conversations, meditations, reflections
Pleasant days…
Feb 27th
February 21, 2010
Had a nice time yesterday afternoon. We drove up the valley, took lots of pictures, especially of the Bible camp I have attended many times through the years, from the time I was a very small child. Came home and posted the pictures up on a facebook page dedicated to memories of the camp!
We went out for supper at the home of some good friends, and had a wonderful visit.
Earlier in the day I cleaned house, did book keeping, and went for a walk and for tea at Starbucks with a friend. We looked at a couple of photo albums of pictures from our childhoods – and today I scanned ones of her and emailed them to her.
Today after street church breakfast, I was going to come home and sleep, but ended up scanning lots of pictures, especially historical pictures from my dad’s side of the family, and posting those on facebook too, to share with my friends and relatives.
Got groceries. The other day the street pastor went shopping for the street breakfasts, and picked up a package of those little cocktail wieners for me to make “pigs in blankets” with. But somehow they must have got mixed in with the groceries of the person in front of him or behind him at the till, because he never ended up buying them! I told him, “Oh well, Father must have something better planned!” And sure enough, I just went shopping, and was able to get a dozen packages on clearance for much, much less! Praise the Lord! I knew You had a deal coming up, Father!
Writing Inspiration!
Feb 27th
February 20, 2010
Thursday night was the Writers meeting. I handed out personal invitations to each person who attended. So far I haven’t heard back, but I’m keeping the group going…. Hopefully it will grow.
Yesterday I scanned and loaded a bunch more pictures of relatives onto facebook. They do seem to be quite popular. I was looking through mom’s geneology papers and again through my photo albums….
And I am feeling inspired to get going on the Family Tree stuff again, and on writing our family stories – finish my childhood and youth ones, catch up “our family” … and so on.
The challenge for the next Writers meetings is to write a “creative non-fiction” story up to 1500 words. Well, that is right up my alley! I have such a long list of ideas I’ve been jotting down…
And the past few days I keep getting emails from the Zen Habits blog, which encourage to really get at what you really want to do – so I’m thinking it really would be easy to write one story each day!
I’m also thinking I’d like to start a specifically family history website, with lots of stories and pictures…
Yesterday I went to the “Heritage Week” display at the mall and got 3 local history books – signed right there by the writer – at the Archive society display… and also got encouragement from the Historical society people to write articles on local history (with my pictures) for their “annual report” books!
I just feel, more and more, that You are leading me into writing more full time – maybe for a living too??
Me and my writing – a little bit of OCD?? lol!
Feb 13th
13 February 2010
I just noticed that there are some papers in the back of my journal, and so I checked them out. They are a couple things I wrote (on computer) on Wednesday and have already posted on one of my blogs! Here I was thinking I haven’t written anything since Monday (today being Saturday), and I wondered how that could be.
LOL… I’d probably have to be in a great emergency of some kinds not to write anything at all for 4 or 5 days. Sometimes I don’t write in my journal for a few days, but in those cases I would have been writing stories or NaNoWriMo or some long emails to friends or whatever!
Dream….
Feb 13th
13 February 2010
I woke up tired this morning… and about 10 am or so decided to take a short power nap… which I woke up from at noon! Yikes! Anyway, along the way I had this dream…
I dreamed I was sitting here (in my comfy spot on the couch where I was taking my nap), and I heard two women come into the room, and I heard their voices saying that I was asleep… and I immediately recognized, as clear as could be, that it was my mom and my grandma talking. So of course I was really happy they had come to visit [even though my mom has been gone already almost 2 years, and my grandma for decades], and I woke right up and opened my eyes… and they were not here, of course.
I realized I must have been dreaming about them coming in to the house, and so I was really disappointed, and I slumped down and closed my eyes and went right back to sleep.
But looking back, I guess all of it was really a dream inside a dream inside a dream! For when I supposedly woke up and looked around, “here” wasn’t quite the same as “here” actually is, and I remember I could hear a lot of voices from outside, a big crowd, and I remember thinking, “Oh, that’s all the people gathered for the Olympics!” [which are of course a couple hundred miles from here, lol!]
Peaceful time with my Father…
Feb 13th
13 February 2010
When I woke this morning, my mind was really whirling, and I felt like I was totally in the middle of this huge storm with stuff flying all around me… and then I said, “Dear Papa…” and instantly I was in this circle of perfect calm! I could still feel the storm swirling all around me (and actually see it in the dream I was having just before I woke), but there was this perfect stillness in the small circle where I stood, and my mind just stopped whirling and my heart beat slowed right down….
And I was in a spot of total peace and calm and rest – with YOU!!!! (I haven’t had a lot of calm this week, Papa. It has been really busy… and kind of stressful, especially related to work… and I have to admit I haven’t taken the time to just sit back, and spend focused time relaxing in Your Presence.
Here’s an interesting thing: I think I have felt that “focused” time in Your Presence “should” be “redeemed time” in which I study hard, pray a lot, write hard, listen hard… but maybe I am missing something important:
- Your rest!
- Your peace!
- Allowing You to renew my strength!
- Enjoying YOU!
“Come unto Me, all you are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest… for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:27)
(Thank You, Papa! I see! In my eagerness to serve You, and to serve people, too – I’ve been depending upon myself more and more, and forgetting that it is really all YOUR work. No wonder I’ve been tired, and had non-stop dreams, and felt sick to my stomach, and so on – I have stepped out of YOUR arms, out from under Your wings, and have gotten swept into the storm! Please forgive me!
I see how absolutely essential it is to purposefully not only “practice Your presence” all the time, but to daily set aside time to clear my mind and heart – and body … [I see! That last part relates to fasting, doesn’t it – and healthy eating and healthy exercise, too, doesn’t it?!?! Wow! Cool! ?)
And I see how essential it is to just sit at Your feet like Mary – who did the “better thing” … it’s so easy to get caught up in the “serving” and become a Martha … teach Me, Lord, to sit at Your feet! Please! Amen!
Thank You.
More “this is my life…”
Feb 13th
13 February 2010
I am keeping up better with regularly posting my blogs these days (yeah, okay, so I haven’t posted this one so much, but check out other ones! Links to the right…)… and have been handing out my “business cards” with all my blogs and websites listed!
I posted up an album of my daughter in her “wild child” days, and an album of “old old timey” photos of my grandparents and great-grandparents, and uncles and aunts and such – all on face book of course! And I’m enjoying all the feedback from everyone! Oh, and I posted a copy of the first snapshot of hubby and I together, back in the day… in honor of Valentine’s day!
My daughter and her hubby left their Wii Fit here for me to use… but I have to admit I’ve only used it once so far… It was pretty easy, exercise-wise, but the “techie” aspects of operating it show my old age, lol! I do need an exercise mat, however, as my mid-section is getting flabby… in our last place, exercises were easy on the wall-to-wall carpet, but here with our wood floors, not quite so comfortable!
I want to bring my French language books and computer programs and stuff in from the storage shed and get going on them again… but I need a bookcase to store them on… behind my bedroom door, maybe, at least until I have the spare bedroom (which was supposed to be our office slash guest room…. Hmmmm)
I really intended to sleep in both yesterday and today… but my silly “internal alarm clock” had me awake both mornings at 5 am!
Street family … love it!
Feb 13th
13 February 2010
Brrr… it’s cold outside for morning street family coffee times… especially these days when it’s been really damp. But there is so much laughter and friendly conversation, and so much taking care of each other and looking out for each other’s needs… man, that is FAMILY!!! And I see it more when we gather outside in the winter weather, than inside where it’s warm and comfortable. And I like that people going by on the street, no matter who they are, rich or poor, young or old, always get invited to join us – and some of them do – and the others almost always smile and say a hearty thank-you for the invite!
The Olympics… opening ceremonies and other thoughts…
Feb 13th
13 February 2010
I had such fun with my little grandson last evening, while his mommy and daddy went out to dinner to celebrate daddy’s birthday.
We watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics together – dancing together, little guy in my arms, bouncing along with the rhythm, laughing and smiling. The ceremonies were very spectacular, and I loved the aboriginal dancing and drumming to welcome the athletes, and the incredibly tall “welcoming” poles, and the later totem poles and forest grove and the amazing killer whale and salmon swimming video effects – very impressive! My little grandson especially loved “dancing” to the rhythm of the aboriginal drums, and then the toe-tapping music of the fiddlers.
And of course it is nice to see nations putting aside their political differences for a bit… and so on… but I heard an estimate of $25 million (and later, even one of $60 million) for those 3 hours of ceremony … and then there’s the multi-million cost of the temporary Canadian pavilion, which was set up just before the Olympics and will be torn down right after … and I think, “That is just crazy!” Even obscene! In a location (downtown Vancouver) where there are so many living in poverty and pain – and that’s not to mention the far greater poverty found all over the world!
Watching those ceremonies, there were moments when I didn’t know whether to be thrilled by the presentation – or to feel like throwing up because of the enormous spending on entertainment when there is so much need in the world. (Hmm… kind of like the “average $25,000” Canadians apparently spend on a wedding these days… which is probably one of the reasons a lot of folks just don’t get married… okay, yeah, I’m going down a rabbit trail, a bit!).
…. Later …. I just spent a half hour or a bit more checking out blogs, comments, face book snapshots, and so on, of the Olympic opening ceremonies and other related events – like the amazing displays put up by the different First Nations, and various countries, and such. I have to admit that 24 hours ago (it’s 1 pm as I write), I wasn’t even planning to watch the Olympic opening ceremonies (because of the amount they cost when there is so much need everywhere), but it was fun to watch with my little grandson, who loved the music and rhythm, and I do think the cultural aspects, especially, were really pretty impressive.
It seems to me that the ceremonies were overall well done. Some people, of course, thought they were dull and not glitzy enough (LOL… mostly those comments were from Americans, though some liked the presentation… oh well, what self-respecting Canadian would want to put on an American-style glitz-presentation/show anyway!). Personally, I liked that the ceremonies were perhaps a bit under-stated, which is kind of Canadian anyway, and is certainly appropriate in a time of economic hardship all over the world, and in face of the death of the Georgian athlete just hours before the ceremonies.
I thought the video technology was amazing! I hear reports of anywhere from $25 to $60 million being spent on the ceremonies (and am sure hoping the figure is at the lower end…). And I think it really is not time to try and compete with the $100 million spent in Beijing. Well, despite my personal reservations about the cost of these games and some of the things we seem to have done to try to “hide our problems,” last night’s show made me pretty proud to be Canadian!
(And I really wouldn’t mind one of those plaid-on-one-side, white-with-red-maple-leaf-on-the-other-side “official” scarves! But, lol, I really wouldn’t want to spend that much money!) (And I don’t like the “more economical” red mittens!!!)
Helping other stretch their pennies
Feb 13th
13 February 2010
Well, I must look approachable! Maybe it’s the smile I seem to have plastered on my face most of the time… Because You love me, eh! ?
One day recently I was in the cereal aisle at the grocery store, and a man with a tired, worried expression on his face, came up to me and asked, “I heard they have cereals here for really cheap, like $2 a box. Have you seen them?” And I said, “I don’t know about cereals for $2 a box, but I can show you an even better way to judge the cost and value!” So I showed him the self tags that give the price per 100 grams, and explained how that makes a difference to cost and value. And he “got it” and was really excited. Next thing you know, he was running up and down that long aisle of cereals, comparing the prices in this “new to him” way, and before long he was heading to the check-out with 2 or 3 really “good value” boxes of cereal in my grocery basket. His comment as he passed by, “That really does make a big difference!” and the huge smile on his face that totally erased the worry lines, really made my day!
Then a couple days ago I was in the same store again, this time in the “frozen prepared foods” section (which I don’t often shop in, but I was looking for a “treat” for my hubby!), and a lady came up to me, also looking kind of worried, and asked, pointing at the shelf price labels, “Do these prices include taxes and stuff, or will I be charged extra?” And she held out her hand, and I saw that she only had a little over $2 in change, all the cash she had to buy herself food. So I explained to her about how “single serving” foods are taxed with GST but not family servings… and then explained about cost/weight as well. Her face lit up and she started thanking me enthusiastically. Then she showed me a package of wieners she had picked up. They were “no-name brand” and cost $2 for the dozen. She asked if “no-name” was as good as brand names, and I told her I couldn’t be sure without knowing the ingredients, but that I had seen brand name ones in another section of the store which were on sale for $1 a dozen. So I took her over there, and she was thrilled. “Now I have $1 left for juice!” she exclaimed, and starting heading for the no-name cheap pop section. I told her that there was a sale on real juice, the one litre size, over in the juice section, and took her over there. Again, she was delighted! She was laughing and laughing, to be able to get so much food for so little.
Sometimes we assume that things we know are general knowledge, and/or we feel shy to talk to people we don’t know – but these incidents have really showed me how simple it is to watch out for opportunities to truly “help” people in simple ways by sharing our knowledge and our simple abilities (like my ability to stretch a dollar really thin, which You taught me by giving my so many kids, lol!)
(Afterwards, I thought to myself, “I should have at least said, ‘God bless you!’” … still, I was happy to be able to share Your love in such a simple, practical way!)
Busy at work… Passport… thoughts on Olympic spending
Feb 13th
10 February 2010
Well this has been a way busy week at work – again! – and after last night’s meeting where I took fast-and-furious detailed minutes for 2 ½ hours, my fingers were really tired and my shoulders sore. It took me most of the time at work today – at least 2 ½ to 3 hours – to do “most” of the detailed minutes (with “corrected” spelling and nice set-up and so on), and I still have to finish the end of those, and then do the summary minutes. But I do know that it was definitely You leading the meeting, in the long run! Yes!
Also today I took in my passport forms, so I assume they are on their way – should have the passport back by March 25. Still need to get immunizations and anti-malarial drugs or whatever – and $$$ and practice speaking French/Creole… if indeed I am meant to go. (Your will be done, Father).
Winter Olympics start in less than 48 hours and it is wet, wet, wet, and warm!! Ha!
Lots of people (including myself) are pretty disgusted at the cost of the Olympics, when so many people are poor, schools being closed, hospitals with long waiting lists, shortage of low-cost housing… and that’s just here in BC and Canada… not to mention the much worse poverty and pain in so much of the rest of the world. It seems that this kind of spending to “put Vancouver on the map” and “showcase our place” and so on, is really driven an awful lot by plain and simple greed! Just a big money-maker (they hope – because if it isn’t, we’ll be paying for it for years to come. Montreal just recently paid off Expo 67!!!)
13 February 2010
It’s been a long and busy week.
I got my passport all filled out, and took it to Service Canada to get it accepted and sent off… and I have an appointment to get the immunizations and stuff done.
