Breakfast

Years ago some of my kids would listen to Christian music artists or bands.
Quite often I found myself enjoying the music as well.
     The W's, Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith,
     Jars of Clay, Amy Grant among others.
One of my favourite songs was by a group called the Newsboys. 
It was called Breakfast in Hell and spoke to the loss of a loved one.

Breakfast clubbers, drop the hankies. 
Though to some our friend was odd, 
That day he bought those pine pajamas 
His check was good with God.  
Those here without the Lord, How do you cope? 
For this morning we don't mourn Like those who have no hope  
Oh, rise up, Fruit Loop lovers - Sing out sweet & low 
With spoons held high We bid our brother, "Cheerio!"

I really like the quirky words to this song
and enjoy singing along with it in my own off-key but enthusiastic way.

When we experience the loss of a loved one
the hope that comes from faith is a wonderful comfort.

Marks and Scars

"My marks and scars I carry with me to be a witness for me."
A line from Paul Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress. A book I have held in my hand a number of times trying to get started on reading it. I have not yet found a time that I looked at the first page and wanted to tackle it. Don't know if I ever will. Maybe the Readers Digest Condensed version.
But I love the line.
"My marks and scars I carry with me to be a witness for me."

I found those words in the Canadian Parliament Building in Ottawa. It is located in the Memorial room where war time losses are remembered. War certainly causes marks and scars. Some deeper than others.

It is true that we carry with us the marks and scars that we have picked up during our life.
I have some mighty impressive stretch marks across my belly which were created by my wonderful children doing the growing of the first 9 months of their lives. Now I am not altogether proud of these marks which look a tad like Darth-Vaders-helmetless-head. But very proud of the children that grew under them.

I have other marks and scars.
A small gash on my hand because the scalpel used when I was trying to dissect my dead-as-a-doornail science frog from highschool.
A slash on my thumb from some rather tacky craft project, again from my highschool days.
An appendix removal scar from 1983.
And various others which need not be added to the list for you to know that I have received some bumps along the way.

But we all carry marks and scars that are never seen on the outside.
Scars on the inside - hurt feelings, angry words, disappointments,
careless words spoken, relationships which I wish were different.

I am sure that I have, at one point or another, been the inflictor of marks and scars on others.
In each case I would like to have the chance to apologise and to make amends.
To offer and to receive forgiveness is a cleansing thing. 

My marks and scars are part of who I am - the seen ones and the unseen ones.
Expect I will gain some more before I am through.
Likely I will inflict some more before I am through.

Still I look forward to the future.

such grand kids

Ethan and Moriah are growing fast. I usually help for a feed or two a couple of times a week and love seeing them starting to respond. Ethan has such a smiley face and Moriah loves to sit in her bumble chair and look around.

weather or not

We have had a particularly mild winter so far - I think it has been only twice so far that has it snowed any amount so that it has stayed overnight.
Right now though sitting at the computer I feel chilly.
I ought to put on a sweater but will try something else first.

Here I sit on a beach in the Bahamas with my mamma taking the picture.

Lest you think I have taken up the habit of cigar smoking

- look ye closer - 

the cigar in question is a sausage-on-a-bun without the bun. 

Just looking at pictures of warmer places warms me up.
And looking at pictures of the cruise I took with my mom
also warms the cockles of my heart. I have a great mom.

But I'd better goeth to findeth my ye olde sweater
lest I geteth myselfeth chilled
(that is pronounced chill- (slight pause here) ed)

Again with the brackets
(whaz up with dat?)

snow kidding

There is finally snow on the ground for the first time this season
not any appreciable amount but the brown grass is covered.

Not that I particularly like snow.

I haven't shovelled snow yet - although I did scrape some off of the walkway up to the porch. I didn't really shovel - just pushed it around a bit.

I am just glad we don't have tons of it yet.
Here's hoping that we got most of the snow for the winter already.
Ha

At least we didn't get the amount of snow as above

----------

Just over a year ago we got a thorough dumping.

                                               As Alexander says
                                                     - STUCK-

you are more important than things

A number of years ago I led a small group bible study after Coffee Break had ended. In one of our discussions group member Grace had told us a story about her sister.

Grace's sister had faced rather significant health challenges throughout her years and lived in a nursing home far earlier than any young lady would have wanted to.

Grace had once borrowed her sisters set of Delft Blue cups and saucers for a special occasion. In the transportation of said dishes Grace accidentally dropped the kitten-kaboodle and they fell to the ground in the typical thousands of pieces.

Grace had felt terrible about this as this was a very special set of dishes that had high monetary value but even higher sentimental value for her sister.

It was with some amount of trepidation that she told her sister about the mishap. It was not likely that these dishes could be replaced and Grace felt that her sister had every right in the world to be very angry with her.

What Graces sister told her was this
"you are more important than things"

I love that.

What I find so neat about that story is that Grace shared it with me and then I get to learn a wonderful lesson from Grace's sister. A woman I had never met gets to teach me a better way to live.

I now know that people are more important than things.
So if one of the grandchildren spills something or a guest drops something - I find myself very quickly remembering the gracious attitude of a special woman - I adopt the same attitude quickly.

At one point I gave everyone in the small group a reminder of that story.

 It is not the same kind of Delft Blue that Grace had broken
but I bought them so that we would each remember that  
"you are more important than things"

say what now ?

Martin's sister Sylvia took this picture at the lunch following 

Ethan and Moriah's baptism. 

I love the look on our faces.

Clearly we get along fabulously ...all the time.

I really appreciate it when people share pictures with me in them. 

Not that I like seeing myself in pictures but 

because I am the only one in the house who takes pictures 

I am hardly ever in any of them. 

There have been occasions that I was scrapbooking and 

listing the people at a certain event by name and 

all I could do is to mark my attendance at said event was to draw a stick figure 

Anita 

because there was no actual photographic proof that I was even there.