed and it got tedious when the dog joined our family. Now, maybe he has always brought me coffee because I'm not a morning person and it's his way of saying, 'Get out of bed you lazy bum', but he's never given that impression. He's just kindhearted and unselfish....right down to the bones. Even on mornings he's left for work extra early and warns me that there won't be a coffee for me because he doesn't have time....I've often heard him coming into the house anyways and sneaking my Timmy's coffee onto the kitchen counter.

I have had mornings I've slept in and am rushing around to get out the door for work, mentally deciding to buy my lunch that day....only to see that even though he's been rushed too, he has prepared me a lunch and there it sits all packed for me to take!! And that was after he cleaned the snow off my car and warmed it up for me!

If I start dreaming of a project or changes I'd like done around the house, or somewhere I'd like to go, I've learned not to say anything unless I really, really want it. Otherwise, even if he disagrees at first, I suddenly realize he's begun to plot it out in his mind as to how he can make it happen. Before I know it, the project or trip is under way.

He is faithful and steady in all he does, consistent in devotional time with God, and loyal to family, friends, and church.

I am a selfish woman married to an unselfish man. I don't deserve him and don't know how he puts up with me, but I am most grateful for him!

Happy Valentine's Day sweetheart!

Thank you for all the big and little things you do, and for being you.

I love you!

Everybody say awwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Stupid other women drivers

I was laughing hysterically over the Youtube clip below of stupid things women drivers have done... until a couple of scenes admittedly made me wince.

I still have a phobic fear of car washes, even the 'touchless' ones. When my kids were young I was driving a van load of kids home from school and decided that it would be a wonderful, fun experience for them all to take the van through the car wash. Well it was an experience. The car wash was not 'touchless' - you had to lodge your wheels into the ruts in order for the vehicle to be washed. I managed to totally miss the ruts, turned my wheels, and got the van hopelessly...and I mean hopelessly stuck. I could not move it forward or back. I had to sheepishly inform one of the workers that I was completely stuck in the car wash and could not dislodge the van. About 2-3 guys came out and tried rocking it and pushing, even trying to lift it. Nothing. The kids were all laughing. Soon they had to get every single guy that worked at the gas station to come into the car wash. One got in the van while all the rest of them rocked and rolled to get that van out. I was humiliated beyond words. I dared not look outside to see how many had gathered to watch. I hate that 'woman driver' stigma! The men were finally able to dislodge the van. I can't remember if the van actually got washed - I'm sure it didn't. And to this day, I just can't get behind the wheel to drive through a car wash. Some day, I will do it and free myself from my phobia.

The other stupid thing I did once...but not nearly as well as the woman in the clip below does!!! I had observed someone fill up their gas tank using the hose from the other side of the pump when all the others were in use. In my case, I had not been able to pull up far enough to the gas pump because of the guy in front of me. It wouldn't reach my car. I didn't find that out until I had already punched in my debit card information. The guy in front was nowhere near finished. So I got in my car and pulled around to the other side of that particular gas pump to try to pull the same hose through to my car. The debit information had now cleared off the gas pump and my debit card had now slipped below the seat of the car. As I rummaged around for it, I realized how ridiculous this whole scenario would look to anyone watching. I mean I'm punching in numbers on the wrong side of the gas pump. I, of course, could not reach the hose around to my car on this side either, and had to drive the car back to the original spot which was now reachable and I started all over again! Mercifully, I do not yet recognize myself on any Youtube movies. BUT, at least I didn't take a 'ride' with the hose as the lady below does...watch for her!

However, her 'ride' does remind me of a tarzan-like swing I took once through the air on a pulley system my husband devised to clean outside chimney pipes.....when I was pregnant. He pulled down.... I went up. I was clinging to the rope, feet dangling too far from the ground and I was left to swing like an ape back and forth over the driveway for the neighbours delight. It was hard to hang on because I was weeping with laughter. Did I mention I was pregnant? What a sight.

Sigh. The good Lord must know I need humility. Enjoy this clip. Watch it right to the end. (Surely at least some of those drivers must be male...)

Empty Nest

Tomorrow our nest will be empty. We will be helping to move our son to live in another city with a couple of buddies - thankfully very responsible, good buddies! He has been eager to get out on his own, and he has expressed that he needs to 'push' himself to get out and be required to become less dependent on parents. I can't agree more with him that it is healthy to want to move on and chart his own course.

Isn't parenthood crazy? You spend every waking moment attached to your children..... caring, teaching, guiding, encouraging.......and then before you know it, you're supposed to just let them walk out of your world. I had become so close with my daughter that I wondered how I would manage when she left for college four years ago. When she left home (city of 86,000), she was living by herself in Toronto (city of 2.48 million) and phoned every night the first week and never stopped talking. Then, the calls stopped coming so frequently and I had to calm myself that she was just fine, assuring myself that she'd made it home safely that night and that she has a life!! I quickly learned to cope quite well, and in fact I'd probably have a hard time coping if she ever moved back here....mainly because she is so happy in her life and I've seen the positive results of her having to (sometimes) struggle through decision making and planning in every area of life and she has blossomed as a lovely young woman. We're still right here for her, cheering her on, and providing advice and encouragement. I could never wish her back here though. It would stifle her growth and maturity as an individual.

So now, it is our son's turn and again we will be right here for him when he needs us, supporting him and loving him, and watching from the grandstands, cheering him on.

Of course, I must give a brief 'bird' analogy here. The coolest thing I've heard about the 'empty nest' was from my Pastor when he talked about eagles. He said he had the opportunity to watch an adult eagle 'push' its baby from the nest. That may sound cruel, particularly when you consider that eagles' nests are in very high trees or even on cliffs. Indeed there are immature, cruel parents out there who shove their kids out the door, not out of love, but because they don't want them around anymore for whatever reason, and the kids crash, wounded and abandoned. The Pastor said he saw the young eaglet drop from the nest, desperately flapping its wings as it quickly descended through the air. But the adult eagle immediately and smoothly flew in underneath the young one, with its strong wings extended and provided support as the eaglet learned to glide. The adults were always there for the fledgling with support, guidance and strength. What a beautiful picture!

Below is a video someone patiently filmed of a young eaglet preparing itself to finally leave the only place it had known, and then its eventual first flight. He learns some pretty cool dance steps until he's ready to jump. There's lots of flapping of wings until he will learn to ride the air currents and effortlessly soar in freedom with outstretched wings for hours on end like his parents. Parachute jumpers....eat your heart out! How could I selfishly keep my babies indefinitely confined to the nest when freedom, growth, experience and wisdom await them beyond? It would be like keeping their wings clipped. Fly away son...and we'll be right there to support you!

.....um.... but leave the keys to the car. It's staying home with us.

Christmas is over???!!!

I guess it's time.

I took down most of the indoor Christmas decorations this past week. Although those little mice and lights (above) are staying. I think lights on a mantle are nice and cozy year round....and well.... mice aren't seasonal. The outdoor lights and bows will have to wait until a thaw...and that doesn't look like any time soon.

Although.... I did take this fuzzy shot from a bedroom window today....pussywillows are in waiting.

Only 11 more months until Christmas Eve and 10 months before the decorations go up again.

If before then, you get lonely for Christmas and want to take a peek at pics of Christmas past, here's a Picasa album slideshow...

Gnashing of teeth

I am now the proud owner of a mouth guard. No, I haven't taken up hockey. And I'm not referring to those stinky $5.99 sports mouth guards from Wal-Mart. No, this one only cost $300.00 (Thank goodness for dental plans).

It all started when I switched pillows one night back in early December. I woke up with an incredible headache and neck pain, and then when I opened my mouth to eat breakfast my jaw hurt so bad I almost cried. I couldn't open my mouth very wide (my husband could interject with a few comments here) without excruciating pain. So I got right into the dentist who had no problem diagnosing that I have temporomandibular joint disorder - now isn't that a mouthful?

I've always been fortunate to have strong healthy teeth and gums - never had a cavity until I was in my forties. But we know from the condition of my molars that I grind my teeth when I sleep which places a strain on my jaws. I really don't think 'stress' is the cause of my teeth clenching. I read a few interesting things about the clenching and grinding of teeth at sleepdeprivation.com :

• "Believe it or not, we chew our food with the force of 175 pounds per square inch. When we grind our teeth without the food, the force can be doubled, which will result in serious damage." That's a hard fact to swallow.
• "It has also been discovered that avoiding caffeinated foods and drinks like colas, chocolates and coffee can increase teeth grinding." Better increase my intake of chocolate for sure.

• "Since teeth grinding takes place during sleep, it is nearly impossible to tell when you are suffering from it." Hope they didn't spend a lot of money for a study on that.

• "One way to treat teeth grinding is learning how to relax your jaw muscles at night. You can accomplish this by holding a warm washcloth against your cheek, right near your earlobe." And are you supposed to fall asleep with this wet cloth on your pillow?

• "Mouth guards or night guards....are designed to keep the teeth still in the mouth...." Good. I would hate for them to fall out of the mouth.

My young dentist is the most personable, laid back, friendly person on the planet and she told me she grinds her teeth as well and wears a mouth guard to bed; in fact, she hates it if she has a night without it. So that convinced me that I needed one myself to provide relief to my jaw and prevent the grinding. In the meantime, I bought an orthopedic pillow and that actually provided instant relief and I had no problems after that. But, I'd already booked an appointment to have the mouth guard made so I went ahead with the plan.

Try to imagine clamping first your top row of teeth and then the bottom row into a very thick cement-like substance that has the smell of Pepto Bismol, feeling like it's filling most of your mouth and then sensing it gradually harden while you of course, cannot swallow. When the dental assistant pulled (yanked?) the moulds off of my teeth, I could have sworn they were going to come out by the roots. Bleeck!

This week I received the finished product. A clear guard in the shape of my top teeth.

On the first night I ran hot water over the mould and then placed it on the top row of teeth. I smiled widely at my husband and told him I felt like a beaver. Bad case of buck teeth. I tossed and turned that night and went in and out of a fitful sleep. I dreamed that I was at a buffet table, dipping shrimp in the cocktail sauce, but when I went to eat it I couldn't bite down on it. In my dream I recognized that I was wearing a mouth guard to the event (how attractive is that?) so I took it out and tried again to eat the shrimp. Still couldn't do it. When I awoke and recalled the dream I laughed and now have come to the conclusion that I'm not stressed when I sleep. I just eat all night long, chomping away! That's okay. There's no calories in that. But perhaps I should switch it up and dine in my dreams at senior's homes with soup, mashed potatoes, and rice pudding.

Now if only I could accomplish what those dieting products promise.....'lose weight while you sleep!' Yah.....in my dreams.

Obamania...observations of a Canadian

I am excited for the USA as they celebrate up to Inauguration Day tomorrow. I have never witnessed this much excitement over a political figure in my lifetime. Obama, of course, represents much more than a political figure to so many. He represents change for the American people, and having emerged from an African/American background he is the epitome of hope for the black community. "Anything is possible in America", he said yesterday. He is an orator and his followers are euphoric. He appears bent on being inclusive of all viewpoints. He has invited Pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration, and Dr. Joseph Lowry, whose views are deeply contrasting to Warren's, will give the benediction. He eats chili dogs at the local Washington eatery. Obama and his wife plan to be very involved with local people within the community in which they live. A man of the people (and the Blackberry), not someone isolated within the walls of the White House. Refreshing.

Americans know how to celebrate. So do Canadians, but we don't spend as much money at it. I have read that the inauguration will cost $100 million (don't know if that includes the pre-celebrations). I think I also read that there might be a recession going on - you know - people unable to pay their mortgages and such. $100 million would have gone a long way to alleviate some big problems. I know that I always have a problem watching the U.S. 4th of July celebrations on the TV as I watch the fireworks....and millions of dollars.....go up in smoke. Surely there are cheaper ways to celebrate - like cut the fireworks to 5-10 minutes and put the savings towards world hunger, or American poverty, or something worthwhile. Absolutely we should celebrate....but somehow the spending of money and celebrity star power always seems most important in the US of A. It's always a big show, Hollywood style and the recession doesn't seemed to have curbed that. But I don't begrudge this celebration - at this time in history it's an important one....and I will admit I don't know where the $100 million is coming from - so if it's all being donated by private individuals and not from government coffers - then all the better.

Ah well. That is my little peeve, but I still consider Americans our wonderful friends and neighbours and I celebrate their 44th President with them. Obama has a huge challenge ahead of him and he's planning to spend an astronomical amount of money. It will be interesting in four years to see how well he has done.

Last night's concert at the Lincoln Memorial began with a convocation by the Right Rev. Gene Robinson who asked the people to pray for "understanding that our president is a human being and not a messiah".

We would all do well to declare (in Canada), "God keep our land, glorious and free", and (in the USA), "In God we trust". If we dare leave it all up to a man, we will be deeply disappointed and with problems much bigger than we can fix without divine intervention.

Shiverrrrr!!!

It's been a full time job lately feeding the wildlife...they eat it as quickly as I put it out. Birds need to eat all day every day in this kind of bitter cold in order to have enough energy to stay warm. But they provide me great pleasure in return and keep me ever ready with camera in hand.... even if the shots are poor from the window of a warm house.

This would be why the neighbours have been heard to say, "I don't know where all the goldfinches have gone. We used to have so many around here!"

Um, sorry....they would all be at my house.

Goldfinches are olive in colour in the winter, but will begin to turn a bright lemony yellow in spring.

Red finches and house finches...

I continually try for that elusive perfect 'cardinal in snow' picture. At times we have many more than I can count, but they flit around so quickly and never stay still!

And then there are other wildlife who are undaunted by the snow and cold.....

Stools and other samples

I had my annual medical checkup today. All went well although I think they slipped up because I realized afterwards that I hadn't been asked to provide a warm liquid in a plastic container to them - you know - the one you provide after walking across the crowded waiting room to the facilities, when everyone watches to ensure you emerge successfully with bottle in hand to provide to the waiting nurse - lucky recipient.

However, the doctor did inform me that now that I am over 50, I need to provide stool samples (see illustration) as a precaution against colorectal cancer . I expressed my great anticipation to collect those for her, though I didn't mention that my previous doctor had started that process when I hit 40. I didn't bring it up again to the new doctor, after my other one left town. The prize for a positive sample is a free colonoscopy, so I'll be trying my best. (Those of you who are younger likely can't wait until your turn.) Of course, the hardest part is that you have to do this on three different days and take two samples from the same stool on each day. So what if you're not home when the ideal occasion arises for a sample??

I must admit I looked at my doctor in disbelief when she explained that I would need to send my stool samples by mail for examination. I had a brief (very brief) moment of sincere sympathy for postal workers. You'll recall those reply envelopes you've completed and verified that you've checked three things before sealing? Number one, in this case asks, "Did you apply stool to both areas, in all 3 test windows?" Fortunately, that envelope is to be enclosed in another before mailing. (I took special note that there is an adhesive liner for sealing, as opposed to requiring your tongue). Strangely, with all the other stupid warnings you see on things, the envelope instructions lack the statement NOT to return the wooden sticks used to collect the samples. Too much information? I'll spare you the suggestions they give on how to actually retrieve the stool. Let me just say that we gave up trying to give both urine and stool samples from the dog to the vet, and we pay extra for the vet workers to extract them.

So, if you are one of those unfortunates who tends to steal from Canada Post, let me advise you right now to just let the bulky envelopes that are addressed to CML Healthcare Inc in Mississauga pass you right by. Don't touch them. You won't be any wealthier by your discovery. Then again, if you have an illness that causes you to steal from the mail, opening one of those envelopes just might cure you forever.

I Resolve....to de-clutter

The following challenge hangs on my fridge to spur me on to greatness in my home.

"Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful" - William Morris

And of course you know how things on your fridge begin to blend in with the scenery until you just don't notice them much. I would do better to have this stuck to my forehead as a constant reminder.

And so I resolve in 2009 to reduce clutter in the following areas:

1) Stuff Clutter

Unless we are obsessive compulsive, we all have it in our homes. Too much stuff. Stuff we think we might need, so we keep it. Junk mail that piles up by the door. Newspapers, magazines, bills, books, paper, paper..... paper. Things. Knick-knacks. Gifts we didn't like but guilt makes us keep them. Clothes. They might fit again some day. Shoes we haven't worn in a decade. Need some inspiration? Go to http://www.flylady.net/ and start flying. Even if you think flylady is a little extreme, she has some excellent suggestions and encouragement so you don't get down about being buried in clutter, or defeated by the demands of life. Step by step, 15 minutes a day, you can de-clutter your life.

2) Financial Clutter

With recession looming in our country and around the world, it is important to manage our finances and not feel out of control with our spending. Remember that annual shock when your last paystub of the year indicates your gross year-to-date earnings.....where the heck did that money go?? (Part of the answer of course is on that same paystub under 'income tax paid'....but let's not go there....). Knowing your income, your expenses, and what you've really been spending your money on, will give you a clear picture on where to go from here to earn more if necessary, pay down debt, and free you to plan for the future. To de-clutter financially is to de-stress.

3) Body Clutter

Flylady touches on this problem as well. We stuff our bodies with crap that really shouldn't cross our lips, but if we really examine why, often it is emotional eating or poor habits. She urges us to move our bodies - even if only 20-30 minutes a day. Food should be eaten to give our bodies what they require and keep them healthy, and exercise will help rid the body clutter that drags us down. This is a tough resolution for me because I desperately wanted to gain weight when I was young and never pictured weight gain ever happening - ageing seems to creep up and change one's metabolism!

4) Mind Clutter

There's lots of trash around to freely stuff in your mind - crappy attitudes, gossip, hatred, lies, porn. Junk. This is the clutter no one sees, so you can get away with it...for a time. Until it spills out in your speech and your actions. And it will at some point. 'Garbage in, garbage out'. You are what you 'eat'. I imagine our minds can hold a gazillion kilobytes of the stuff - but dragging to the recycle bin - not so easy. Still sits in the hard drive. Better not to devour it in the first place. De-clutter.... or you will end up dumping clutter on others.

5) Time Clutter

We all have 24 hours a day. Sometimes I hate that statement. Because others accomplish so much more than I do, but I have no excuse. I need to take stock of my moments. How many were totally wasted? Too much internet, TV, personal entertainment....more time spent on 'me' than on others? Perhaps if I take what I want to accomplish and break it down into short periods I can be successful, rather than feel overwhelmed by the task and thus do nothing at all. I want to make the moments count while I still have them.

6) Spiritual Clutter

Do you have a whole mix of spiritual thoughts and ideas in your head but don't take the time to sort them out? What specifically do you believe? What do you not believe? What do you base your conclusions on? What do you think your purpose is in life and why? Do you need a purpose? The answers to these questions and more determine how you shape your days, how you see your future, and prepare you for struggles and difficulties when they inevitably come your way. You'll never have all the answers to spiritual questions, but it's important to clear the clutter, know what you truly believe and why, and then begin to live it in those daily moments you want to count while you still have them.

I guess clearing clutter all comes down to one word....'SIMPLIFY'.

So how come it seems so complicated to get there??!!!

Happy New Year!

there's a red thread...

'Tis the season for red ribbons........on packages decorated with love.

There is a particularly important red ribbon....a thread, if you will. It's been here forever though you may not have noticed it. It has woven its way through eons of time. It was present when life breathed warmth and beauty into a cold, shapeless earth. I find that red thread when I search diligently through the pages of the Bible. The scriptures were written over a 1600 year span by over 40 authors, on 3 continents, and in 3 languages, yet the thread still runs cohesively throughout. In each book, regardless of what era of time it was written in, the thread is there...the 'type'...the 'picture'...the promise....of Immanuel.

'Immanuel' means 'God with us'.

He came to be with us.

Ultimate plan.

Ultimate sacrifice.

Ultimate love.

I revel in the Christmas season because it reassures me of hope. He has woven the red ribbon of His love through my heart as I have handed it to Him. There is far more than just this temporary life. He's been planning it through the ages. There's so much more awaiting us because of His promise. No matter what, He is with me.

Joy to the world!
The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing!!

100

Leader or Lame Duck?

Wow. How quickly things can change in a few weeks! Who could have predicted such a wild ride in Canadian politics as was this week? My 'Pie in the Sky' idea was not only beyond reach...it was out of this world. People who normally pay no attention to politics watched the news in rapt attention. Would we keep the Prime Minister who was voted in? Or would the other parties (who separately did very poorly in election results) join together in a coalition, overthrow the governing party, and decide that our new Prime Minister would be the one for whom Canadians said a resounding 'NO!'.

"Not a leader". Poor Stephane. You know we really didn't need all the negative advertising about him during the election campaign. He seems to have a black cloud over his head that follows him. How good can you feel when the media continually refers to you as 'the lame duck'? When I have seen him screaming with all his might in the House of Parliament, unable to quite get the english correct, I get a mental picture of him keeling over and falling to the ground with uncontrollable sobbing. Makes me want to hug him. The other night his fiasco address to the nation that wasn't....well it finally was.... after the television crews had closed shop...was not all his fault...but could only happen to him. Not everyone is a leader. We'd be in deep trouble if we all were. Perhaps Dion's makeup is such that he should stay behind the scenes planning policy and strategy....mmm...no, maybe not the strategy part.

Depends on who you talk to as to whether Stephen is considered a good leader. He definitely represents Canada well on the international front as he speaks well and is very intelligent. Is he a good leader?

I think a great leader should be able to sit in a room with those of opposing views and when they all leave, it is understood that they have all had equal time, were truly heard, respected and know that their points of view will be seriously considered. Obviously, the would-be coalition isn't getting that message.

Canadians are sick of politicians this week. Not one leader of a party was respectable this week. I would like to see Mr Harper issue a sincere apology to the opposition, give an admission of his guilt of any part that he was responsible for in the dysfunctional Parliament, and pledge to work to be more conciliatory, and accountable or else he will resign. Otherwise, if the Conservative government does not fall, we will be right back to this point again. Trouble is, once trust is gone, it is very difficult to gain it back...if ever.

There. I've given my opinion. I feel better.

Or do I?

Actually Canadians are sick of a lot of people these days...especially people who call themselves 'Christians'. I don't blame them.

Some 'Christians' feel entitled to spout off their opinions, slamming people who don't agree with them, judging those who they feel are wrong and need to be put in their place, refusing to listen, becoming so incensed with the issue they forget the individual. For what?? To fight for God as if He needs us? To win an argument? To make someone change their opinion? To take a strip off another person? To know that "I'm right and they're wrong"?? To.......feel better? Ouch.

I know myself...and there are many days I am exactly like a 'politician' in my attitudes, actions, words, thoughts. I'm not a leader by nature but every one of us, leader or not, needs humility as a part of their character in order to connect with others. Without humility, we alienate ourselves from people....and from God. And without it we eventually fall very hard.

The world needs humility for peace to reign...but the world is made up of individuals...each of us need to consider the other person better than ourselves, regardless of our differences. Respect, and yes,....that word...'tolerance'. We need to follow the example of the One who washed His disciples' feet and associated with 'sinners'.

Humility towards God and towards people...they go hand in hand.

Speaking of ducks (yes, we were) ....all of us can appear to be gliding along just fine in life....smoothly making progress. But don't forget....there's a whole lot of hard work and paddling that needs to go on unseen beneath the surface to really get anywhere. We're far from perfect and often miss the mark because of our pride. Progress requires humility and offering the same grace to others that we ourselves require. Without it...we sink. And without God to help us achieve it...we're lame ducks (no inference to anyone intended....honest).