A Fellow Traveller

I left my classroom in June with everything packed up so a new floor could be laid down.  I returned in August to find no change; the broken tiles still there in their ugliness.  A school board inspector walking around even took a picture of it when I asked her, replying, "I'm sure you'll get a new floor NEXT summer!"  That was not the answer I was looking for. Even though there was only two weeks left,  I felt like it could happen, though likely impossible.  I flippantly said to a friend the Sunday before, "Only God could get me a new floor now." When I got an email that started with, "Bad news....they just ripped up your classroom floor last night,"  I had to smile and reflect on this good gift being given to me, even at such a late date.  God was getting me my new floor so I had better be patient and not start complaining. I filled the week with organizing things at home.  I did some curriculum planning for the new grade fours I was adding

I get up before 6 a.m. to see my daughter off to work.  I grab my water and head out the door for a brisk walk, taking out the morning newspaper from it's box. It's sure a thick one, full of flyers!  The morning colours of a pink and purple sky bring a smile to my face.  It's going to be a good day. As I start down the street, I remember delivering the morning papers last summer.  I remember how I love seeing the morning sky as a moving canvas of swirling, changing colours.  Since my injuries sidelined that form of regular exercise, I've been slowly working up to walking again. My knee is starting to feel like it used to...finally! My neighbour also delivers and I know she's away in Stratford for a few days.  The thought crosses my mind, "I wonder who is doing her papers?  The way I'm feeling, I might be able to sub for her some day." Because of that thought, I turn right instead of my usual left and soon see her daughter with a heavy bag. Grand

Sitting in the dentist chair, one doesn't quite know where to look. I keep my eyes away from the bright light and try not to focus too much on what the dentist is doing. Instead I look straight ahead, finding one point to dwell on that puts everything else into the edge of my view. Suddenly I'm aware of the assistant's working to my left.  She is so ready to get the tools needed and to be an extension of the dentist's hands.  He couldn't do his work efficiently without her. I watch as she anticipates his moves, almost handing him a tool and then readjusting as he asks for something else. This assistant happens to also be my friend.  I've heard her tell how it takes time to adjust to a new dentist's style and manner.  She worked with her former employer for years, but he is gradually working into retirement and works at a slower pace.  This new dentist is quick and energetic, expecting more to be accomplished with each minute. She has to study him to

School is so close to being done for another year. Yesterday I decided to put a quote in my final newsletter with the reports and then talk about it with my class. (I had read it in a blog the night before and it jumped out at me so I wrote it down.) Life is not just the 10% that happens to you, but about the 90% of how you respond to it.   The kids came in and one girl kept complaining about being in school.  She refused to read quietly (our morning routine) even when I tempted her with a reward.  She pouted and emoted negativity through everything we did, refusing to talk in the community circle.  When I drew a pie graph to illustrate the percentages, and started listing all the things 8 and 9 year olds can't change, I made sure to include being at school when you wanted to be at the beach.   All the kids struggled to think of positive responses, so we listed many negative ones and then worked to find the opposite.  (We're wired for complaining and negativity, aren&#

The Lord is my mattress cover;  I shall have total protection. He totally surrounds me on all sides,  allowing me to fulfill the purpose I was created for. He encourages the restorative rest that comes from fully trusting God. He guides me in letting go of daily stresses, for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of conflict, I will fear no evil, for your love totally covers me. Your thick cushioning shelters me, Your faithful promises absorb the lies as they fall all around me,  redirecting my mind towards the truth. You prepare a safe place of inner rest for me, even in the presence of my enemies. You pillow my head with peace, the warmth of your love soaks deep within. Surely blankets of blessing will be heaped on me all the days of my life, and I will rest in the solid and secure bed frame of the Lord forever.

Art in Motion  is the only way to describe this video.  To see a blank canvas under the talented eye of the artist slowly start to come to life is absolutely amazing. I know the artist and she's a beautiful, talented girl, just starting her career.  To see the process of her work, allows a glimpse into her mind. The artist has to "see" what is not there yet.  She has to know the end result and work line by line towards achieving that finished view. I don't see what she sees and don't have the skills to know what to add, much less take away.  She didn't even do as much erasing as I would have done during the process. I'm drawn to this because the Master Artist in my life is doing some erasing right now.  I can't see the benefit but I have to trust that the pain will have gain in the end. He's been showing me things that are not in line with his character and his picture for me. I may not ever see the finished picture myself and may not know why,

"You've made my house a den of thieves," is thundered by Jesus. The actor playing this role, races across the stage and pulls things down from hands. Clearly things are not as they should be. The music swell behind the action, as the choir adds more words in song. "What once was a house of prayer, You've turned to a robber's lair, You've made My house a den of thieves." The buying and selling has been going on in the Jewish temple for ages.  It may have started out innocently enough, but has grown far out of proportion. It takes something drastic for the people to see what could be.  It takes intentional anger and action to return things to a state of peace. This morning I woke with this song running through my head from The Choice musical.  I suddenly connected it to myself in a fresh way.  If Jesus lives in me, by his Spirit, then I'm his house. I had been awake for many hours, with anxious thoughts on a variety of subjects flowing

Today I will go under a general anesthetic.  My orthopedic surgeon will use a scope to explore what is causing the pain in my knee. All my prior surgeries have been as a result of a traumatic event or extreme pain where there was no doubt about the need; no time to question surgery. It just happened before I had time to think or argue myself out of it. This time, I've been surprised at my state of mind and the questioning self talk that has lasted throughout the week. It's not really THAT bad. What if there's nothing to really clean up and fix? I can live with the pain.  It just comes and goes. Maybe the fact that it's not inflamed right now is causing me to question the need.  But I have to trust the opinion of the professional and be willing to go through the pain to experience the gain. This morning I also connected to the realization that marriage relationships sometimes need some help as well.  It's too easy to rationalize that it's not really THAT ba

 There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. I was driving home from school, tired from a day's work.  My eyes were on the road but I have to admit my thoughts were everywhere but.   Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a flock of birds right on the side of the road.  Why weren't they moving?   Was there something to eat among the gravel stones? The gravel stones were covered with white salt. Whether or not they were tasting that, the stark whiteness  made the vivid colour of the birds stand out even more.  As I drove past, I turned and saw a big fat cardinal.  Going 50 Km meant it was a fleeting look, yet my mind was suddenly engaged.  I don't think I've ever seen that many cardinals all together at one time. Th

My one word is FULLY..... Full is defined as "completely filled, containing all that can be held, complete, well-supplied", and so much more. I'm choosing the adverb of full because I want to be more fully in the moment, to be more fully there for people, to be more fully engaged with my emotions.....and the list goes on. It's an area that I feel I'm lacking in, so I press on, wanting more fullness in my life. I'm still in the fog, still squinting and peering, yet clinging to the hope in this word: FULLY. 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! 1 Corinthians 13:12

I Have Decided by Mary Oliver I have decided to find myself a home in the mountains, somewhere high up where one learns to live peacefully in the cold and the silence. It's said that in such a place certain revelations may be discovered. That what the spirit reaches for may be eventually felt, if not exactly understood. Slowly, no doubt. I'm not talking about a vacation. Of course, at the same time I mean to stay exactly where I am. Are you following me? Can I go into the new year and have any hope of finding that quiet place of rest? In the busyness of everyday life, can there still be inner peace and rest? That was my search in 2012 and I felt some of it in fleeting moments of self-discovery, even if it was not fully understood. It came with my daily reading of The Daily Message.  I'm going be reading again and this time will blog in community with others to answer the daily two questions . Restoration comes as I choose to release "stuff"