HAPPY NEW YEAR1

Still lots snow and icy sidewalks

Walking was tricky,

Dad and I had a good day today,

Laura went shopping for us

and made us a special lunch,

We had a lot of laughs as we all told funny family stories,

 

We will be going to bed early as usual,

We wish for a better year for each of us 

better health and less stress,

The future is a concern right now

but if we face life with courage and determination

we have done our best.

No matter what happens we will always have stories to share

and to laugh about,

Each day is a new beginning,

Conscious awareness of God's presence helps me to hope all will be well,

Prayers will be answered,

 

                                               
 

FINALLY

Finally the day is almost over,

The electricity is working,

 I have my medications for my bladder.

Lots to be thankful for,

Lora helps keep dad enaged,

Todd comes over to help,

Sandra will come in the morning.

I can now read in bed!

 

MERRY

We had another very Merry Christmas at Carol and Penta;i's

                                            Theresa and Mikie and Ben and Morgan joined uis,

                                       I forgot my camera,  Everyone looked good.

The table was decorated and the candles were lit.  Everyone was hungrey so we sat right down to eat,

Lots of turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and Christmas salad,  Lots of desert too!

Then it was time to see what presents Shanta had left.

A bird feeder, Everyone is concerned about the poor little birds.

  

                                                 Warm hats with lights on,  Just what we needed,

                                                      Happy thoughts for every new day in the New Year,

A Christmas cup and a shoe horn to help me get my shoes on.

Lots of news to hear about,  Ben's exciting trip in July to attend University in the States on a soccer scholarship,  Morgan is looking forward to moving up at school,

Theresa had an exciting story to tell with her work helping the stranded people find places of shelter and food,  Lots of volunteers needed directions,  We are very proud of the whole family!  

Arriving home we had a phone call from Ken who told us all about their Christmas,  They had pasta not turkey at Melina's sister's home.

Very cold here at 13 below,  Too cold for Spenser to go for a walk,  Dad took him out for a quick pee.

Lots of new merry memories to keep us warm!  

Lots of very good tasty food.

AN AWESOME DAY

we arrive,

where is Santa's sleigh?

A happy snowman out in the cold,

                             A good man with a shovel,  He even drove us home and did out walk,

Wow lots of candles.

Miss the warm roaring flames of a real fire,

                                                Beautiful table all set for breakfast,

One of the foster kitten tries to eat my pancakes,

They were delicious with whipped cream and strawberries,

Also bacon and eggs and Randy's special hash browns.

                                              I have been looking for my manger scene,

                                                      Sandra is taking them to Mary's home,

                                                     Looks very cold.

Sandra gets dressed to take Spenser for a walk to the park,

           

                                        Yes Spenser is in the picture,

                                                            Just a little tree this year,

                                               

Wow that is some hat

We enjoyed every moment  of our visit,

We were headed home for a nap before going to Carol and Panteli's,

The road from Chilliwack was too dangerous for driving,

So dinner is now changed for Sunday at noon,

I was pretty tired out,  My back was sore

and I was not walking too good,

But I try to be a good sport,

The phone rings and Hillary (the jam lady) phones,

Could she drove us off a turkey dinner,

That would be wonderful I said,

She packed it up very nicely and walked over with it with her Santa hat on,

The gravy and stuffing were separate so that was good,

Yes some chocolate cake for dad for desert,

I hung up the phone and Spenser and I walked next door,

Some one had been taken to the hospital,

It was her mom,

I invited her to eat with us as I knew there would be lots,

I keep for getting no one wants to go into a neighbor's house,

She a\was not alone her brother was there too,

They really appreciated the invite.

So we have another wonderful day ahead of us for to-morrow,

It has been an awesome day,

LOVED

The time for the baby  to be here and she gave birth to her first born

and wrapped him in cloth and placed him in a manger

for their was no room available .efor hum. 

Luke 2,

Celebrate the gift of Love,

Let this love shine into your heart and your soul,

Snowing lightly,

A beautiful day planned,

Breakfast with Randy and Sandra,

Dinner with Carol and Panteli

Mikie /and Theresa

Ben and Morgan,

Sending love to those we aare missing.

You are LOVED

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS EVE

Lots of presents from our friends and neighbors.

Even one from Miyelce. our evening dog walker.

We have not been buying presents this year,

So we understand Rick you wanted to send a card but you have not been well enough.

Christmas is a time to believe the impossible,

We take time to rest in the silence of this night,

We accept where we are but

we hope things will improve.

I hope and pray that Rick will be able to finish the projects he has been excited about,

I believe I can do things with God's help, 

Christmas Eve has always been my favorite time,

I have done my best and now I enjoy the beauty of the soft glow of a candle,

My last thought of the birth of Jesus is how important a father is,

God made sure Mary had a husband to help her take care of the baby,

The Bible is full of messages ,

The truth may be hidden until the Holy Spirit reveals new meanings just for us,

The Jews expected a king not a baby born in a manger,

God works in mysterious ways,

Have a Merry and a Holy Christmas!

You are Loved!

 1

GRACE

Christmas is a sign of God's grace and his desire to be closer to those He loves

unconditionally,

Love for all even the unlovable! !

Christmas is a me to feel loved.,

The falling snow this morning was so quiet and so beautiful.

God's grace is quiet and transforming,  

Laura is cleaning off our driveway,

God trusted His son Jesus to speak for Him,

His relationship to his Father was a lesson for all children especially father and son,

Silence and prayer is the way I talk to my Heavenly Father.

It helps me to begin the day with His strength and courage,

Religion has replaced His Grace!

How sad!

How beautiful!!

 

 

APPOINTMENTS

I need to make an appointment with the dentist and with life Labs.

I do not have a care card?

Yes this may be a problem.

Listening to the news I am aware of many who have a lot of problems.

Problems need to be solved.

I pray for wisdom and for patience,

Both are spiritual,

I am rereading the story about the birth of Jesus, 

Yes the shepherds came to see the new born baby,

Their hearts were filled with joy,

The magi came bring gifts to honor the holiness of this new born babe,

I need help with my hearing aids first,

 

GIFTS

Still some snow hanging on.

It feels very cold

and I have to be extra careful walking,

We had a gift today,  Ava and her son Yuri dropped by for a long visit,

We remembered fun times from he past,

Now they are planning to build a house outside of Kamloops.

They are very hopeful and excited,

We were having a lazy day and a visit was a real gift. 

It was good to hear about what they liked doing when they came over to our house.

A gift can be a phone call. or a visit. or an offer to help.

We are not buying gifts this year,

I wish we could drop by and see Rick and  Kenny and his family,

Gifts of time are the best!

I am having trouble with the hearing aids,

If they are in everything seems very loud especially the T.V.

Dad cannot hear me because he says I speak too softly.,

 

DREAMS

i use to dream of having a white Christmas,

In Saskatoon we usually did,

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage,

to pursue them,

Walt Disney

Reading the Cospel again I noticed that Mary was visited by an angel to receive a message that would change her life;

where Joseph was told in a dream

to take Mary to be his wfe.

It all seemed impossible to both of them,

Some of us have manager to find a dream job

that  gives us happiness, 

Some of us have found romance with the love of our life.

Some of us have wonderful children and grand children  who we are very proud of. 

Some of us are very healthy

so we enjoy our lives.

Some of us are surprised with new dreams we never expected.like Mary.

Sometimes our dream does not come true

or we realize we need to dream a new dream,

This when I find I need to pray and be open to the lessons life is teaching me,

I need to trust that God's healing comes in surprising ways,

Yes I may be weak but he is strong.

It took years of waiting for the doctors to diagnose my celiac,

Yes I have my new hearing aids.

They will take a while to get used to them.

I need to learn to put them in and to change the battery,

I can hear better but I still need people to speak clearly.

I was thankful Panteli drove me to may appointment in Tsawwassen and Carol drove me home.

Sandra was on stand by.

Dad stayed home and sanded the kitchen floor,

I am thankful for a caring family,

Nice to talk to Kim today,

She says I have a second cousin who I did not know about,

I never dream that I had a second cousin.

We must never with God all things are possible.stop dreaming.

 

 

A LOVE STORY

Every Christmas we read the love story]

that has a message for each one of us,

A love story between two young people,

I think Joseph was a bit older

and Mary was very young,

It is also the love story of God's

 unconditional love for us,

I always loved Christmas Eve, the best,

It was a time of silent wonder,

A time to be thankful for each one in our family,

A time to prepare our hearts for this love to fill us with holiness and joy,

This year we are told to have small parties,

We do our best to follow the rules,

Early in the morning yesterday Sandra appeared at our door,

She wanted to make sure our driveway had gravel on it,

and the snow had been shoveled,

She also drove me to the store,

I find it hard to do a big shopping

so we did not have any extra food,

I was very thankful to have her presence with me,

Dad seems better today so hopefully je can drive me to get my hearing aids put in,

I think we are both thinking it is time

I hate having to admit I did not hear and he is tired of repeating it,

It is cold but the sidewalks are not icy,

Spenser was so funny today

on our way home he wanted to go up every drive way,

All our neighbors know us very well,

I am thankful dad has some one new to tell his stories to,

I love his stories,

Stories give our lives purpose and meaning,

I love the Christmas story too,

 

HOPEFUL

Christmas is a time to feel hopeful,

Yesterday dad had a very painful day,

He felt shocks that jerked his body around,

I met my friend when I went for my early morning walk she has painful feet like dad,  She recommended gaba penton,  Dad found that later in the day it was helping,  He was able to have a big rest,  And we are feeling hopeful this morning,

It snowed really heavy in the night bit now it is raining,  Spenser and I will just walk around the block,  Dad should probably not drive,  

We worry about our children and hope for better health and strength in the New Year,

Especially for Rick,  It has been a tough year for him,

Hopefully he will make the best choices for the future,

 

ENERGY

We do what we can with the energy we have,

Dad and I went out to buy one little gift and after going to three stores we were tired out,

We came home and heated up our lunch.  As soon as we finished the power went off.   we decided to lie down and keep warm and worry about it when we felt more energetic,

We enjoyed traveling with Ken on his drive home from the store.  Lots of green trees lined the highway.

It was a beautiful drive and we ended up by meeting his dogs and seeing the house as well as the driveway,  It was getting hot there will we were feeing more and more chilled,  We got up and light a bunch of candles,  We were so thankful when the power came on,

Every day or two we get a card in the mail,  It is a joy to open them and read best wishes for Christmas and the New Year,

Cards and red flowers brighten up our day.

Christmas is a time to express our love with grateful hearts.

Christmas is a time to pray and believe in the miracle that the birth of  Jesus has the power to transform our hearts and renew the energy of faith,  

Christmas is the time of the energy of love

unconditionallove for allmankind,

 

TRANSFORMATION

The snow transforms our drab earth.

When I woke this morning it was raining

then it turned to snow,

Spenser and I did walk around the block,

Dad drove out to find us but he was leaving just as I turned the corner,

I love the Christmas lights

they also transform our world,

My friend Carolyn died last week

and her funeral was today,

I did not plan to attend

I did not feel up to sitting in a church for hours,

The snow prevented us form driving,

She had lots of friends

and a large family,

I am sure there will be many interesting stories told about her life,

I have known of many sad things happening at this time of year,

I know from experience our lives can be transformed by love and by truth,

 

DARK

The night was very dark.

The street was very empty.

The early morning paper delivery drove by.

Dad was out walking Spenser.

He had woke us up with a bark,

He had to go out,

He had not have a long walk that day,

The sidewalk was very icy.

I am finding the news very dark with so many tragic things happening,

Fire and floods and heavy winds.

Disaster after disaster

Many people are homeless and afraid,.

The story tells us that Mary and Joseph r were to be wed.

The angel that visited Mary told her she would become pregnant,

Joseph's world became dark when she told him she was pregnant,

His thoughts became dark and angry and he felt betrayed,

He knew her life would be in danger if he rejected her,

She could be stoned to death,

He was deeply hurt and confused,

He could not sleep,

Out of the darkness of the night an angel would visit him. 

Light would penetrate his despair,

He now believed Mary

and he married her,

Jesus would tell those who would listen

He was the light of the world.

We had a quiet and happy Sunday enjoying the Gray Cup,

It was an exciting game,

.

 

FINDING JESUS

"Finding Jesus,"

                                                 This is a book I found I brought home from the library.
                                                           Discovering Biblical archeology and age old relics,

.                                                              The story hidden in the stories,

                                                     I thought it was so interesting that the shepherds found Jesus with no                                                        problem

                                                    But the rich kings had to ask for help,

                                                    I am sure they would not look in a manger,

                                                    There certainly a message in these stories,    

It was a cold but sunny day.

It was good to have Sandra drop by so that dad and her could do some banking together, She was carrying two lovely pointsetas to brighten up our home,  Thanks Sandra

Kathy our old neighbor dropped by,  We had a lot to talk about,  Her mom is really ill right now,  

I have not started to read my book but I will start tomorrow,

I will correct mistakes later, maybe,                                                     

                                                  

                                                    

SURPRISED

 

                                                  Carol and Panteli''s front yard

Surprised to wake up yesterday to see the snow.

Surprised what the difference a day can make.

Yes it has melted,

Surprises that the angels came to bring good news.

Surprised at the Dentist who understood me and  came up with a simple ear hearing aid.

I appreciate Carol coming to be with me there.

After we had chocolate cookies still warm from the oven,

Surprise to receive a G,F, loaf of bread that Panteli picked up at the bakery.

I am trying to trust more and worry less,

 

SNOWY

Looks beautiful

Yesterday everything went wrong,

The problem is  cannot remember what happened,

Had trouble with my hearing aids.

Went out to Green Lettuce and the food was not good,

Stepped inn dog poo,

Got an angry  phone call from a friend.

 Our phone was off ,

Spenser was not good.

I go with Carol to the Hearing Clinic.

Today

I am nervous,

My appointment was too long at the dentist,

Time to take Spenser out.

/

 

 

REASONS

We celebrate Christmas in different ways and for different reasons.

Today I started to dig out the Christmas decorations,  Playing a little Christmas music,

I read messages sent in our cards from last year.

A humbling experience,

I just finished my walk to the park when Sandra,  She has some good advice for dad and I,

We talked things over and then moved into the kitchen.  She got enough ingredients to make some muffins,  They smelled wonderful and were very tasty too,

On Monday Carol goes with me to see the hearing doctor.

I am having trouble putting them in,  Sandra showed me a way to do it that is helpful.

What are the reasons I celebrate the birth of Jesus?

A perfect gift wrapped not in paper but wrapped in the beauty of heavenly love,

This love lives in the hearts of believers,

It has the power to transform

sinners into saints

fear into faith

ugliness into beauty

weakness into strength

unforgiveness into forgiveness

sadness into joy

silence into songs of praise and worship

ignorance into truth

Hard hearts into compassionate hearts that are open to new life,

we are travelling a journey into the secret of the spiritual,

His love teaches us to feel the transforming power that is grace wrapped in truth,

Shepherds leave their flocks and fine worthiness

Angels sing the promises of good news,

Kings bow in his presence,

A holy experience for those who respond to the invitation,

Fear of the unknown leaves our anxious souls,

We have been found,

Se are free

We believe in a Love that never lets go of us,

Yes there are reasons to find the peace we are searching for,

The world is full of good people who help us to see and to believe,

 

  

 

KINDNESS

 I went over to the market to get some vegetables for supper but I thought I had a mask in my pocket but I did not.  I asked the worker if they supplied masks and they did not.  A lot of places will,  I am tried after 2 hours at the dentist having a extraction of the rest of my tooth,

I did not want to have to go back home and come back again,

A young girl heard the conversation and she volunteered to get me a mask,  She ran out to her car and brought me one.  It is the little things that make a difference.

 That was yesterday today I wrote Christmas cards all morning,  I like to send them to the children because I still like getting cards in the mail.

Our outing for the afternoon was to the library,  They were very kind and helpful finding what I was looking for,

We arrived home and John and Pat dropped by,  We always enjoy a visit,

I am finding that I do not have a holiday spirit,  Our decorations are still packed away,  Spending time with family is the best gift of all,

None of us knows what lies ahead but we can take time to appreciate what we have in the next moment.

Ken was being kind to keep score at Jasmine's basket ball game but an angry mother argued with him about the score,  I think it ruined the day for him,

We meet all kinds of people and appreciate it when they are kind,

SIMPLICITY

Our Christmas will be a time of simplicity.

A simple faith in the goodness of others,

the simple beauty of the lights

brightens up a miserable rainy day,

A simple story of the promise of a baby.

Yesterday we went ti the bank and there was a line up outside over more than a bloc long,

We waited for a time and then decided to come back another time.

I wanted to stop at the store for a few things,

I get out of the car and head in before I realize I do not have a deb-it card or any money,

Good job I remembered before I was standing at the chek out,

Yesterday I did well with my hearing aids,

Today one refused to work,

We will read up about them tomorrow,

I am hoping dad will help me with Christmas cards,

I started today but I did not do much,

I love the music of Christmas,

I love the joy and happiness of sharing the love we have in  our family.

Mary was chosen to bring baby Jesus to life,

Each one of us has been chosen to bring light and truth into a world of darkness,

This is not an easy task at times.

I believe but at times I pray for my doubts to be quiet,

but one only we can fill.

 

 

HELPFUL

Grateful for a day of peace and feasting.

Grateful for Carol and Panteli coming to pick us up to drive to Randy and Sandra's,

Their home looks very festive inside and out.

It certainly looked like Christmas had arrived,

I regret that I did not have my camera,

We shared a delicious meal they both worked hard at preparing.

It felt very special being together.

Spenser felt so at home there he wanted to stay curled up under the Christmas tree.

We came home and got in touch with Rick,

He is not doing well at all,

We have been an important part of each other's lives,

We wish we could help him and he wishes he could help us.

We hope he gets some home help.

We hope the appointments he has will spread some light on his poor health.

It is not easy to say yes to life when it is difficult,

Prayer helps me to feel hopeful,

Christmas for me is a time to celebrate new birth new faith and new hope in our hearts! 

 

INTENTIONS

Walking at night with Spenser.

Just a short walk down the street,

I have many good intentions,

Too bad the invitation to Sandra and Randy's house was cancelled.

They had to get help for the kitten.

We had planned on going to the bank

but both of us where very tired and we failed to do it,

Dad was happy watching hockey and football.

I had a long nap,

Watching the news, 

the rain is destroying the farm land and the homes

of so many,

More rain in the forecast.

It is so tragic.

MAY they never give up hope

May these obstacles inspire a new determination.

May faith in our communities give us courage

and the support of places to live and food to eat.

How awful to 

be homeless. 

It takes an inner strength to keep hoping

knowing the sun will shine again

and to believe that not all is lost,

I add prayers for these people

to my family prayers,

When the news is bad, more bad than good,

I am thankful for our loved ones,

Thankful for the Christmas lights

that remind us that the world may seem dark

but we try to keep lights burning

in our little corner of the world. 

BLESSINGS

It can be a real struggle to see the blessings

in a lost purse and a broken tooth.

One bite a sharp pain and my tooth came out.

Can this be a blessing?

We were blessed to have Sandra and Carol give us support and helpful advice.

The manager at the bank was very understanding and very kind,

The dentist was able to see me as there was a cancellation.

The staff encouraging,

It is always a painful experience when your tooth breaks and when you lose something.

The broken can be fixed

loss replaced,

We shared our problems with Lora who also had had a bad day,

Her car broke down and the repair very expensive.

She helped look for the lost ends of the hearing aids and found them,

She would look for the lost wallet as she cleans,

She made us an omlet ready for us when we return from the bank,

It is hard to believe we thought we did not need her help,

She has been a real blessing,

Ken has sent us some tags to put on things to help us find when we loose them.

Yes we will misplace things and hide things in a safe place where we cannot find,

Thankful for our caring family who are so helpful.

They are blessings. 

Rereading "My  Gandfather's Blessings by Rachael Remen reminds me that we will find the strength and courage we need at difficult times in our lives.