A Bridal Downpour

I spent much of yesterday and this morning preparing for a wedding shower which was to be held on my beautiful patio. Flowers were bought, planters were hung, extra chairs obtained and general tidying carried out.

The weather forecast didn't look so promising but it has been wrong before.

So I hoped and prayed for an opening of sunshine for the evening.

It was not to be.

Wind turned to showers which turned into more wind and finally a long hard downpour.

The ground is incredibly happy and wet.

My patio was very wet too...

We had quite a literal bridal shower.

So, blessed are the flexible for we will not be snapped in half!

We brought the outdoors indoors as well as we could, put out dozens of tea lights, set the table with lace and flowers and covered it with cakes, fruit, vegetable platters and other goodies fit for royalty

Beautiful friends arrived with gifts, laughter and happy hearts.

We just love a good reason to gather around food and with Jesus in our midst. Of course I made sure to invite Him to come because His presence is essential.

My dear future daughter shone with delight and treated the guests with such kindness, extending hugs after every gift opening. The theme was garden and kitchen and there was plenty of both - big pots of lavender, bleeding hearts, a golden tomato plant and thai basil.

Towels, mugs, baking ware and wooden trays.

A plethora of goodness was shared and received with joy.

My heart is full of relief and gratefulness.

Relief for a happy party that honored my girl to be.

Gratefulness for my own daughter and dear friends who made the evening what it was with their acts of service; baking, cleaning, decorating and preparing.

I am surrounded by love and goodness.

And there is more to come.

Where the enemy has sought in recent days to bring division and strife and fear and anxiety, the Lord has brought peace and the power to overcome.

The other day He gave me 2 Chronicles 20 and I am choosing to live it by faith.

english standard version
5And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, 6and said, "O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.

Thus says the LORD to you,'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 16Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you."

He has been with me and will continue to be.

For now and forevermore.

Amen and Hallelujah.

Cosmopolitan

I'm feeling all cosmopolitan.

Sitting here in a coffee establishment on the corner of Bute and Robson with my dark chocolate mocha topped with whipped cream.

This venture into the metropolis of Vancouver came about rather suddenly, as is often God's way. I called about appointments for the dear daughter yesterday morning and by the afternoon we were zooming over the mountains, through intense clouds and rain and finally into the beautiful green green green fraser valley.

Our attempt to check into the hotel I had booked earlier proved to be rather arduous as their interpretation of "accessible" once again was unlike mine. No bars by the toilet and a squishy room. However, there was virtually NOTHING ELSE AVAILABLE due to the frenzy of the hockey playoffs here the following night. They said it was worse than the olympics. And we, who are so "not in touch" with the world of hockey obsession were completely oblivious that we were entering the city along with crowds of Canucks fans.

So, upon the dear daughter's recommendation we gave the room a try and lo and behold, I managed to make it work. She was completely exhausted and fed up with the whole "handicap" fiasco as she has put up with it for so many years already. I'm sure God will reward her for her patience with this extra trial placed upon her already burdened soul.

God in His great kindness gave us both a good night, amazingly enough, as my nights have been crazy due to increasing spasticity, day and night.

So, with that kind woman in our GPS directing us, we made it to the city center and have both been enjoying the benefits of biofeedback to balance our brains. We had a six hour break in between appointments which gave us a lovely opportunity to explore Stanley Park and to take in the magnificent baluga whales and other sea mammals. Oh my word - those balugas are just the loveliest soft slippery looking blubbery beauties! Seriously, I can sit there for so long watching them glide by with their gelatinous forms quivering.

There was rain forecast but we have even enjoyed bits of sunshine and the drive through Stanley Park was gloriously green and gorgeous. Huge trees, thick undergrowth, beaches, ocean, bikers, walkers, marinas and wildlife - a racoon! On and on the sights were simply soothing and sumptuous. Haha - I'm on a roll here. And now as I sit in this coffee shop sipping my chocolately drink I am watching a constant flow of beautiful people of all varieties, many of them with dogs on leashes pass by the large windows. The dogs are just delightful.

City dogs. Smile. I wonder how my country dogs are doing back home.

How nice that I have housemates looking after them.

Meanwhile trusting God to do what we are unable to do.

Great glorious God who cares about us.

Kind shepherd, leading us beside quiet waters.

Mighty warrior protecting us as we navigate the crazy streets in this metropolis!

Trusting. Trusting.

Looking forward.

Blustery Day

It's been a strange, cool, wet Spring and today has been climactic, somehow!

Downright blustery - pelting rain and wind with a grey mantle thrown over the valley.

The fresh smell of Spring wetness is blown in through my bedroom window, ahhhh

So wonderful.

So, at the end of May I am still enjoying hot cups of Chai with lots of honey and milk and I am snuggled in under my heat bags and blanket with Ladybug leaning in on me.

We have enjoyed a few teasingly warm, even hot days that fool us all into thinking the weather has caught up with the season. This long weekend we had one of those days and it was perfectly lovely because we were having a planting frenzy up here on the orchard.

Down in the garden patch that has been vigorously prepared by some friends with manure and compost and rototilling the seeds and little plants were laid in the earth with great care.

The young man who is putting in the largest area has been talking about this for months and he brought over many of his little seedlings that have been incubating in his sunroom. He is incredibly motivated and now that the sprinklers were repaired and set into motion we have greatest hopes for a wonderful harvest.

One of my housemates has also put in a little garden patch for our household and I am most excited about the peas.

Meanwhile I headed down the hill to the flower farm with a dear friend and after picking out some colorful flowers and spiky dracena for my planters we came home and my own slow motion planting event began. This year I just didn't feel too motivated but I knew that with the wedding coming up we'd need lots of color and prettiness. Once I got my hands in the dirt and started envisioning the final product my energy increased and with the help of another friend my flower garden finally came together.

We celebrated with a meal on the back deck - delighted with a hard days work and all the fun and deliciousness that will be sprouting and growing and feeding us in the days and weeks to come.

How incredibly fun that God gave us the privilege of enjoying the garden with Him.

Reunited

Yesterday morning I picked up my daughter's friend and together we ventured over the mountains, visiting, eating snacks and listening to music with great joy as we anticipated our reunion with the dear daughter and friend.

The day dawned bright and beautiful, making our drive through the mountains spectacular.

We crossed the border without issue and enjoyed the novelty of visiting the country just south of ours for a brief few hours.

Thankfully, despite delays, we arrived at the airport before the daughter and happily watched her plane come in, depositing her into our open arms.

Ahhh what sweet bliss to have this girl nearby again.

For as long as the Lord wills it. Another season of growing together and learning how this new dance of mother with adult daughter is done.

I managed to find a couple of quilt shops with the help of a confident, commanding voice emanating from our GPS. Overwhelmed by the quantity of colors and styles on the bolts of fabric I somehow managed to gather together a treasure bag full of enticing pieces that will hopefully rescue the quilt I am presently working on and supply enticement for future projects.

The drive back up into Canada was absolutely lovely. We were happy to be on home soil and were overwhelmed with the beauty of the city of Vancouver as we drove over a massive bridge. The fading day shining over the mountains around the city, with the ocean glistening on our left was exquisite.

Springtime on the West Coast is almost beautiful beyond words.

So lush and green with masses of blossoms and trees and bushes.

A relaxed evening and night in the hotel brought us into a new day where we hit downtown Vancouver for some appointments and sightseeing.

Hard to believe what two days can hold in terms of beauty and emotion and joy.

And now I once again lay tucked into my own bed with Ladybug alongside and the anticipation of a longweekend ahead.

With my daughter at home.

Thank you kind Jesus.

Expectant

Teaching has been invigorating as of late!

Seriously, after so many months of laying down the groundwork

(creating new brain circuitry as Bonnie would remind me)

And doing so many repetitive activities with the same stories I've listened to kids struggle through so many times...

There is VICTORY!

The kids have responded marvelously and I feel like I am reaping a little harvest.

These bright minds are doing what they are created to do!

Pictures imprinted along with letters, and finally the "sounds" are looking familiar enough so that the kids are reading.

It makes me incredibly happy to see actual results when the assessment is completed. All three of them have gone up one or two grades in their word attack.

The last little guy is still really, really struggling though.

He is as cute as a button and he really loves his jelly bean rewards.

He's not ready to be assessed yet and I'm a little nervous that he might not be able to get the grade one words,

But he has come a long way baby!

He was a non reader when we began and through an incredibly long and laborious winter and spring he is now reading.

Slowly, haltingly, some days forgetting the most basic words and sounds that he knew the last time we were reading together, and the decoding just isn't kicking in.

But that's what dyslexia looks like.

Some days are a write off when it comes to reading, but that's ok.

Better days come and slowly but surely we are making progress and this boy is now reading.

I pray in the morning before I go to school that God will help me to be an excellent teacher to these struggling students. They are so bright and beautiful.

I want to inspire and encourage and bless them and make learning as fun as possible.

So I know I need to incorporate more fun prizes and treats - especially for the last little guy on the bottom of the totem pole. He's gonna make it to the top!!

When I went into a classroom I saw the teacher had posted this big verse on her board:

In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.

Psalm 5:3

I was struck by the faith that is implied in this attitude and I WANT IT!!

Even when waiting expectantly is not comfortable.

But I am presently exceedingly expectant and excited, because tomorrow I am going to pick up this girl to bring her home...

And just outside these guys are blooming and giving off their heady fragrance to whoever happens by them...

So Much CeLeBraTing!!

Here is a collage of pictures to mark some wonderful occasions, starting with mother's day, because sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words

come to think of it, sometimes a few words are helpful to explain the collage! below is a picture of the "new" little home that the dear son has purchased for him and his bride to be! we celebrated mother's day in the back yard by having a little picnic on the patio.

an amazing night at the ballet with Alexia.

the son was a groomsman in his good friend, Brad's wedding but he managed to sneak in a quick cozy moment with his soon to be bride...

the very happy newlyweds arrive at the reception. it was such a fun party!

I was seated with the mother of the groom because we are just that close!

i call her my "laughing friend" and she makes me SO happy!

The decorating was really sweet - rustic and full of legacy and heritage. Below is a love letter typed by the groom for his beloved bride the night before. My son pointed out the lines which he helped compose - haha!

my dear "almost daughter" and i stopped off at Lake Louise on the drive home, but sadly, the turquoise color I wanted her to see was still under the snow! in MAY!!

Beautiful Green

It's a most amazing thing to see the world transform from darkness to light,

grey to color, cold to warmth.

I love love LOVE all the green - so many shades, covering the hills and fields

Surrounding the house, bursting out on the trees!

And the season of blossoms has come. Color, light, texture, beauty.

The dandelions, as you can see, are outrageously beautiful, adding color and smiles with great exuberance to the greening landscape.

God speaks and colors the world for our enjoyment..

What an amazing, wonderful God.

And in the midst of celebrating Spring we also celebrated Mom's birthday. It's just the most glorious season to be born because it feels like the whole world is celebrating YOU!! With bursts of color, so much green and everything coming to life. And there's no one more worth putting on a party for than dear Mom, or Oma as she is affectionately called by most of us.

This is the incredible edible basket that Becci loving made for her and which the kids most joyously devoured!

As one can see, Oma was not the only one who enjoyed her party!

Meawhile, all is not always feeling like a garden party on the home front.

I've been having a run of too many weeks of my spasms being quite wild, especially in the night. Haven't been having good nights and it slowly catches up with me.

Starts to undermine and wear me down.

I feel the sneaky voice of the enemy tempting me to despair

To fall into self pity, to doubt the good character of my Shepherd.

But I know Him too well by now!

My Shepherd answers prayers. Cares for my heart. Guides me continually.

Even when all seems despair and sadness, I say the words that I know are truth

And the rescue comes again. And again and again.

He is most wonderful and gracious beyond comprehension.

So I cling and keep asking, seeking, knocking.

He is near.

My ladies group met again here today and we spoke of discernment,

Consolations and desolations.

The power of the Word. The need to make it our solid food.

To be able to discern what is best.

So we prayed scripture over one another and parted with our hearts broadened and our spirits encouraged.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:9

Isn't that a wonderful prayer? I've been praying that one over my kids and myself this winter.

Oh, and back to answered prayers, exceedingly and abundantly, over and above,

The election results had me over the moon!