Happy Birthday Carol Feb 28 2013

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INQUISITIVENESS

 

One of the most famous sayings of Jesus was that the kingdom of God belongs to children.  Why?

Children learn by asking questions because they have a thirst for knowledge and an unquenchable curiosity and a passionate inquisitiveness!

Jesus told parables to make his listeners see truth in a new light and to shape a heart that is willing to listen and only then will there be a spiritual transformation.

He challenges us to be open-minded and humbly sit at his feet and to be teachable and to be better human beings.

A lady approaches a minister to confess she does not go to church but when facing an abusive marriage partner the faith that knowing Someone or Something was with her telling her don't worry you will get through this was what helped her get through it.

Before the word Christian believers were called 'people of the way' suggesting a journey rather than a organisation with its creeds and doctrines.


Shorter  walk.  Stomach upset.  Good questions at Jet Lag bible study; actually good answers.

Visit with Cathy cancelled because Oliver phoned  (so nice to talk to Oliver) to pass on the message

his mom and Panteli are arriving after midnight Wed. night.  Not on the 28 as we were expecting.

Garage door is not working at all now so we will not be worrying about that anymore.  Dad has ordered a cake for Carol to-morrow for her birthday.  We will plan the day as it moves on.

Any decisions that we can make our best made from the heart.

 

Pray for a deeper faith and a peaceful sense of the wonder of God!  Trust. Listen.

ROUGH SAILING

                                           Jesus promises to give us his peace.

It would be nice if life where a little more smooth sailing instead of what  seems like some rough times ahead for everyone in some way or another.  Kenny going to have to have that miserable eye operation is upsetting news.  We all have some health problems and also concerns for others; like Randy with his mom. 

Big waves make difficult sailing and believing.

The day was all planned to go to the movie in White Rock at 2 o'clock and out to supper at Milestones.  A cold rainy afternoon so a perfect thing to do.  Nothing went right from the start of leaving home and again leaving the garage door open, taking the wrong road and going to the wrong theatre.  Finally we got a parking spot and rushed in to find out it did not play on week days at 2.  It came on at 7.  Poor sailing all along but maybe just as well we came home, stopping at Choices to buy me some bread and goodies.  Not a completely wasted day after all.

 I am thinking maybe I should be an event planner!!!

 Dad went for a short walk after we got back.  I was glad Gundy and I had gone early in the morning when is was not raining.

I get into troubled waters if I try to take the scriptures too literally, or so I am coming to understand.  Boats and water are an important part of the stories of Jesus.  One of the best known ones is the disciples rowing in the darkness of a stormy night and they see Jesus walking towards them on the water.  Don't be afraid he tells them and he still speaks that message powerfully to each one of us today. 

Even if it is pure myth it has spiritual meaning.

"The sea, with its vast, unruly powers, strange creatures and hidden depths, often in the Bible metaphorically signifies the deep, roiling passions of the unconscious within us, or the savage powers of various antagonistic forces without.  Peter gets out of the boat to walk to Jesus and begins to sink.  The message is clear "to walk over the waters of life" one must learn to keep one's inner eye upon the divine within and without.  -Tom Harper. 

Life can be rough sailing but if we can discover the power of the soul and the gift of hearing the voice within this will provides a safe boat over troubled waters. 

My prayer is thank you, thank you, thank you!

DISTRACTION

Among the writings of Valentinus found in the Gnostic writings found at Nag Hammadi were these words:  "What liberates us is who we were, what we became, where we were, wherein to we have been thrown, whereto we speed, where from we are redeemed, what birth is, and what rebirth."

 

Many things in life can become distractions and the voice that calls to us to be liberated from false idols, false ambitions, false emotions cannot be heard.  It seems to be important to know that you are on the right path in life.

 

It is very hard staying on the path in the very strong wind and I was very happy to be back home after fighting the wind all the way up the street.  Dad planned to go for a walk but his feet were very painful.  They had been better so that is disappointing

What a difference a day makes, calm and warmer good enough for a walk with Gundy.

Dad and I are planning to go to a movie called the Quartet which is very humorous so that will do us both good.

 

Sometimes I get annoyed at God.

 

Sometimes I am totally annoyed at myself.

Some days I am annoyed with my computer not working.

 

Sometimes I feel frustrated and useless and old and forgetful.  It is probably just the weather because I have so much to be thankful for and I am.  But getting older can be just plain annoying.

 

Dad and I need to check on things together, like if the garage door is closed, if the stove is turned off,

looking out for pedestrians while driving, or  if there are things either one of us need to do.  So far so good! We are coming to that stage in life where contentment must be in having each other and getting help when we need it.

 

Anyway no matter what the distraction every day we wake up to a new day and a fresh beginning.

"The word enthusiasm has "theos" or God as its root.  Overcomimg distractions and annoyances  and allowing the spiritual energy to flow within and around us truly helps me to regain some enthusiasm for life and glad to be alive .  So if I have moments that are brief but joyful then I am thankful.  I am thankful for a good day catching up with friends on the phone.

 

 

 

WHAT NEXT

             What is the difference between you and God?    God never thinks He is you!

Just got the news that Traudel now has a blood clot in her leg which swelled up to twice the size.  After a trip to Cranbrook again for cat scan they sent her back to the emergency at Invermere.  She has to dissolve this clot before it moves and causes death.  She is on injections and medication and they do not know what will happen with the radiation treatment but they want to put it off for awhile.  They need input from the doctor.  Brian is a worrier but he also is a prayer.

Traudel's comment was that she was so happy to be showing off her slim legs this summer as she has lost 40 pounds and now she has a fat leg again.  Life is not fair.  She has a good sense of humor which you need in times like this.

I am again reminded that in so many ways we are helpless and that we cannot fix our own problems or those of an others but I can pray.  One thing I have added to my life is a prayer box into which I am putting the names of special people who really need prayer. 

Thomas Merton prayed :"My Lord, I have no idea where I am going.  I cannot see the way ahead of me."   I know I feel like this at times.

I pray and ask "what next Lord?  Help those who are sick and need your healing touch I pray.  I breath again as I release my worries to the One who can help us all.  I just read the deeper we breathe the more we draw God into ourselves.

"Breathe on me Breath of God. till I am wholly Thine.  -- a hymn

I am anxious to hear what news Ken gets from the doctor.

"Sometimes going through the darkness reveals a new appreciation and awareness of The Light"
--author unknown.

Monday morning very, very windy but off for a walk.

TRYING AGAIN

I am having the greatest difficulty putting pictures on.  They are on face book but I want to put it on for Ken.

This is our little group at the soccer field.  It was windy and cool and a bit rainy.  Ben had had one short game and would be playing from 9:30 until 12:30 one game after another.  We stayed to watch another game but I could feel the chill deep into my bones.  Ben is a good player but we were far away so it was not as good as some other games.  We were joined by Chuck and it was good to have a visit.  He left a little before us.  Morgan is lots of fun and runs around and keeps busy but she too looks like she has had enough.

I missed going to church seeing my friends and hearing the music.  I know with today's lifestyle it is harder for people to attend a church even if they could find one they liked.  Researchers have found that attending church  that is active in helping others and is not judgmental relieves some stress.  A place where you can feel at home.  Deciding what you believe about God and how you want to practice or not practice your spirituality is a lifelong process of questioning and discovering.

I lost my debit card but did not know it until I went to pay.  Fortunately dad was with me.  I was very calm about it all which is not like me.  Dad and I went to the bank on the way home from the game and I got a new card.

Both dad and I had naps after we got home.  I will try to visit Desirae sometime this week hopefully before Carol and Panteli arrive on the 28 Carol's birthday.  There was no way I felt like driving to Langley to a baby shower.

FAVORITE THINGS

           If confusion is the first step to knowledge, I must be a genius.  -  Larry Leissner

My early morning walk.
Keeping in touch with family and friends
Watching an English D.V.D. with snuggled up with dad
The smell of spring and seeing new life in my garden
Knowing the bed will be made every morning and the kitchen clean and spotless every evening.
Writing my blog and reading the comments
Smiles that light up my grand children's faces and the great grand children too
Looking at photo's and reading old cards and letters
Warm feet and a warm bath
Reading quotes, reading books,  feeling peaceful
Going to the library and listening to music
Spell checkers
Searching scripture
Finding new depth in my relationship to Jesus
Knowing that the will of God for me is not perfection but the will to keep trying and praying.
I could not have got this far in life without help from my family and from my God!

My  furnace that  comes on especially in the morning.  One of our greatest joys in moving into our first home was the furnace that we did not have to light to make it turn on.  Lighting our oil furnace in our other place was scary especially if you allowed too much oil to start with and then afraid of an explosion you would rush outside.

One of my early fears in life was fire.

The first commandment can be read as the Holy One saying: "I've cared about you and come through for you, but now your commitment to our relationship is needed."
 I am yours says the Lord God of all humanity and you are mine.  Together we make a good team.

The birth of a child is a miracle and so is the birth of faith.  A heartbeat is pure joy!

Off to Ben's last soccer tournament in Richmond. with Dad.  Feel bad about missing church but I feel a little grama love is important right now.  Also a baby shower in the afternoon but do not think I will make that.  Cool and rainy.

DECISIONS

Coming to the heart of the matter that calls me to be faithful.

I know that I am old fashioned in my speech, my thoughts and my choices but I am trying to adapt and see what is really the most important in life. 

The trouble is that some days I wake up and I need to remind myself "that if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all."  I allow myself to get into a critical attitude which is unhealthy.

I felt better when we had a visit from Sandra and Randy bring us some supper, really great stew.  They were kind enough to listen to my complaining and whining.  Next they were off to pick up some luggage Sandra won after buying a lottery ticket on a house.  Very nice luggage too!

I had gone our for my morning walk but got home just in time before the heavy wind and rain hit.  Not a nice day to be out in at all although it did clear up in the afternoon.  A good day to visit and get caught up on family news. 

Later Ken skyped us and we saw Jasmine and Matthew have a great time running around and bring things to show us.  It appears Ken's eyes are not getting better but he sees the doctor this coming week.

It is not easy bringing up children and knowing what is best; but then few things in life are simple.
I trust in the power of prayer that has help get me through. 

Today one has so many choices in what we do and what we believe.  Jesus; always attracted controversy in his life time and still does today.

I have my own point of view and that is to see him as the Jesus of faith that speaks truth that confronts me daily when I go to make my choices.  Reading the gospels I find they do not conform to any standard of chronology, in fact can at times be contradictory.  Each disciple and each writer and each listener hears and understands from their own decisions  what to believe.

We all experience God in different ways.

   The good news again is that we are accepted in The Beloved and this reassurance can guide us on our path seeking to make the  right decisions and doing the best we can in each of our circumstances. 

UNKNOWN

This little manger scene arrived this morning as I was starting to plan my blog for to-morrow.  Kim made it out of clay. What a surprise! Kim it is adorable. I may try to take a better picture.   

"When gentle silence enveloped all things and night in its swift course was now half gone,"

Your Word, all-powerful leaped from heaven, to grow in the womb of Mary and wisdom took its place among us."  Yes, so in the beginning was the Word.    Baby Jesus grew and learned and listened and his mission was revealed to him.


The world needed to know the amazing power of His Father's Love! !
 

 

"A mystery it is worth pointing out, is not something infinitely unknowable or forever incomprehensible-but something always to be further grasped, more deeply known.

-The Hidden Jesus

 

In the New Testament letter written to the Colossians refers to the "mystery that has been hidden through the ages and generations and has now been reveal" to those who make themselves accessible to God's whisper-those who hear God in the silence.

 

God is beyond all human conception but we can reject any false images of Him; He is not a stern accuser, not a rich uncle, not a demanding accountant, nor a passive spectator.

 

Jesus proves that God wants to be known in the words and life of the one called his son.

 

When I arrived home from visiting I was too tired to put my thoughts in order.  It is amazing how quickly are days go by even when we just meander through each step.

 

 

UP AND DOWN

I should have phoned to check about the meeting because I thought it had been cancelled. I seem to be up one day and down the next but a good dose of spring weather should help. I know that we all need affirmation in our lives and often that begins with what I tell myself.  If the computer does not work I feel it must be because I am stupid.  I know that even university students can get very down on themselves.

I think also that as Christians we can get confused as there are many ways to believe and to act on our beliefs.  Once your life has been touched by the message that Jesus brought to us that addresses the humanness of our humanity.  Many find religious education boring and superfluous and definitely  unnecessary.

I just know that I have experienced affirmation and uplifting from having a faith.  Also having some one help you up when you are down also helps.

It has been said that Oprah Winfrey has used her own wounds and hurts to help others face their own pain.  She reveals emotional scars that other can relate to.  She seems to be compassionate and understanding.  She credits her father's love of learning and reading helped her regain hope and find success.  She is very human, familiar with suffering, a firm believer in gratitude, a good listener, and forgiveness has been a key in her own life.  She promotes generosity, goodness and honest living.

People are looking for some one like her, even though like all of us she has contradictions in her life story.  I believe that there was someone in her own life that prayed for her.  I believe that she has too great an impact on too many people.  I think that only God knows our hearts and within her is a childlike faith that draws upon the spirituality of many to create her own spirituality.  One can look deeply into her life and see that she is human just like the rest of us.  Not everyone believes her story or believes in her but she has nevertheless changed many lives.

A short walk with the wind blowing empty garbage cans on my path.

A short visit to the seniors home is my plan for today.

STILLNESS

Mercy arrives like the stillness of night.
 
God comes in the stillness to bring light, in the person of Jesus, to a world in darkness.

.The stillness in the park is wonderful.

Prayer helps me to still my worries and rest in the love that surroiunds us all.

I am so thankful for good news and answered prayer and for the wonder of all life.

SEEING

This life's five windows of the soul distorts the Heavens from pole to pole
And leads you to believe a lie when you see with, not through the eye. William Blake


What a busy day Sunday was and it was no wonder I felt a little tired waking up.  There was a light misty rain and It refreshed me as I stepped out the door for my walk.  There is a peaceful solace in my early morning walk as the day brightens before me.  But when I finished I was feeling chilled and dad was at the door thinking he should pick me up.  I was thankful to come into a warm house with my loving hubby there
and my coffee made for me.

We both enjoyed all the phone calls that came in wishing dad a happy birthday.  First was Theresa on her way to teacher training, followed by Mary at home with a bad cold.  It was so good to have an update from Shawna on all that has been going on in her life.  Lastly Carol phoned and her plans are still up in the air but hearing her voice made our day.

It is wonderful to feel loved!

We were having a quiet day, actually not been able to see my pictures download from the camera.  All it said was that it had failed to download.  Finally able between the two of us fix the problem.

Another surprise visit came when Jane dropped by with books and goodies and a card for the birthday boy.  I had a visit with my brother on the phone and they will be driving over the Roger's Pass to Kelowna on the 27th of Feb. for a consultation.  Meanwhile Brian has been told he has a heart murmur and needs to have that checked out.  I am reminded how precious life is and how important our prayers for each other really are.  Prayer has become a joy to be treasured!

Faith invites each one of us to see with the heart of love into the beautiful mystery of the words and life of Jesus. 
                  
                     Have an awesome day today and know that someone has prayed for you today!

TIME

Happy Birthday Dad! !                                     "There is a fountain of  youth
 it is your mind (even when it slows down and hesitates over the right word)
 your talents(bringing the past to life with stories). 
Your creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love."  Sophia Loren

Time and time again I had heard that real beauty is within but I do not always feel beautiful.  I feel like more of a mess and looking at our house right now it is a mess too.  Then there is the garden that definitely needs some loving care.

 

Live well, Love much, Laugh often that is what  I aim to do. to do.  The twinkle in the eye is more important

than perfection and a timely word can make another person feel valued.  I sit in church and I look with love upon all my friends there.  I sit at Shirley's tea and remember the good visits we had together.  I sit at Sandra's dinner table and I love how beautiful it looks and I am touched by her effort and her love for us as I look at all those gathered there.

 

Words can never express how thankful for all that Sandra does for us, keeping in touch and being there for us through all our good and bad times!  !

Dad and I appreciated the time Theresa and Mikie and children took to come to the party.  I know the drive home can be tiring.  Theresa's friend Nacole dropped by too.

Nice to have Mandy and James join the party.

Ron toook time to phone and wish dad a happy birthday.  Very thoughtful. 

 

Ancient Easter liturgy speaks of "Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the end, Alpha and Omega.  All time belongs to him, and all the ages."  Truth is timeless but so is deception that tries to fog our minds.  The Risen Christ is a permanent presence not just a vague spirit but life that lives on in his words and his actions.

 Dad enoyed his day very much.  Rick also gets his birthday card here right on Time.!  !

VISITERS

Many years ago I took on a commitment of helping Cathy a single mom with five children. The youngest was a new born Gracelyn, and the oldest Jasmine was about 9. In between were Desirae, Ava and Tavia. They have been very good at keeping in touch with us now they are all grown and have moved out of home. Jasmine, Desirae and Ava are are all married.

Ava and Jeff came for a visit on Tues.  They are a happy young couple with lots of plans, maybe to buy a farm.  Right now Ava is going to University and looking after Uri with help from Jeff and his biological father.

The Bible was written by human beings with failings.  They wanted to express what they had experienced and what they believed.  We, or at least I do, have questions about life, about pain and suffering.  I think it is important to make a choice about what you want to believe.

 

Mistrust in religion has brought this generation to a place where it is not important to them.  I realize that people have been hurt by words spoken with cruelty and judgement.  Lives become busy and it is easy to deny any feelings of spiritual hunger.  I think that when I am honest I realize I need something to breath new life into me.

 

Sometimes faith is not expressed but lies deep and hidden within us.  For me there is a reality that is just as real as my daily life and that is the reality of Jesus.  The Jesus of Nazareth shows us the face of God, the tenderness and compassion with which He sees us all. 

I have a need to see Jesus as one who became one of us to bring us the gift of new life and new vision to become children of God.  I can express my gratefulness to him and ask questions and wait for answers and receive comfort in times of illness and sorrow.  He listens.

We have the potential to become all we were meant to be so that gives me hope!

Both dad and I were very tired on Wed. not just me.

Today is Thursday so I will be the one visiting in the Seniors home.

 

BOOKS

                            Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend,
 inside a dog it's too dark to read.-Groucho Mark

I love books.  I am always tempted to empty the library and end up taking as many as I can carry with the help of dad.  The library is one of our favorite haunts and I want it to available and well used.  I also love going to the book store and usually end up buying at least one.

So for now I have had enough of the Old Testament although it too can speak into our hearts and reveal some of the hidden darkness there.

Now I am focusing on Jesus.  I usually read a religious book along side a book of fiction and both can be a blessing.  Jane has given me the book "The Kashmir Shawl" by Rosie Thomas which I will be starting to read and the I have "The Hidden Jesus" by Donald Spoto. 

C.S.Lewis said, "I thought I had come to a place, but I found out I had come to a person."

A person who really lived and walked among us and who had a passion for life and for truth,  He was not always understood but as I read again his life and death I find his words transform and heal and comfort me. 

Who knew when dad and I volunteered to be in the nursery at the Vineyard Church, chasing two year old Tavia around that she would end up keeping in touch and  coming to visit us regularly.  This she did on Friday night 20 years later.  She is very helpful and just like family looks to see what is to eat in the frig.  We had a roasted chicken and salad from the store so no worries about cooking.  She also ate lots of chocolate and she brought us up to date on her life which she is very funny.  She has a bike on the ceiling of her tiny apartment in the living room and her gramma's rocking chair on the ceiling of the bedroom.  She also has a drum set and a table set up for her art work.  Her passion is for Jesus and for music right now.  When we visit we will bring our own camping chairs.  O to be young again!  Not!

Had a good visit on the phone with Theresa, Ben and Morgan.  Everyone is so busy so it was good to catch up.

 

We had a story book ending to our day Saturday when Tasha and Justice came knocking on our door for a visit.  We had just gotten home from a pleasant lunch out with Jane and Geof.  We had gone to the golf course just off No. 10.  The one Ken worked at years ago.

Busy day today, church, then a birthday tea for Shirley followed by a birthday dinner for dad at Sandra and Randy's.   Time is the most precious gift we can give one another whether by a note or a phone call or a visit.

CONTEMPLATION

                                           Happy Holidays Ken and Melina and family!   

                                  It would appear that the chosen few had a lot to learn!

Thinking about how our world has changed over the centuries yet also how much the same it is.  Thinking how hard it is to understand the life of ancient people and harder to understand the differences in translation.  They all contain tragedies and failures and difficulties.  It is important not to judge any religion or even a philosophy by it's abuse.

 

Often in our busy lives (I do not do much but time sure goes by fast) it is actually hard to take time to contemplate and listen to our hearts instead of just the mind.  I will always try to keep learning and investigating religious truths or misconceptions.

 

Dad and I were watching an add on T.V. about some new wonder drug which was fantastic until they started listing off all the side affects.  So our eyes see pictures of healthy families and babbling brooks and a beautiful life if we listen we hear about, disorientation, rashes, uncontrollable bleeding, loss of muscle control etc.  Will this wonder drug cure you or kill you?

 

Dad and I love to eat out,  The less I cook the less I remember how to do it and it is so messy and leaves so many dishes.  I eat one thing and dad may eat another.  Sometimes you hear of bad re-actions of people eating out and that makes me stop and wonder. 

 

Have I just become too lazy?  Just trying to think of what to make tires me out and dad is not much help in making decisions about what he would like.

 

I would love to have a mind that when I wake up it just rolls over and hits the snooze button if one had one.

 

I am more than ever thankful that we do not follow that ancient story in the Bible but can move into a new world of light and love that Jesus brings that is good news.

Where is the snooze button for my brain?

STARGAZING

Abraham looks to the stars as all human beings do and there he discovers the light that comes from a divine mind and revealing the generations to come after him..  Abraham is considered "the father of our faith" for the Jews, the Muslims and the Christians.

 

Old people shouldn't eat health foods.  They need all the preservatives they can get.

Robert Orbit.

 

Something to think of when dad and I get old.  Old is when you lose the twinkle in your eye and the love in your heart and the delight of a new day.  Sarah gave birth at a very old age and this reminds us  that even as we age we can birth new ideas and new life.

 

 

Dad bought a fairly good telescope so all the children could look at the stars. It was fascinating to pick out the different constellations. like the big dipper, but not always easy to see.

Abraham, father of three faiths, was a star gazer. He believed that God;   the one God, who he had come to believe in a was the only One who possess all space and all  time.  If Abram would look to the stars the promise was written in the heavens  promising many descendants, a hopeful future. This was a big concern in that culture to have descendants and who would carry on their traditions.

In the Hebrew the stars were a vision of what will be; but in the Quranic story the stars our a symbol of all that passes away. Cultural differences? Or is the One Being simply inconsistent in the way He-She sends messages to prophets?

Today we can look at the stars unveiled by the Hubble telescope, we can see light that has left its source and has taken eons to reach us. I like "the combination of ideas that both faiths see in the stars. They represent a creative past that is still moving ahead of us, reminding us of those who have gone before and by implication, of our responsibility for those who come after- our children and the land that is home.

Friday there is a funeral at the church and then Tavia is visiting after her work.

FAILURE

Abraham is a product of his time when to save his own life he allows Sarah to be taken into the king Abimelech's harem. Where was his faith? Again the Lord God prevents harm coming to her after Abraham had placed in danger. He lied calling her his sister.  Again we see Abraham's erratic guidance system and his failure.  This was a time of people fighting for survival in a nomadic culture. 

 

Sometimes life is driven by energies too wild for us to ignore and too deep for us to hide.

 

Is this one of those stories that we tell to remind us what is important.  Abraham should not have run to Egypt and as a consequence found himself vulnerable.

 

Today is Valentines actually and we shared loving cards this morning but failed to go out; neither of us really felling up to it.  Dad looked after me and we had boiled eggs.

 

My computer is refusing to put pictures on again and we seemed to have failed in fixing this problem,

 

Jane brightened up our day with some gifts and that was a lovely surprise.

LOVEABLE

 

These pictures bring back so many happy memories taking you guys to swimming lessons. (actually there should be three pictures but at least there is one of Matthew at the pool) Enjoy every minute it is a wonderful time of life. 

There are dreams of love, life and adventure in us all!

 

I know that Cameron and Shandell will be on an amazing adventure on their trip to Hawaii.

I was sorry it could not work out to have a visit with them at the airport.  I always like going there as it is such a happy place.  I love seeing people meeting loved ones with hugs and kisses.

 

I like to believe that we all have a destiny to live fully, love generously and graciously.  The greatest lesson I learned over the past four months is that life is a gift and each day is to be treasured.  Love is a source of happiness and truth.  Loveis to know the needs of another and to bear the burden of their sadness.  Jesus revealed true love in the sacrifice of His Life.

 

Dad came in the door today with a big smile on his face and several parcels and I knew that there would be a big red heart full of candy in one of them.  I am very fortunate that dad is so very loving and romantic.  The greatest secret is that giving flows out of a giving heart. Take time to nurture yourself and do things that you enjoy.

 

"And nurturing yourself is letting the love that is all around us in."  Elisabeth Kubler Ross

WHAT IF?

What if I cannot think of anything to write about?

What if there are no comments, when the comments are the best part.

What if it is too long and it can be.

What if it is just stupid.

 

The problem with words spoken and written it is hard to take them back.

 

Wed. I usually go to my Jet Lag Bible study but dad and I have an opportunity to visit with Shandel and Cameron at the airport between flights.  I am excited to see them, but sorry to miss my meeting.  I am not a very good member right now as we have been away a lot with sickness.  Well I have since found out that Cameron told Sandra the wrong time and they will be arriving here much later; so I will be going to my meeting.

 

Lent begins today with a pancake supper and a short service.  There is also an evening study which I would like to attend.  I believe it is a video by Marcus Borg bringing new understandings and new questions about Jesus. 

 

My plans for each day do not always work out ( we were expecting a visit from Ava and her new husband but they cancelled in the morning) but I try to do the best I can and whatever way we express our spirituality it is a part of who we are.  So I will not worry about the "what ifs". 

 

Any idot can face a crisis-it's this day to dayliving that wears you out.--Anton Chekhov

 

Dad went for a longer walk, maybe a bit too long, and was greet with a big dog, so big it jumped up on to lick him and nearly knocked him over.

 

Abraham becomes a very important symbolic figure for the development of Islam.  The stories told about him enable the Islamic tradition to trace its spiritual language to a figure who unites the stories told in both the Torah and the Gospels with ancient Arabic legends about the founder of the Kaaba.

 Within us there can be a battle that denies the spiritual which often means "the part within us that suffers the most can be the joyful, childlike and playful part of us". 

"A human being is capable of holding vastly different and paradoxical points of view at the same time."--a journalist.

A good hockey game!

THE DRIVE

Is there an inner journey that happens as we travel along our journey of life?

This was our drive to Langley on Saturday.  There is green grass around which sets off the brown spots and barren trees and puddles of water.  It felt good to be driving out in the country away from row after row of houses.  Not that I would want to live there but makes for an enjoyable drive.

Family day was quiet but full of past memories for me.  Lots of good times. Had a good laugh at funny stories on e-mail, thanks Jane and video's on face book thanks Nancy Lou.

Dadas back doing his walk and me, I just never stop.  Good for both of us.

Reading now about what the Muslim point of view of Abraham's journey is,  the view from one orthodox point of view.  The writer Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishi believes that there is an inner dimension to our journey through life. 

His commentaries ask "If all these characters were a part of me and of my inner self, what would they be saying or asking of me?"

What does this story have to say about the relationships with others in  my life, or about my community or society to those who feel unlike us?  If it were judgment Day how would we act rightly?"

"The goal is to take on the image of the divine we took on at creation, an image that asks us not to be perfect but rather to be nothing less than completely human, embracing all of the qualities of remembrance, forgetfulness, light (knowing) and darkness (mystery) that Allah does."

Life constantly presents us with opportunities to "know" our full  self more and more completely.

"Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is to know when to forego an advantage."  -Benjamin Disraeli

HOSPITALITY

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.  I love watching the birds coming to the feeder and know that soon I will be hearing the birds singing in the morning.  This is watching the bird feeder at Sandra's.  Yes, it feeels so good the days getting longer.

                             Family Day a new holiday for B.C. for the month of Feb.

Happy Family Day to all.    Happy studying to Sandra.    Happy walking to dad!

Happy Hawaii Holiday to Cameron and Shandel!   

It is very stressful when things just keep dragging you down and your health is not so good.  Maybe dad and I can go for a walk in the forest today, depending on the weather and how he is feeling.  Dad and I did not make it to the book group as we were both very tired.  I managed to stay up until 9 but it was difficult.

Time is the biggest healer and of course prayer!  This is why I pray for others and ask prayers for my loved ones.

A prayer: 
take time to sit alone and in silence.  Breathe out gently and imagine yourself looking into your own heart and soul.  Let your thoughts rest there.  Try to be calm and patient and thankful for all the good things in your life and trust that healing will come like the wings of a dove.

When Abraham received three strangers at Mamre and offered them bread, water and a fine tender calf, they revealed themselves to him as from the Lord.  I am reminded how important it is to welcome strangers.  "It would be truly wonderful if we could greet the enemy as a friend and be willing to listen and learn and create a fearless place and recognize the divinity in the other and receive and give gifts as a token of friendship."   -Rabbi

"Their is great wealth contained and preserved in such ancient acts of hospitality, offering a new dimension to our understanding of healing relationships in a world so visibly suffering from alienation and estrangement," - Henri  Nouwen (our book for Sunday night)

Looking at some of the things Abraham did I do not think he was a great family man.

But we all make mistakes well at least I know I do.

 

GOOD AND EVIL

You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.-Mark Twain

Black and white fire is poetic license because nothing is ever black or white. Fire is alive.

God speaks out of the fire of the burning bush and the fire of faith burns in the hearts of the new believers in the New Testament.

 

Sunday morning I am awake early again.I   tried very hard to sleep in but find I am wide awake as usual.   Dad on the other hand wants to wake up earlier but not as early as me! Yesterday was a good day but very quiet on my walk even the morning joggers seemed to have slept in.  Early morning coffee goers are out as usual.

.Sandra was off writing her exam on Sat. morning.  Dad and I drop by to see her and meet Mandy and James and get a noisy reception from the dogs.  James leaves to referee a hockey game which he is well qualified to do.  It was good to go out for a drive and visit Chapters we have been just been staying home but starting slowly to get back to normal.  Normal  for us!

Dad went to bed early with a bad back ache hopefully that will be gone with morning.  I want to get back going to church.  It seems like ages since I have gone.  Tonight we are finally having our book club get together so we will have an afternoon nap. 

 

I am trying to understand the Bible and the story of Abraham as it was written as there always seems to be debates about religion in a negative way.

The surrounding culture at the time of Abraham may have believed in the sacrifice of the firstborns to appease the gods.  Abraham, was prevented from doing this evil deed, by the inner voice of God.  The message is clear that children are to be protected. 

Ishmael, his other son was sent away but again the story says that God protects the child.

The Jewish and the Muslim and the Christian faiths all have included these stories in their sacred texts.  Maybe by understanding the deeper meanings there is hope for peace. 

I am reminded that we all have our prejudices and have misunderstood these ancient texts.  It is the willingness to know God's love and to live it out right in our own circumstances, learning from the mistakes of the past.  All the hero's had their faults as we all do.  Good and evil still casts a shadow on all our hearts.

"When God becomes our shepherd, our refuge, our fortress, then we reach out to him in our times of pain and worry."  Finding a place of peace brings a healing presence that enables and strengthens.  Mary, we love you and pray our words and prayers will comfort you.

NAMES

Imagine having to name all the different variety of animals, insects, bugs and birds to name a few. Who actually named them? How far back do these names go?  Names have meaning especially in the Bible.  Abraham's name was changed from Abram to Abraham.

(I have sometimes spelled my grand children's names wrong but just imagine if they were called Rabindanarth  or Jyotirindranath, names of real people)

I am reading the story of Abraham from the perspective of a Jewish Rabbi.  His name rabbi Arthur Waskow.  One of the most important teachings of these rabbis was that the Torah was not written in black ink on white parchment but black fire on white fire: the blank spaces,waiting in  every generation to be read anew.

"Teachings for later generations on how to live a life in touch with God utterly different from which the black fire was encoded.  So these stories take on a weight and seriousness even beyond the impact they usually have when read weekly.  Midrash literally means "searching" into the space between the letters, between the words, between the verses for the hidden treasure always to be found there."

(Sometimes the harder you look, the more you start to see things.)

YHWH (the breath of life) made Himself seen to Abraham in the oaks of Mamre.  From this seeing Abraham brought the visitors to his tent, open in all four directions.  Arthur states that God is in the wind that makes the rustling of the leaves in the trees and also God is in the faces of the strangers.  How differently we would treat others is we see the face of God in them.  So when we read this scripture we see the importance of the oak trees, the open tent and the three strangers.  Too often I think we read a story and try to rationalize who the strangers were and what was this visit all about.

 

Ben is not playing soccer.  Friday dad took time out from his walking and it was a cold miserable day.  We drove to White Rock to Choices to to a little shopping and met a friend who walks her dog in the park where dad goes.  He remembered her dog's name but couldn't remember hers.

CONFIDENCE

Today I need to be still and let God love me just as I am.

I love watching the children walking to school as Gundy and I walk along together.  There is one little boy in particular who is about nine years old. He carries a big pack sack on his back and on his other arm he has what another big bag. I do not know what it is, it could be sport's stuff or musical instrument but he strides along so happy and so confident he is a joy to watch.

Dad has been back walking and doing well, accept on his walk yesterday his hip tarted to hurt.  He had taken a little bit to eat and enjoyed watching the dogs who came to play.  Meanwhile I was over visiting, although I had not really felt like it I was glad once I got there and confident that I was in the right place.

Dad and I watched the hockey game and were confident in who would win.

We may be a tiny speck on this earth, yet we are not alone, in this world so perfectly created.  I feel confident that in this world of many voices the voice of God will always be listened for and heard.  I am confident that we all our included in His Love.

"Love is the only reality and not a mere sentiment,
it is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation."   

  -Rabindranath Tigore - mystical poet.

  It is so rewarding to realize that your children face the world with the kind and caring hearts that come from confidence and the knowledge they are loved.  A sense of humor also helps!

A cold frosty Friday morning and my first walk is done now I go and call for Gundy.

THE BRAINS OLD AND YOUNG

Wisdom, I think begins according to scripture with a sense of reverence for God and creation and a recognition of our own limitations. Many ancient cultures have wisdom literature.  The book of Proverbs includes practical and mental advice but also right living practices.

Yes, dad and I are finding our  brain's are slower but sometimes I still amaze myself when I actually remember something.  I still get frustrated when I cannot remember the simplest things. like what I did yeasterday for example.  Some think our heads are just too crowded.

Both I do know two heads are better than one.

Our bodies operate through countless chemical messages sent to trillions of cells, these messages create a response that the cells send back to the brain, and depending on what the response is, the next round of messages will change.   The brain is an amazing and more and more research has provided the traces of what I call spirituality as a heightened awareness.  So much of what we are seeking can only be obtained with an inner journey and a mind that desires truth,  What we believe has to make sense.

Jesus said to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,

 

Dad is the brain that put this picture of Melina and Jasmine at her birthday lunch.   Her birthday plans may have changed so Ken will have to keep us informed.  I would like to see Mathew in his school clothes.  Does he wear a uniform?

 

Had a nice visit with Kim on the phone..

APPRECIATION

Life can be lived as a prayer in action.

Yesterday dad went for his first walk in a long time and had no pain so that was really appreciated.



I had little choice but to stay home and resit after a very uncomfortable night.  I called it a day of complete healing and let go of some expectations and plans I had made.  I am hoping all will be well today after a much better sleep. I am trying to keep us so healthy and things do not always work out.

 

I am now down to one red mitten, one white glove and two black gloves for the same hand and it took no effort on my part.  Some things are hard to grow out of eh!  I have decided to look for good in others and to appreciate each day no matter what happens.  I think that appreciation for the good and the bad will somehow contribute to making better people out of us.

 

 

"God" by Deepak Chopra is being returned to the library. The book  was found under some trashy novels. It appears that we all wonder at times if God is there and listening. Through the ages prophets and priests have believed in the messages they were hearing were from God. But does the authority of saints guarantee us proof that goes deeper than reason?

I am now quoting from this book.  God is reached through an inner journey and the whole problem of proof could be settled if this journey could be verified.  (we have no footprints)  Now it is discovered that God's footprints were not invisible after all, but just hidden beneath the cranial bones in the soft tissue of the brain.  The areas of the frontal lobes associated with higher functions like compassion grow larger and stronger.

Four pathways to God are the path of devotion, the path of understanding, the path of service, the path of meditation.  "With the collapse of faith as a common inheritance, each of us must undertake the inner journey of our own choosing, but that was always true."

"Einstein respected the cosmic mystery enough to say that what astonished him most wasn't the universe, but the fact that we can know it at all.

Yes I do believe that children are smarter today.  "The mind is like a very deep river and if we dive down deep enough there is peace and calm."  There are many new ideas coming out that changes some of my earlier beliefs.

My healthy soup!   Quinoa vegtable soup!   I will try it again maybe in a day or so. Dad had some and he was not impressed but he is feeling okay so maybe I cannot blame the soup for horrible miserable night.  I think back to the many years that I had nights like that and had to get up and look after children.  Yesterday I was well  looked after.  Off for a walk later this morning.!

PRACTICE

Practice forms character.

Many spiritual practices are shared across religious traditions such as

praying at fixed hours, giving to the poor, keeping a day of rest,

fasting, and offering hospitality to strangers. 

 

Dad and I took a trip to the library and I found him a book on pilots in the wartime. I also got some funny D.V.D.'s. I have lots of practice looking for both books and D.V.D's.  We have had a good laugh which is always healing I believe. 

Contemporary Christian writer Brian McLaren says:   "Spiritual practices are actions within our power that help us narrow the gap between who we are and who we are becoming."  To really learn something takes practice and when that practice becomes alive and joyous then it becomes something we want to do, not something we are forced into doing.

I do enjoy going to church to be inspired and to worship with thankfulness.   
I find myself surrounded by peace and beauty and friendship.

 

"Practices are things we do that shape who we are as they awaken us to God and to others.  Humanly alive and alert."

 

What a choice we have now to choose from;   Eastern meditation or Western psycho-therapy, twelve step programs, self-help groups. spiritual retreats or private reading and quiet prayer or yoga.  There is good in all of these practices. Even in our praying we blend elements from a variety of traditions.

 

I think that we are in a very unique place of spiritual awakening.

"When religions are in the process of reformation or renewal, adherents frequently borrow or blend practices from other sources."  -Christianity After Religion by Diana Butler Bass.

 

Jesus said that new wine must be put into new wine skins to ferment (Matt. 9) and our practice of our faith can change and bring new life into the old!

 

Once Jesus is freed from the prison of religion, a renaissance and a reformation are possible.(Spong)  I am a Christian who firmly believes that Jesus came to set us free from condemnation and guilt and show a path that leads to an abundant life.

 

The soup  made was healthy but I was sick all night.  It could have been the soup and the fact I need more practice or the thing dad had and still has a bit of.

 

 



HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELINA

Melina  Hope you felt better as the day went on.  We did try to phone both the cell and the house phone but got strange messages.  Are you still planning to climb the bridge?  I do hope I sent your card to the right address I have been doing stupid things lately.

I am thinking about all the learning that Jasmine and Mathew are going to be doing.  So much knowledge to help them grow and develop.  Such fun things to do and to see and to learn. 

I believe that we are all seeking authenticity that awakens new wonder in us and  help us keep  learning.  Some dreams do come true!

A full life includes love and enthusiasm, reason and faith, surrender and serenity and times of celebration.  Carol and Panteli are coming back around March 1 so that is exciting news.

MISTAKES

                              The sky is getting lighter on my morning walks.

 

Walking in the quiet of the morning it is like I am trying to "eavesdrop" on God I can feel His presence in the cool freshness of the morning,  the beauty dancing across the sky, the joy of singing birds and the laughter of passing joggers. 

I have been making a lot of mistakes lately; a little more than normal anyway.  Sunday morning, as usual I started out for my walk feeling okay but by the time I reached 72 and Scott road my back and legs were aching.  As I am looking up the steep hill in front of me resting at the bus stop, the bus stops and the door opens and a lady hops in;  so I sit and wait and regain my strength.  I am thinking to myself: you know I could take that bus right up to 64th and be nearly home.  Of course I had no money but I think I will get a few bus tickets just in case.  Whoops I guess I did go a little too far!

 

I got mixed up in the day for the baby shower which is not until the 24 and I had the old address written down but thankfully checked these things out before I set out.

 

I bought a vitamin drink that said restores energy that is suppose to be for runners not for some one recovering from some strange bug;  then forgot to get what I went to the store for in the first place.

 

I published the wrong blog by mistake but I think only one early bird saw it.

 

Thankfully I have forgotten the rest of the mistakes.

 

BUT I did get a nice phone call from Ron Ateah thanking me for something good I had done for him years ago.  So that made me feel a little better.  Good luck Ron making that door nob the dog cannot open but Donna can!

 

I would have liked to go over to Sandra and Randy's but dad was not feeling too good.  What a great pair we are.  We seem to be taking turns; now it is stomach problems.

So it sounds like rain this Monday morning so I think it must be raining.

POSTPONED

Saturday morning had my early morning prayer walk.

Yes dad and I are out and about feeling so much better.  Too bad Melina came home feeling so miserable I know how miserable dizziness and nausea can be.  Hope she is better soon.

Our Saturday evening book study group had to be cancelled again. Some where going to hear a quest speaker,  Robert Fifk,   and others had other commitments  .Dad and I were undecided as I we still feel a little sluggish.  We are a fun group with lots of different opinions, well if dad and I are there it is for sure, and we have been together for many years and been through lots of things like marriages of children, our grandchildren, and a remarriage of one of our group.  We have also been through times of our children going through divorce, the pain of cancer, the joy of the arrival of new grandchildren. etc.  We have been good friends for many years.  Doug the retired minister married our granddaughter Mary to Michael John.

 

We are discussing a book by Henri Nouvwen, a Catholic priest, who taught at university but left to share his life with a community of people with disabilities.  The book is called :Reaching Out" and he presents three movements of the spiritual life.

 

Beginning with our own awareness of inner poverty, then moving to seeing the needs of ours and to be in community, and last movement from illusion to prayer and this most intimate relationship and the center of our connection to the Holy One.

 

The point being that all of us internalize our feelings and how a harsh word can makes us feel sad and misunderstood.  We all make mistakes with our careless remarks and we all know what we should have or could have done better.  I think that I am not alone in having a heavy heart at times and the darkness in the morning can be the darkness in my soul.

 

 

He takes us on a journey from frustration and fear and envy into a place of humility and grace where we are reaching out for the unknown God. I like what he says about moving from our human shelter to the house of God where if we believe the words of Jesus a place is prepared for us. Prayer is a gift that can be a struggle until I realize that first I listen then I allow the spirit to prompt my thoughts and put them into words. The scripture speaks of the breath of God that can breath within us and free us from anxiety and restore peace to our souls.

We did get a present for the baby shower which we will deliver today but I will not attend.

Dad and I came home and I had a nap and he went on the computer and then we went to bed early so thankful the meeting was cancelled.  The plan is to go to church today but the morning is young and we are not!  Dad had a sick stomach during the night.  Unusual for him that's usually my thing!

UMBRELLA

Faith is like an umbrella of hope.

Yesterday was gloomy and rainy and umbrella's pop up everywhere.

Dad drives me over to the Senor's Home. It almost seems strange to be out in the car.  Our first trip had been over to Sandra's to deliver dogie medicine.

On my walk with Gunty we meet the children going to school and there is a mass of umbrellas.  Little ones following in a line behind mom.  All seem happy and excited. Wished I had a camera!  Another think to note about umbrellas mine seem to be always getting lost.

Very touching scene at the Dairy Queen as an very elderly couple sit at the small table with a small bag of ships and one ice cream sundae.  They hold hands and he says a little prayer.  A moment of thankfulness  to remind us all to be grateful.  Dad always said grace before meals but I will not say grace at family meals unless asked, although a moment just to be thankful for our food and for each other is important.

For me the western mind has trouble understanding Eastern Religion.  These are thoughts from "God" by Choopra, but some thoughts fit into what I believe like this one.

  "But if God is pure potential things change radically.  Potential is infinitely flexible.  A god of potentiality doesn't need to be obeyed, fear or placated.  He exists to unfold anything and everything.

If I can see my potential then I can see the light.  I do not quite understand expanding consciousness.
..dissolving false boundaries.  We bring energy and light with us even when we are somewhere we do not really like being.

Jesus calls this being in the world but not of it.  It is a creative state not passive.  I am the author of my own life and have the ability to grow through suffering and develop compassion.  My story is the way I see things all around me.

Enjoyed a visit from Sandra, who braved our germie home, and then since the cupboard was bare we went out for pizza.  We are looking forward to visiting Mandy and James on Sunday and their cute little dogs.