A Fellow Traveller

 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 ...

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"...

It all started with putting up my Christmas tree and discovering some of the lights weren't working....Then the bathroom sink stopped draining and no home remedies were working.  The kitchen oven is not dependable any more, requiring the temperature to be set 100 degrees lower so as to not offer burnt offerings.  And now the truck is operating in limp mode after a long trip to Ottawa and back.....lots of frustrations. I'm becoming aware of a more subtle pain in my heart.  I'm thinking that my grieving of a recent death is  lessening until someone gives me a hug and asks how I'm doing. When I find myself tearing up, I know the tears that were underground and unacknowledged need to be welcomed, not stuffed.  When I stuff them, I eat more of the wrong things, especially when I'm alone. I'm becoming more aware of the holes in other's hearts at this season: While sitting around the table with a grieving family, we made Christmas cards but struggled with the...

A pre-lit tree is supposed to save you frustration and headache when you set it up.  It is created to be put together from three pieces, to be connected through all the inner cords to an external power source so it can shine brilliantly throughout the Christmas season.  For some undetermined reason, mine is shining less brightly this year. We tried taking it apart and reconnecting all the cords.  We searched for lights that had fallen out or were burnt out.  Finally we called it what it was and decided it would have to be okay, at least for this year. When we contented ourselves with decorating what we had and calling it a zebra tree, it just seemed unique for this year. There are multiple stripes of darkness throughout the tree.  With the decorations on, you'd never recognize the problem in the light of day. In the dark of night though, you can suddenly see the bands of black. Even though the surrounding light is bright, what brilliance there would be sho...

Yesterday was Wednesday, Hump Day, Middle of the Week day. I ended the day with a meeting at the church and heard a celebration going on across the foyer. Apparently this was a special event that had been planned for weeks by the girls. Our Adventure Girls Club had baked cookies and came to sing for the adults.  The people who come Wednesday nights pray regularly for the girls and their leaders. My husband said the room was filled as the girls interspersed themselves between the adults to visit and get better aquainted. The girls were a combination of those from church families and community homes and lots of small talk filled the room. To know that someone prays for you is a special thing. Earlier in the day, at "going home time", I was walking a quiet, waif of a girl to her late bus line.  She asked if it was Wednesday and when I said it was, she gave a little hop and said, "Oh goodie!" "Why are you hopping for Wednesday?" "Because I go to K...

I am a Canadian A free Canadian Free to speak without fear Free to worship in my own way Free to stand for what I believe right Free to oppose what I believe wrong Free to choose those who shall govern my country This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold For myself and all people. This past week, my students found a voice to stand for what they believe is right and they got excited.  It was such a small thing, but to feel like you have been heard is so important. We were hosting "buddy time" with our Grade 8 friends and I thought things were going as well as could be expected.  I dealt with the disrespect during instruction time by asking some to move and repeatedly stopping to wait for the student to student conversation to end.  My own students kept watching, knowing when the boundaries were being tested, seeing the "attitude" of the older ones as unacceptable. After they left, I asked, "What went well today?" I had been p...