Christmas Wish for My Children

My Christmas wish for MY children! A favourite!

Mercies in Disguise?

Laura Story - "Blessings"


We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

A Message from My Hubby!

Not So Dear Investigation

1st clue: a hoof-print in the mud

the calling cards

some of the evidence - hostas almost gone

more hostas eaten up

and more again

hopefully not the "next frontier"

my rose bush - buds all eaten (by a chipmunk)

my rose of sharon - still budding and so far safe

where the critters come from

Friend Therapy

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Encouragement: pouring courage into someone who needs it.
Yesterday, while driving, I heard Dr. David Jeremiah and "Friend Therapy". It was great to listen and meditate on these verses for a while and then to connect with a good friend this morning on the phone (she called me)!

Listen to "Friend Therapy - Pt. 2" also.

And I encourage you to reach out and give some "friend therapy" out yourself. Not to the friend that you usually reach out to - to someone else. Someone who doesn't have as many friends to reach out to them. Maybe a lonely neighbour. Maybe someone that you don't usually connect with at church or work. Give out some "friend therapy". "Minister concern for one another" today!

~~~

Thanks to Rachel for showing me how to post online pages... ;) I figured it out!

A Fascinating Read

A friend recommended this book to me and I hope to use it for our grade 12 homeschool this fall. Amazing!

The book contains some rough language and information - however, the story itself is a must-read. Henrietta's contribution to science has helped us all through the years - although she and her family had no idea of her important contribution.

Written by Rebecca Skloot.

Been away from Church?

I saw this the other day while casually reading the newspaper with my cup of coffee in hand. How sad!

"Whether you are the most active member of your parish, a Christmas-and-Easter Catholic...you will always be welcome."

Wow.

I always thought the "Christmas-and-Easter Catholic" was something that wasn't condoned. Just a situation that others have observed. People calling themselves people of faith - and yet never paying any attention to their faith in day-t0-day life.

"Connect with your faith and your heritage." In death?

How about connecting with your faith ... while you're alive?! It won't help you after death. Sorry to say.

Spring Glory

My Mother's Day 2010 from Andrew Rose of Sharon - so far no critters have
gone "buffet" on it...
When I was younger, spring was my least favourite season -

but it has become one of my most cherished!

I love the newness of spring - the wonderful smell of spring -

and even the rain in spring.

But this year's rain has been a bit too much!

I love my flowerboxes this year - every year I try something newish, and hope to love it...

but some years I like the colour combinations more than others

Alyssa's garden is coming along - see my lupin in there? It's in solitary confinement - away from the bunnies and deer until it's multiplied a few times, THEN I will let SOME of it out...and see!
Same with my Mother's Day 2010 rose bush from the kids - lovely pink - but in solitary confinement...until it's big enough to be a bit of a critter buffet AND enjoyment for us!
the lilacs have been gorgeous - but they have also been waterlogged
and haven't lasted as long as other years :(

Marigolds and peas - waiting to be planted...maybe I'll eat the pea sprouts - have you ever

tried them? YUM! (I'm hoping a deer doesn't find these before they get dealt with)

a few herbs - nothing like fresh chives or tomatoes...

My Prayper Route

Kind of a strange photo here, but I was trying to get a pic of my hair after coming back from my paper route last week. It was -27C outside when I left home at 7:30am - brrrr, and my hair ended up frosted. It looked like solidly gray hair!

Anyway, as you know, I have a paper route. In fact, I've had my route for over 9 years now. Most of the people in my neighbourhood know that it's my route, but once in a while I still get a comment like "doing your kids route?"

What started out as a way to exercise AND make a little bit of money (originally it was my scrapbooking money) has turned into exercise and making a bit of money as well as contact with neighbours. I know most of them and have seen many of them through good and bad times in their lives - and they also have shared my burdens. I shared a while back about Joanne, and I have good news to share again with you.

Joanne is doing quite well, although she hasn't heard back from her doctor's about her prognosis and health plan. She'd like to leave the cancer as is and go without treatment, especially if it's a slow-growing cancer -- but she doesn't know for sure if it is a slow cancer. I hope to hear more soon. But even if it's a faster cancer, she may end up opting out of treatment - since, as she says, "I could die of something else before cancer takes me!"

Joanne moved to a senior's residence not too far away and my husband and I went to visit her last week. She was so excited to see us! She looks good (she's 90 years old), never takes the elevators (stairs only!) and finds that the "old people with walkers" are quite slow! haha She seems to have a much happier attitude now - and is enjoying having her meals made for her and access to all sorts of activities and entertainment at her fingertips!

~~~
But back to my paper route - as I was walking the other day, I realized how I pray for those who I know are living with difficulties. I don't know their names many times - but I do know some of their "woes". At one home in lives a couple about our ages with kids around the ages of our kids. I know they're a Christian family because I had some contact with the husband years ago but he wouldn't remember me (he used to chair an organization that I was a part of). When I saw him and his wife at the store a couple of months ago, it was obvious that his wife is going through chemotherapy. I have no idea what type of cancer she has, but I pray for her and their family every week as I pass their home.

At another home - a man just lost his wife suddenly just before Christmas 2010. I pray for him.

A neighbour family is very strange - I don't know why or what's going on, but instead of trying to figure them out, I pray for them instead now.

There are two people on my route whose spouses have left them. They are each hurting and alone.

I just heard from Joanne that another family - one living across from her old home, is going through a cancer diagnosis. The wife has some sort of brain tumour. They have three young boys.

An older man on my route is busy as caregiver to his sick wife.

We live in a beautiful world - filled with great things - and filled with lots of sad things like sorrow and sickness. And God has given me a huge compassion gene - which I don't like many times, but I know that He has a reason for how He made me. For now, I'll just reach out to those who surround me, help when I can, and I will certainly pray for them!

Prayer might not seem like much - but I know that God works in amazing ways. He may not choose to heal those who are going through these times, but I know that He will comfort them and be there for them. Maybe even through me. Use me, Lord.

From now on I'm going to call my route my prayper route!

Winter Art

There's another gorgeous design on our window today - as Ontario is in the midst of a blizzard. Thought I'd post a pic, referring to this post in 2008! Can't beat God's artwork!

"How could I say there is no God,

when all around creation calls?!"

(Brian Doerksen)

Incredible Basement

I received this from a friend who always sends a lot of emails...you know the type! Usually most emails end up in the deleted file, but I took a peak at this one and I'm glad that I did! Pretty neat - take a peak.

Grass

As you know, I have been a "paper-girl/woman" for quite a few years. What started out as some outdoor walking (and getting paid for it) has turned out to meeting neighbours that I normally wouldn't meet and growing relationships. It's been good, but also difficult, because those who I usually meet are people who have no one else or those who have family but come from very broken relationships. One such lady is Joanne.

I met Joanne quite a few years ago - I'd say at least 8 years. She was an elderly woman at the time (in her 80s) but she was so active. She'd be outside cutting the grass (seriously!) and even trimming her hedges. While her face looked like she was in her 80s, her body and movement did not. She kept active and loved being outdoors. We'd often chat.

Sometimes we'd chat about God. She was very angry at God. She had no use for God. But I'd still tell her that I was praying for her (and I was) and I showed her the hands of God through my life. She never shied away from me when I mentioned God - but a wall definitely came up.

I learned that her husband passed away almost exactly when my dad did, in 1990. He died of cancer. Joanne and her husband had one child - a son - and that son passed away a few years later. He lived in Europe and his wife (her daughter-in-law) and children stayed in Europe. They had contact over the years and sometimes they'd come to visit Joanne. But Joanne tired of taking them to the tourist attractions (or so she said) so they stopped coming. She said she encouraged them to spend their money on the places that they'd like to visit, rather than visiting her. I wonder if she really meant that.

While Joanne was a nice woman, she was also bitter in many ways and knew exactly how things were. Or how she thought they were. A lot of the people that I meet are like this.

Anyway, a few years ago Joanne told me that her daughter-in-law had cancer. It wasn't long before she told me that her daughter-in-law died. She was quite sad. The only family left were her grandchildren.

A little more than a year ago, Joanne took me aside to tell me that she had been diagnosed with cancer. It was a rare form of a "woman's cancer" and she had a hysterectomy (at almost age 89). I still remember her fear, asking me if I could Google her cancer and find her some information. She'd been given various websites to check out but did not have access to the internet. I sat with her and went through her sheets from the doctor, trying to calm her down. It must be tough to live alone and have no one to support you at such times.

Joanne was healthy enough to go through the surgery so she did. Everything went well and although it took quite a bit out of her, Joanne kept at it. She had someone cut her grass for her (which drove her crazy) but she got back at the hedges. She didn't open her pool last season, because she knew she wouldn't be able to keep up with it. She missed her swims.

I rarely saw someone visiting Joanne. But I was happy to see that her closest neighbours were able to take her to her radiation appointments (she'd asked me but I wasn't able to) and a couple neighbours were taking turns cutting her grass. It was encouraging to see neighbours supporting one another in an old-fashioned (not seen a whole lot today) way.

A couple of months ago Joanne again took me aside. Her cancer had come back. She was angry. I tried to encourage her. But she told me that fear had taken over. Fear of cancer (she'd watched her husband and son die of it), fear of dying alone, fear of dying. I tried to console her. I tried to support her.

I saw her about 6 weeks ago and she looked good. I thought she must be doing well, despite her sadness.

And then a couple of weeks ago a "for sale" sign went up at Joanne's house. I could see that someone was still around because I saw her tire tracks in the snow (coming out of her garage) as well as her garbage/composting/recycling being put out and put away again. So I knew that she was still around. On December 17 Joanne had her 90th birthday. I didn't see her but I left her a card and note. I never heard from her again.

Last week I saw that the house was "sold" -- and a few trucks were in her driveway. A dumpster has now joined the trucks. I see Joanne's "life" in the dumpster. I went inside Joanne's house a couple of times and it was like a timewarp. The 1950s all the way. Panelling everywhere, chrome everywhere, various shades of yellow and orange everywhere. It even had a musty smell. Joanne said it wasn't worth it to update anything. It would be a waste of her money.

So I haven't seen Joanne, and since she doesn't have any family here, I don't know if she's okay. I haven't seen a death announcement but I don't know who would put one in for her anyway. (I hope to talk to one of her neighbours soon.) I'm hoping that she's in a senior's home now, getting some tender-loving-care. I miss seeing her - and seeing her house be demolished has been quite an analogy for me. Of how fleeting this life is. It is here and it is gone.

I hope most of all that Joanne has a loving person beside her, showing her of her need of a Saviour.

You sweep people away like dreams that disappear or like grass that springs up
in the morning. In the morning it blooms and flourishes, but by evening it
is
dry and withered. ...
Seventy years are given to us! Some may even
reach
eighty. But even the best of these years are filled with pain and
trouble; soon
they disappear, and we are gone.

Teach us to realize
the brevity of
life, so that we may grow in wisdom.
Psalm 90:5,6,10,12