Gathering in Ottawa

It's unfortunate that I don't visit here more often. Significant events occur and it's difficult to capture the magnitude of the occasion adequately in hindsight. But better late than never...

In the midst of this smoky, hot summer I boarded a plane and flew to cooler climes in our nation's capital to attend a gathering of the saints. A gathering to honor God in our country and to witness the alignment of this beloved nation with the purposes of God.

Through reconciliation, first with the Jews and then within our borders.
Honoring the First Nations, walking in humility and blessing those who were here first.
Recognizing the significance of protocol, reaching back to heal the future.
Seeking ever greater levels of unity between the English and the French.
Two flags knotted together, two languages mingling, laughter, acceptance, deference.

Unity in the midst of diversity.
The mosaic shining with ever increasing brilliance.
And the rocks of remembrance, brought from all corners of this great land witnessing the acts of obedience, acts of blessing as many peoples chose to honor others above themselves. A cup hewn from the knot of a tree gifted from the first nations to the members of parliament. A drink shared.
Water poured out.
New beginnings.
A shared future.


The rocks have listened and witnessed a new level of unity, and the favor of God is realized.

"The time is fulfilled
The Kingdom of God is at hand"

Get ready Canada!
Through a faithful remnant.
Through many tears and trials.
Through acts of obedience and honor.
The healing has begun.

For the sake of His Kingdom. For the healing of the nations.

loving summer

oh it's just been so lovely... sleeping in, friends visiting for a month at a time, breakfast on the patio, colorful flowers spilling out of planters, fruit ripening before our very eyes, the lake so blue, roads winding through rich green growth and warmth.


so much warmth
and light!
long, lazy, beautiful summer days.

and the doggies just adding so much fun to every day!
oh the delight of those eager morning greetings,
the moose ready to play catch the moment he steps outside
and his little lady leaping like a calf from her stall.

this day so full of summer goodness.
time at the lake with my boy and my mom,
the doggies and one very sweet friend.

a picnic and laughter
swimming dogs chasing sticks.

great big trees
shading us from the bright yellow sun.

supper on a restaurant patio
with all of my kids (i love how God
adds arrows to my little quiver
so it doesn't feel quite so skinny)
good food
more laughter
the pleasure runs deep.

a thankyou kiss from the boy,
now a man who graces us with his time-
home from camp for such a little while.

the girl so tired from a day of work.
so grown up, so beautiful,
adjusting to adulthood.

my cup runneth over.

June

Ah, the sweet fullness of summer emerges! So much activity this month has contained. Guestrooms full and celebrations beckon. Wedding showers, family gatherings, father's day, birthdays, exams, the joy of the doggies coloring each day, a graduate.

A graduate!!
The day arrived amidst so much preparation.
Gathering family, sitting with friends,
Shouting with joy as names were read
The certificates received and caps tossed high.
Pictures, laughter, hugs, and more pictures!
A sigh of relief.



Swishing gowns, limousines, corsages and suits.
The smiles are huge, the banquet enjoyed.
Beauty and brilliance.
Parties and dancing.
Beautiful, magnificent potential.
The Father smiles.

A journey finished, another begun.

My house so full of God's kindness. I am overwhelmed with thankfulness. Surrounded on all sides with His great goodness. Young ladies gracing my home, filling it with laughter and fun. Food abounds, meals on the patio enjoyed as the warm evenings and sunsets on the mountains provide a magnificent dining room.

So my dear daughter was the crowning glory of a most amazing month. I present her to the King, His lovely daughter and pray that in her moments and days and future her life would be a vessel where His kingdom will reside in ever increasing measure. She has chosen the best.

She has chosen Jesus and He will lead her in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.
Amen.

Naming the Trees

Green leafy branches
sway in the breeze
loving my trees
Reminders of a fun spring day,
a visit to the tree auction.
Bravely waving my number
again and again,
big grin on my face...
Visions of my barren yard
being transformed
into a lush paradise.

From thin wisps these trees have grown
Tall, beautiful and strong.
The years have seen them stretch
taller than the house.
Now from down the road
they welcome me
Heralding home.


Oakley; beautiful, shapely, tall and strong
Silverado in all his shimmering loveliness
The three amigos; my cheerful poplars,
towering masses of quivering leaves
so wonderfully big, shooting for the skies!
Curly willows, artistic beauties
unique, tenacious!
Guardian; his green gorgeousness,
framed by my bedroom window

Sharing the seasons
Colouring my world
Reaching for the sky
Giving shade
Clapping their hands with joy
Bringing glory to their Creator
And joy to His Beloved

I'm so grateful for the green growth
For new hope and a new season.

Mother's Day

I am so gloriously blessed!
So Rich in everything that matters!
Grateful to my Father for His tender mercies and unending love.

Had a wonderful Mother's Day.
Woke up to sunshine and the smell of fresh bread.
Flowers on the counter with cards and notes from my precious kids...even from beautiful Nicole!
I am completely undeserving yet overwhelmed with gratitude.
Cheerful doggies greet me, happy to bound outside to celebrate life.
They have been an immense blessing to our family and create so much laughter and joy!
I recognize the kindness of God in gifting them to us.

Visited Mom's church to surprise and bless her.
Of course the blessing rebounded and we were treated to a spectacular morning of worship and body life.
Child dedications, communion, worship and laughter, stories of love and how love wins...
Given seed packets as gifts - for all the women!! The inclusion was so healing.
A mother's day text from Crystal and a sweet call from another Nicole.
God has enlarged the place of my dwelling and added to my quiver!!

Home to a delicious lunch on the patio prepared by Patrice.
Flower pots attended to with Daniel, geraniums planted and watered.
Walking to Mission Creek with the kids and doggies...the glory of Spring extravagantly arrayed.
Nap time in my sunny bedroom with Daniel reading beside.
Every minute a gift. Treasures poured out in an endless display.

Patrice's help with setting the table. Red cloth, colorful napkins, preparing for celebration.
We sat on the back patio as the family arrived - delighting in the warmth and sunshine.
Roses for all from beautiful Elsie, always a miracle.
All ages - from the yet unborn to the revered grandparents.
Sparking jewels, each shimmering with the beauty of His image.
Just happy to be together. To laugh at the doggies and the antics of the children,
To glory in the moments shared and the beauty surrounding us.

Singing around the table and a feast enjoyed by all.
Simple conversations, the weaving of our lives.
God looks on and smiles.
And we smile back with gratefulness.

April Fun

Spring has been forever in coming and the sunny warm days are few and far between. There are still some nasty winter gusts blowing off the hills which stubbornly hold onto remnants of snow but I checked the weather forecast and it looks like we're in for some lovely days. I usually love April, but it didn't feel very Springy this year. Nonetheless, there have been opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors and I have loved being outside, especially on the Saturday night gatherings.

And surprise, surprise - I found some free dogs which are now happily roaming our backyard! I probably would have preferred just one dog, but these ones came as a package deal and they were Doodles!!! Patrice and I had been hoping to have one of those since we met one downtown several years ago. So I kept my eyes open and checked the classifieds every so often and lo and behold there they were!! I find that "used" dogs are preferable because they come pre-trained and broken in. Ever so handy. And they've brought so much laughter to our little family already. On Saturday I was nervous that they might run off so I had Daniel and Nicole attach each of them to one end of a heavy chain with their leashes. I thought this would keep them close at hand. Suddenly when the large Moose saw a ball flying by he took off like a Stallion and the poor little black dog came hurtling behind him completely out of control and helpless. We laughed so hard, but quickly released the dogs from the useless chain. We had to do some loving on the little lady to calm her down after her frightening ordeal.

We picked the Doodles up and tried them out for a weekend and then I phoned the family to let them know we were keeping them on my birthday. So it's kind of like the Lord gave me these big loving beasties as a 47th birthday gift!! The boy we are calling Moose because he's so gangly with a large head and the little Lady has been dubbed Gracie by Patrice. We'll see how many times the names change, but somehow the names Jazz and Maxi didn't quite suit our tastes

I also had a fun birthday morning in Peachland with Barb, Sue and Anne-Marie Helms to celebrate the occasion of aging. Anne-Marie showed up with a gigantic walking, smiling flower balloon which brought us all a great deal of delight. Until Sue decided to let the walking balloon walk outside and he suddenly took flight. Higher and higher he flew and I despaired of ever bringing my new friend home. Both Sue and I were praying as she ran across the street where he was floating happily towards the lake on a breeze. Truly it was a miracle to watch Sue open her arms and to see the giant smiling flower descend from great heights down into her arms. Unbelievable!!



In the evening I thought I'd treat us to dinner out at Milestones because I had been given a gift card and it seemed fun to go out. We all had delicious meals (mine was steak and shrimp - YUM!!) and then when I went to pay we found that we were at the wrong restaurant!!! haha!!! The gift card was for Moxie's and we had eaten an extravagant meal at Milestones!! Praise God for the provision to pay despite my lapse. I'm so grateful for the wonderful people God has placed in my life for me to celebrate with! Elsie popped by in the evening to wish me a happy birthday and I was happy to show her the beasties and to see her looking so well. We are having a family celebration tomorrow with Mom since the month ends with her birthday.

So very much to be thankful for. An extravagant God has lavished so many good gifts on me again.

Contemplative Retreat

My friend laughed about me attending a "Silent" Retreat. I am one who loves to communicate and verbal is my preference. I didn't know I was signing up for a silent retreat - I just knew it had the word "contemplative" attached to it and I knew that I needed to do some of that kind of praying again!!

All in all it was a good thing that I went. I still feel a little distant and numb and not nearly as "in touch" with God as I'd like to "feel". But I know it's not about feelings. Feelings and spiritual experiences just really help the whole relationship thing but it is perhaps too easy to begin to rely on them. I realized that if I take the time to listen for His voice and ask Him direct questions, He's pretty good about saying the kindest things in response. Quite surprising really, considering my fallen condition. But He is my righteousness and therein lies the hope of it all.

After we got talking again, Him and I, it crossed my mind that I had never asked Him about the accident. As in "where were my angels"? People have often mentioned that it is a miracle that Daniel was spared and that his angels were looking out for him, but they stop short of asking what my angels were doing. So, somehow I braved the question and quite quickly a picture popped into my mind of angelic beings bowing low to the ground in submission to God's will around me rather than rising up to protect me from the impending disaster. It made so much sense to me and reaffirms in my mind that God had a greater purpose in allowing this life changing event to transpire in my 24th year.

Another helpful exercise this weekend was taking our burdens to the Lord in a really tangible way. Tangible as in being able to picture the burden we carry as an object and then asking God what He would like to do with it. The enemy torments us with our burdens and shortcomings, but the Lord is eager to help us with them.

So in picturing some of the more pressing burdens that I carry about with me on a regular basis I was able to see where I carried them on my body and then ask the Lord to remove them. One was a large chain I carried around my neck and He simply bent down, lifted it off me and placed it around His own neck. Another burden feels like I am sliding around on slippery ground and He lifts me up and places my feet back onto the Rock which is solid and secure. So I need to practice this exercise when I feel overwhelmed and am carrying about things that would be much better off carried by Him.

I also loved the community aspect of the retreat.

Eating together (even if it was in forced silence!!) and sharing stories of our journeys or the words that the Lord had spoken to us from the particular passage we were reading. I was reminded of the importance of the method of contemplative prayer/ bible study called Lectio Divina. Slow reading with time to ponder and let God speak. I have done it since coming home with this passage:

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go,
I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

Oh what sweet words to meditate on.
"HE WILL". I don't have to figure out how "I will"...