Prayer Picnics

My dear little mother recovered sufficiently from a recent injury to undertake another heavenly little prayer journey today with Tante Hilda, Elsie, Pupcake and I.

Last week she was putting her key into the door in her building when someone came flying out of the door, hitting her forehead forcefully enough to send her flying off the step and onto the sidewalk where she landed on her back, soundly smacking the back of her precious head.  Thankfully the CT scans showed no bleeding and the Dr. was amazed that more serious damage had not been done, but she has suffered headaches in the ten days since that fall.  Thank God for his angels who once again kept her alive and with us.  I feel so badly that she has once again had a setback and has had to suffer.

However, today it was resurrection Thursday and she was up to an outing in the car!

We headed out on this cloudy February day to see the sights and to lift our voices as one in prayer and worship to our Dear Heavenly Father, the King of Hosts, the Lord of Lords.  We mentioned many people by name, family members and friends as we called out to highest heaven on their behalf for intervention and breakthroughs, for the Kingdom of God to come...

This is what it's really all about - remembering Whose we are and to make sure that we are going about His business until He calls us to our eternal reward.

We picked up little spicy chicken burgers and hot chocolate and headed to Woods Lake where we parked and enjoyed the view while we had our picnic.  The colours are so grey and brown without the glorious blue sky to remind us of the reality beyond, but there was lots of joy and laughter in that little car.

I was aiming for Kaloya Park - one of our favourites - but for some reason I was unable to find the turnoff so we somehow ended up in front of a tiny little barnyard full of comical animals instead.  Oh how we laughed at the bleating baby goats and their mama.

She was a pretty groovy hipster mama sporting a little bead necklace! 

There were two mooing cows as well and somewhere in the background a rooster was crowing so we had the whole farmyard orchestra performing just a few feet away from our open windows.  Pupcake was fascinated and somehow restrained himself from barking his head off with excitement.  Tante Hilda's pure beautiful laughter was flowing all around us and it just felt like heaven opened and landed on us for that sweet time.

I just can hardly believe what is available if we just seize the moments and trust God to lead us in His paths as we gather with the saints and seek His face.

So thanks Lord.
For an amazing February day - where heaven touched earth for this little tribe of saints.

Cloud of Witnesses

Everything aligned rather quickly for Patrice and I to make a quick trip to the coast to attend the celebration of life and the home going of my cousin Daniel.  When the day dawned bright and sunny and there was no sign of an impending blizzard on the Coquihalla highway, we jumped in the car and sped off through the mountains.
I was mesmerized by the beautiful sights, worshiping the Creator as my eyes drank in the blue of the sky, the lakes and evergreens and the snow topped mountains. The trip went quickly and we arrived at the big church just in time to join the throngs of others who had come to pay tribute to a life well lived.

I was hoping to be here to honour the family and to somehow, physically show my respect for a cousin that lived and died to give glory to God.

It was beautiful to see the hundreds of people gathered to sing praises to God and to honour my cousin's one wild and precious and, sadly, short life.

He was a father to a sweet four year old son Josiah, a two year old daughter Kezia and a husband to his devoted wife Evelyn.  He was a son, he was a brother, he was a cousin and he was so much more.

( borrowed this beautiful family picture off Facebook)

The words spoken about his well lived life brought so much glory to the God that He loved and lived for, every single day since he trusted Him as his Lord and Savior at the age of 12.

I was inspired by his evident love for the Word, and for his very evident passion for Jesus and for people.  I was proud to be related to such a Godly man.  I was proud of his parents, who, against all odds, raised two incredibly wonderful young men whose soul passion in life is to honour their Savior. I was proud of his brother, who has lost his best friend and who spoke eloquently and beautifully of their rich growing up years and of the amazing relationship the two of them shared. I was proud of his wife who loved him well and fought valiantly for him throughout his difficult illness while looking after their two small children.

There was a short, crazy time of seeing cousins that I hadn't seen for many years, and to connect briefly with ones that share some of my genetic code and some fun memories of Easter celebrations together many years ago.  There's a bit of a dark cloud over some of this side of the "family story", but there has been so much overcoming and redemption and there's more to come! Such a beautiful bunch of people, a little representation from the different "family branches".

And now I'm tucked into a hotel room while Patrice connects with some of her school friends that now live here in Vancouver.  Jesus and I can just hang out here and process this rather full day, the brevity of life and the value of spending our lives in the pursuit of the One Thing that will matter for all of eternity.

February Festivities

Celebrating birthdays with the nicest people. Mothers and daughters and mochas and munchies.  Just the loveliest way to spend a sunny February afternoon with forever friends.   

And this picture below was another mother daughter birthday supper where Leanne showed her daughter's baby book to the head waiter as we were heading out the door of the Thai Restaurant where we had our celebratory dinner. He ooh'd and aahh'd and giggled as he pointed at the large versions of the baby pictures that were standing nearby. A cause for much laughter.  MOTHERS!!  We are really something else.    

To think these two were babies in our arms just the other week...

And more February partying on our "Saturday Night" which has turned into "Friday Night" as Ken took his place of honour as the birthday boy.  

And the "kids" played games while the "adults" visited at the big table.  

Ha!

These moments are priceless.  

There was ALSO a wonderful birthday celebration for dear little Tante Hilda.  This precious woman holds a very special place in all of our hearts and we had lots of fun playing balloons like a bunch of kids around the dining room table!

We can go from looking all dignified and formal to silly and rambunctious in minutes. Elsie provided balloons and the fun began. 

These women love to laugh and I can't thank God enough for surrounding my life with such up close goodness for all of these years.  

I'm sure God rejoices over Tante Hilda with much singing and dancing.  His light and presence just pour out of her!  

Happy Birthday Blessings to my dearest Auntie!

Being loved

I Love being loved by You.
Your love is colour and comfort
Presence and safety
All encompassing.

I dare to breathe it in
Deeply
To be changed by this love.

To truly be comforted
For it is in knowing and receiving this love
That I in turn am able to love.

          ************************

I'm stopping these days to revel in this knowledge

To look, to see, to take joy in how you surround me...

Infinite shades of beauty
Stunning bursts of magnificence take my breath away
Muted elegance surprises and delights

Simple blue and sunshine
Layers of life speaking something eternal

I don't know why, at this time, the consciousness is dawning so profoundly

A fear attempts to niggle in and rob but I push it away.
I refuse to give in to the pressure of performing
Which is useless anyways.

Right now I will revel in this dawning consciousness
Of something deeper and oh so beautiful.
He's pressing in
Inviting,

Blending temporal and eternal

Respite
Revelation in this sabbatical
Receiving

Lady Lavendar Gray Latte
Dogs in sunshine
Frosty morning
Clear blue backdrop for naked tree limbs
Exquisite flowers defying winters grasp
Light
Friendship
Laughter
Hope

                Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God 

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1

Restoration

This day is one that stands out on the calendar for me,
whether I want it to or not.
But this year?
It's felt downright celebratory.
Like God and I are on some romantic retreat and He is lavishing big love on me.

Swirling around me is a love that is undeserved,
deeper than the deepest ocean and higher than the skies.
Encompassing, safe, bountiful, unsparing, rich and free!

This love,
so not dependent on me.

I am just swimming in oceans of grace.
Bathed in love.

Receiving, revelling, delighting, accepting, embracing
As if the heavens have opened and are pouring down a deluge of love

I stand with arms stretched wide,
face up-turned
Drinking it in.
Gulping, swallowing, becoming whole
Laughing, dancing,
DANCING on those long lost plans of my enemy to destroy my life.

Here I AM!
Swallowed up by life and living in the plans and certainty and safety of the
GREAT I AM!!

Friday the 13th has come full circle.
The dates have fallen on the same as they did those 28 years ago
But my God has bought back my life.
It's paid in full and has been returned to me.

Pressed down, pouring over and running down in rivers.

He's just that amazing and a whole lot more.

So I'm celebrating today.
Friday the 13th.
It's a day of life.
The tables have been turned.
My life is bound up in the life and body of Christ.
Forever and ever.
Amen

Winter Bright

It's Monday.
We are sitting in a cloud up here on the hill.
And it's raining...
A steady warm winter rain.
Melting the remaining ice and snow.
It's not dark, even though the sun is hidden and we are deep in mist.
Magical.

It's winter bright...

Somehow light is getting through the dark clouds and leaving us in a shroud of white.

It feels thus in my soul and I am at rest.
Light and bright.
Warm and cozy.
My dear roommate Sara is making soup.
Patrice is folding laundry while the dogs look on.
Our lovely Becca is in town at work.

We just placed the living room into a very soothing new arrangement.
Fun to have something different.
It was all inspired from the house concert switch up.
The poor dogs have had their bed relocated as a result and I'm not so sure any of us are happy with it's hidden locale.
We enjoy watching them and they enjoy watching us.
These delightful giant living teddy bears.
I am so incredibly happy that they live and breathe and move around us,
Bringing peace and so much laughter.

I'm happy to have this Monday at home.
Feels like I'm on a holiday on a beautiful winter retreat.

God's goodness.
We're sitting in a cloud of Glory.
He swirls around us, this God of love.
This God who makes my winter bright.

Forgotten Bouquet

Last night I hosted my first house concert.
A friend, Norm Strauss, whose music I love, had suggested the idea this summer as he sat in my home during a wedding interlude.  So we pursued this idea and it morphed into a marvellous evening.

Kind of stressful preparing for it as I just didn't know who would show up - too many or too few guests?! I tend to feel far to responsible.
However, furniture was rearranged creating a big space.

There was a good turnout and it was such an eclectic lovely bunch. So many favourite people here in my home.  The music flowed over us like sweet honey and it filled the room and our hearts.

Norm and  Dave sang and played their songs and shared their stories.  There's an intimate vibe that is created in a home environment and it was warm and friendly.

Dave hadn't played in front of a crowd for quite some time by the sounds of things and it was beautiful to see how honestly he shared his journey and how vulnerable he became in sharing the songs that have sprung from this new place that he is in spiritually.

He was running around like a kid in a candy shop - drinking cup after cup of coffee and exulting in the joy of sharing his craft and story.

I was personally glad he was enjoying the coffee, because it had been quite the effort for me to borrow the coffee maker, find the right beans, get them ground properly and get others to figure out how to use the machine.

After all that I think he may possibly have been the only one who drank some of the the 30 some cups that were brewed. I also set out chips and salsa and humus to keep the music lovers happy.

His wife, a very dear friend of mine, brought along a huge "edible bouquet" for us to put out during the break but we felt it best to put it outside until that time so that the chocolate would stay firm on the strawberries.   Unfortunately we are both over 50, so by the time the last note had been sung and the final guest had left, I went out on the back patio to get something and saw the bouquet still sitting untouched where we had left it, enjoying the cool weather.

Ahhhh!!  So, this morning, (after I had recuperated from some wicked spasms that resulted in a horrible migraine requiring medication and sleep), I grabbed that beautiful edible bouquet and set out in my little red car to make deliveries!

I had such fun stopping to visit loved ones, plucking a chocolate strawberry here and a flower pineapple there to hand over to someone to enjoy.

I picked up Oma, Tante Hilda and Elsie and we took off with our edible bouquet, enjoying the sunshine, nibbling on strawberries, praying and praising with gusto and enjoying the view of the lake and the mountain sheep.  It was a glorious day indeed.

The high praises of God were flowing from our little car and we were changing history with our united declarations and prayers. 

We saw the "hinds feet" on high places and felt like this was a picture from God depicting our position as we worshiped.  

So this forgotten bouquet ended up blessing a beautiful bouquet of people and I had such fun being the dispenser of that joy.