RECYLE AND REUSE

We drove to the bird sanctuary called the Fen in White Rock and the first place we looked there were no birds.  They had moved to the other side but it does make you stop and think about our environment.  As human beings we are very careless with our use of water, and heat, of our land and of the animals that are becoming extinct. 

Last night we watched a show of what could happen in 2020 if we do not start to conserve what is keeping us alive.  Other civilizations have become extinct but we now have the ability to find clues in the earth of what happened and it is a warning to us of where we are heading.

Did you know that making glass products from recycled glass saves 80% of the raw material and 30% of the energy.  Recycling is a start that we can all do and even though it takes an effort we need to do it if we want to protect this place we call earth.

I am guilty of wasting water and electricity so I am going to try to use less and to use it wisely. 

We have a battery charger and rechargeable batteries.  I am amazed at how many toys call for batteries.

We take so much for granted but what if the tide did not return to fill up this beach.  Water is a precious resources that we need to be more aware when we are wasting it.  Using cold water to wash our clothes also saves energy.

We use to much paper and it is expensive and wasteful.  We have clothes now that can clean without using a cleaner so there are things that are available if we make the effort to look for them and decide to change our lifestyle a little bit.

SUFFI WISDOM

Suffi's are mystics that are a branch of Islam.
They love to meditate but also to damce.  When they dance they wear long full robes that billow all around them.  The right hand is lifted gracefully to heaven will the left hand is open to the soul of the earth.  By doing this they feel the presence of the holy in some mysterious way as for me I would just get dizzy.  I am dizzy even thinking about it! 

Rumi is a 14th centuary poet that was a Suffi.

"Past and present are shutters covering the window through which streams the sunlight of God.".

"How long are you going to worry [that's me] about what has already happened and cannot be changed and what is yet to come and cannot be controlled?"

Control freaks make themselves miserable and also those they live with.  Trust is the attitude we need to develop as we remind ourselves; in my life right now there is absolutely nothing really bad happening.  So I can stop muttering to myself and start enjoying the day.

"So many people SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF AND COMPLETELY LOSE TOUCH WITH THE MAGIC AND BEAUTY OF LIFE."  Richard Car;son. Ph.D

"When we accept each moment as a new opportunity for fulfilling our purpose, we are always present, always succeeding, always changing the world for the better."  Rabbi David A. Cooper

". . . .for the meaning of happiness consists in three elements
freedom, gratitude, and the sense of wonder.
These three elements can be present in the most ordinary of lives,
the free man is not necessarily a magician, a seer or a mystic. . . . "
Alan Watts from "THE MEANING OF HAPPINESS. . . . "

I am amazed that one could quite literally quote from different sources and the same thought is expressed.
Yet even with the wisdom of the sages and our modern day philosophers our language has an inadequacy and even our brains are limited by what it cannot see or understand.  Before the telescope was invented  the sky was a different place and we were limited by what we could see with our eyes. 

Does God exist?  Can I see him [or her]? , can I hear him?  can I feel him?   Neither science or religion can prove there is a God but those who have experienced the presence of his Spirit Have a knowing.

CHANGING

So many things seem to be changing; we went to look for a pumpkin patch today and the usual ones were not there anymore.  So many fields are now covered with glass green houses where things are grown hydroponically.  The rich soil is now no longer being used.  It was a cold and windy day as we drove up and down with no success.  Finally on the road home just past the old community hall we found this small patch.  The pumpkins are not very big and it is a very tiny field.  I got out of the car to walk into the yard to take a picture when the owners came home.  I quickly explained I was taking pictures and got two strange looks.

Our old street has also changed losing its quaint charm and now huge houses are replacing modest homes of all different sizes and character.  Our home looks very run down and unhappy and that is very sad to see.

As I start my study of the Bible I know that the stories will reflect all the same problems we have  in our world today.  Fighting and arguing about what is right, jealousy and bitterness destroying families, sickness, poverty, injustice, selfishness and cruelty to name a few.  Centuries have passed and we realize that some of their values and codes are alien to us.  They were wanders who set out to conquer and wanted a strong powerful God on their side.

The history of Christianity that was bloody, violent and revengeful leaves all of us with a bad taste in our months.  We want to reject religion with it's hatred and prejudice and controversies.

I believe that Christianity based on the words of Jesus has the power to transform my life and the lives of others in a chaotic world.  I live in hope and expectation knowing that there are many good things happening and that they will continue to happen.
 
The church has been in danger before from the society around it and the same is true today although it is in danger from apathy more than anything else.Disasters can make us stop and realize that in life and in death faith makes the difference.  Would I write this if it was my last day on earth or would there be other things I would think are more worth while doing. 

We had planned to visit a friend and take over some spray that has helped dad with his eyes but that did not happen.  So our plans changed and it was good to be home in our own little cozy T.V. room.

LOST

I am continually losing things especially my glasses.  I ask myself continuously now where did I put that darn thing?  I am also losing the ability to do things that I use to be able to do so easily.  Yes, at times I feel that I am losing my mind and that is very scary.  I hope that I never lose the ability to laugh at myself.

I hope I never lose the feeling of awe and wonder in the amazing world we live in.

The colours of summer are being replaced and as the trees lose their leaves and the daylight grows shorter there is a sense of loss.  I feel that there is a loss of our spiritual identity which is just as important as what we do and think and accomplish.  The inner life that is who I really am can easily be lost in the need to be busy.

Over the years we seem to have lost the real message of Jesus that message of hope, of humility, of hospitality, of goodness and love.

I use to be able to get lost in the music at church whether a old familiar hymn or s simple chorus and it was an awesome experience.  I feel that I am losing something precious that gave me a passionate faith.  I believe in the powerful message of Jesus that heals and restores and brings the lost back into the sense that there is a love that will not let me go.

A LATE START

After a late start

in fact I was wondering if we had the wrong night again, we decided on a book by Karen Armstrong for our study group last night..  It is called "A Case for God"  and is historical as well as religous.  It has helped me take a deeper look into the Bible, and other religions.

Sandra discovered I have the toughest roots in the Universe as she grunted andgroaned  [I think that is the secret]  and pulled trying to dig them out.  Some roots needed to be divided and others had just gotten a little too wild.  If I had followed her advice last year I would have had better results this year.  I get discouraged with the garden and the house work so felt like moving into an apartment yesterday.  Discovering the bathtub was leaking after dad felt a drip on his head when I had a shower, was annoying.  I am very grateful that he can fix so many things and now that the breezeway openings between the T.V. room and the living room are completed we just have a hole in our kitchen ceiling.

I have my own pitch fork now!

The heart and soul that is the real source of spiritual strength comes from the power of God that motivates and brings about the inner change that we desire.  This was called repentance needed for those who have fallen by the wayside in their spiritual growth.  I was brought up to call this sin.

"But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power [energy] belongs to God and does not come from us."  @ Corinthians 4:7

When I try to do things with my own strength I soon get burnt out and prayerfully turn to God for his love and compassion to renew me, guide me and strengthen me I find in his love the gift of grace that sets me free.

A PERFECT FALL DAY

This is the view from Jane's daughter's home in West Vancouver.

We choose a perfect day to journey across town enjoying the beautiful changing colours as we drove closer and closer to the mountains.  A day to enjoy good food and conversation with our very dear friends.

The day before had been emotionally draining as Larry visited with his friend Matt whose wife is dying of cancer and the dishearten people at the Home faced with the news they would have to move.

We left behind the leaking bathtub, a messy house with dirty windows and my over grown garden; knowing that we can be thankful for these tasks but also glad just to leave them behind for awhile.

Today I am hoping to have some help in my wild garden if Sandra feels up to it. 

I love the myth that has mankind created out of the dust of the earth in a garden where God came to visit.

We are reminded in the New Testament our souls are housed in clay jars, and that life is shaping and molding us to create a compassionate heart that carries the light of God.

UNFAIRNESS

Life is definitely unfair and unpredictable.   We do not know what our future holds.

 On the way to visiting I was in the middle of the intersection waiting to turn left when three police cars came screaming and racing right for me.  The best thing was that I was too scared to move as one went behind me and two in front.  Where they chasing some speeder?  I am sure they get a high just turning their sirens on and chasing after somebody.  I certainly knew I was not guilty of speeding.  I carried on with my heart beating a little faster.

I was told by several unhappy people at the Nursing Home that they now have to move.  I could not believe it because they had been told they where guaranteed a home there and would not have to move.  Very, very unsettling news for them and their families.  They are turning it into a Korean Care Home.

Dad who is now visiting was outside in the sunshine visiting his new friend and the group of smokers were sharing the news with him.  He was all prepared to look into this mess but it appears to be a losing battle.  If they do not hire a fully qualified nurse then anyone who needs a little nursing care has to be moved.

We came home to hear some very sad news about someone being given months to live and maybe a year at the most.  How can some one who was just golfing last year now have cancer spread all through his body.  Why did the doctor fail to see the early warning signs?  Why is life so unfair?

I am reading a little from a book "Healing from the Heart" and am reminded again that visiting or praying for people requires positive energy.  It has been discovered that our brain waves respond to, "come into the same rhythm" as the person who is with them.  I have always been amazed at those people I have visited who have cheered me up with their love of life even in difficult circumstances and we often laughed together as we shared. 

I know that I can get into a rut where life becomes a habit
 and I know I need to take time to  appreciate the goodness that is all around me.
We are continually learning from one another.