Life's Pathway

Sometimes life's pathway can be something like this-

-small steps, big steps

bright sunny times when everything's coming up roses 

or dry, thirsty times in which good soil is so easily compromised...

times when we need support like the climbing rose...

...or times when we can just ramble along...

sometimes we're a sweet fragrance 

....but sometimes we're more like the pungent odor of fish fertilizer, 

....no matter what life's circumstances happen to be,

we choose to embrace the race set out for us and pray earnestly that we will not fall behind through:

discouragement, 

   misunderstandings, 

      selfishness, 

         pride, 

            rebellion,

or through:

    hardness of heart, 

      an unforgiving spirit,  
         indifference and distractions...

...nor do we want to settle for defeat and give up and so lose the prize...

...so reassuring and comforting to know that God knows us

...He loves us all the time...He sees us and hears us...

almost unbelievable 

but it is true 

You have made known to me the path of life, 

you will fill me with joy in your presence, 

with eternal pleasures at your right hand. 

Psalm 16:11 NIV

Letter to my Grandchildren - Something Blue

Dear Grandchildren,

Which is your favorite color?   

Today I think blue is my favorite color but it isn't my favorite every day.  Sometimes red or pink and often green or yellow are my favorite colors.  

But today blue is very beautiful to me. 

It all started while I was reading my book outside and I heard a blue Stellar's Jay on the very top of the tool shed in our backyard. 

Too bad he didn't stay there long enough for me to get his picture. 

But imagine him right at the very peak of the roof loudly tapping his strong beak against something that was probably a nut of some kind. 

It was fascinating.  

Birds are very alert creatures...they have to be.  Life can be very dangerous for them but I was sorry not to get a picture of this beautiful blue bird.

...it wasn't long before I saw him again near the deck...

...and then digging away for bugs, I think, since I didn't see any worms dangling from his beak....

....then I saw this...

...where did this nut come from?  He must have buried it earlier in the grass and picked it up again as he gracefully flew away...
what a beautiful blue bird...

It's hard to get good close-ups of birds because they're always moving around and don't want me to get too close.

That got me thinking about other blue objects in our backyard like...

...the little blue ladder

...or the old blue chair

..the tiny blue lobelia flower that pops up around the yard every spring and lets me add it to a planter...

... the purple-blue hydrangea most of whose mates have really been burned by the hot summer sun...

....or the purple-blue flowers in this hanging basket on the arbor...

....you all know about the blue mats on the picnic table and the "girl dish" holding  15 small pebbles, one representing each member of our family.  

One of those pebbles represents you, you know...you are special, unique, one of a kind.  Just like these little rocks are not the same, none of you, none of us is exactly alike....we are similar in many ways but we have been created differently for a very good reason.  We thank God for creating you just the way you are, so very special, so very wonderful and so very beautiful. 

More blue things...

I had left the book I was reading on the table and ... it was blue...

This is a wonderful story of a young Iranian man who met Jesus in a prison cell.  It's a remarkable story and one you might want to read as you get older.

...and today the sky was as beautifully blue as it was just the other day when these jets from the airshow flew overhead..

Yes, blue is a very beautiful color!

God does everything well, very well. 

Concert in the Park

- a perfect evening -

 -a perfect setting-

 for

 -across the river to beautiful Heritage Park-

-coming from far and wide-

-set your chair where you like-

-get organized-

-pop a toonie or two into the "free concert" box-

-why have we come?-

-Abbotsford Sensation-

Calvin Dyck

plus breathless vistas
great friends
 a spectacular evening
good take-out food at the log cabin

August Garden

Our Summer Garden

~ the trumpet vine springs into its glory ~

~gentle impatiens in an old moss basket that I filled in May ~

~ hardy Dusty Miller over-wintered in this pot ~

~ Bacopa - overwintered throughout the garden and by picking up the tiniest strays they "took" beautifully to their pampered surroundings ~

~ Sweet Creeping Jenny also overwintered filling several planters ~

~ the anonymous lime green plant, another of those hardy types that lasted through the winter and by dividing its huge mass provided me with two healthy off spring~

~ purple petunia - my favorite of all petunias because of its amazing, glorious fragrance ~ an annual ~

The garden as a whole doesn't look that great right now but taken in micro chunks it is still wonderful!  Our lawns are brown, with hints of green here and there due to a total watering ban this summer on lawns and so..... the essential backdrop, lush green manicured lawns, is absent from our garden this summer.

And the abundant and lush garden I had planned on having this year didn't materialize to anything more than four tomato plants, lots of dill, parsley, oregano and chives-herbs which you'll find in at least one dish everyday at our table.  We are grateful!

Word for the Day~ Faith

 And without faith it is impossible to please him, 

for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who seek him.  

Hebrews 11:6

...do not be anxious about anything, 

but in everything by prayer and supplication 

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

Philippians 4:6-7

One of the most satisfying parts of my day is the time I spend in reading -  reading the Bible that is.  I like other reading too, very much, but since the time that I put reading through the Scriptures, God's love letter to us, as a priority in my day, I try to do that early in the morning before the rush of every day living crowds it out. We stopped getting a morning paper for this reason... I check the headlines online in the morning - great to incorporate current events into our prayers.

Since that time I've been so blessed to read through the Word many times.  After completing this last round in mid June ~ I usually try to read through it once a year but have taken longer, much longer at times especially during the years when I was still out teaching; sometimes I've read it through more than once in one year, not that there's any special merit in that ~  I was excited about the prospect of buying a new Bible, a translation other than what I already had. 

Checking online I quickly found what I thought would be the right Bible for a new start and hurried over to "The House of James", our great Christian bookstore in our community and took some time checking it out.  What had grabbed my attention was that it was an ESV*, English Standard Version, and it had 365 devotional readings interspersed throughout this Book from the writings of one of the last century's most gifted and articulate Bible teachers, Oswald Chambers ~ one for every day of the year.  What a bonus!  The only drawback for me was the rather light script - yes, I know my eyes aren't getting any younger either.  I would have preferred a Script that was somewhat larger with darker ink than this one offered since that would put much less strain on the eyes.  But since I've begun reading this wonderful translation I sit in bright light and savor the Light and warmth of this Great Book.  I'm thrilled also with the insights that this brilliant and dedicated servant of the Lord, Oswald Chambers,  brings to my daily reading.

And so with all that Bible reading you would think I'd be further along in my spiritual pilgrimage, this faith process...no more anxieties, no more doubts, no more insecurities...but that just isn't the case.  Through Chambers devotional today I was given a clue as to why I'm not further along...I'm a worrier...an anxious person...I have trouble believing, trusting, resting.  Many times I've prayed along with the father of the little boy whose story is found in Mark 9:24, "Lord I believe;  help my unbelief."

Here are a few excerpts, clues for me,  from  what I came away with today:

"One of the greatest demands of God on the human spirit

is to believe that God is good 

when his providence seems to prohibit the fulfillment of what he has promised...   

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Waiting means that we go on in the perfect certainty of God's goodness...

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Your anxiety proves that you do not believe in the goodness of God an atom, 

and it postpones the time of his performance."

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 ~taken from Not Knowing Whither by Oswald Chambers 

This is sobering and thought-provoking reading.   This pursuit of a better faith walk is on-going.  As I stay in the "Word" and focus on Him, He is able to do His work in me one day at a time.  I am humbled and grateful.  So we are encouraged to ...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to His good purpose.
Philippians 2:12 

What have some of your experiences been like, reading the Bible in your pursuit to know God better?  What insights and signs of growth in your pilgrimage are you observing?  Let's encourage each other to "...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ".   What better way to grow in our knowledge of Him who is our very life and reason for existence than to read His Word that is "tailor made" for us, for me...for you.  We live in sobering and challenging times.  Let's do it!

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*At the very bottom of the front page of this Bible, the Publisher's page, is this great piece of information:
Good News Publishers is a not-for-profit publishing ministry that exists solely for the purpose of publishing the Good News of the Gospel and the Truth of God's Word, the Bible.  A portion of the purchase price of every ESV Bible is donated to help support Bible distribution ministry around the world through ESV Bible Ministry International. 

A Tribute to my Sisters

I remember Erica -  again, again and again.  It is a year ago today that my sister passed away from this earth to be with the Lord.  Erica had been an integral part of my life since day one, she being two years older than I.

If Erica had seen this hydrangea bloom she could easily have started singing:  "Bloom ye in all your loveliness, cheering the wayside weariness..."

the rest of us chiming in, of course.  

I miss her.

Erica and I, with hubbies off camera, after a wonderful lunch of Greek Food at her favorite Rendezvous Restaurant, celebrating our mutual April wedding anniversaries* about one month after the fact (this photo was taken on May 17, 2009 and she passed away on June 27, about six weeks later )since Erica was undergoing chemo during this time.  Here she is smiling as usual, her hairless head covered with her hat which she was not embarrassed to whisk off on a whim.  I'll never forget the shock I received the first time I saw her whisking off her head covering.   She laughed and made light of it and treated it all in such a great healthy manner that I simply stood in awe of her.   

Through another window...the wheel of life moves on...

Just a few days ago my remaining, equally amazing  sisters, Hedy, (me), Ingrid and Herta enjoyed a wonderful lunch at a local tea house.  My sisters showered me with love and treats and prayers as they helped me celebrate my 70th birthday!  Thanks dear sisters!  You are such an integral part of who I am.  Thank you for your ongoing love and support and encouragement.  You are absolutely terrific!

After our two hour luncheon we drove out to the cemetery just a few kms from there and paid our respects at Erica's grave.  It was not a sad time...we were at peace on that glorious afternoon, remembering, singing and even bursting out in laughter at one point over something that just caught us by surprise and we knew it was okay.  We continue to be blessed.

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*This April Al and I, along with Peter, decided to revisit The Rendezvous for lunch in honor of all the many times we were blessed to have Erica with us to complete our foursome in our celebrations.

A letter to my Grandchildren...Robin in the Rain...

Dear, Dear Grandchildren,
How I wish you were here right now to observe for yourself what I am seeing through my window...

Robin in the rain
Such a saucy fellow

Robin in the rain

Mind your socks of yellow,

Running in the garden on your nimble feet,
Digging for your dinner with your long strong beak

Robin in the rain,

You don't mind the weather,

Showers always make you gay...

Bet the worms are wishing you would stay away,

Robin on a rainy day!*

Here he is:

Just a few minutes ago I was in the bedroom and I heard an unusual kind of tweaking....could that be Grampa with a new kind of snore?  No, I checked...he was snoozing away with his usual snores!  I looked out the window and there nearby was a momma robin with her little baby robin in tow.  I scurried to get my camera and sat at my kitchen window to catch some shots.  Baby robin didn't like the rain...it hopped underneath the overhanging cedar boughs and waited for momma to bring its lunch.   Can you see how excited the little fellow is...his little wings are just flapping so fast!  (try to enlarge the picture by clicking on it-sometimes it works)

Over and over she hopped further onto the lawn and in no time had a juicy worm which she hurried over to her chubby little fellow sitting ever so patiently, making no peep at all.  When I carefully opened the door though, to get a better picture, she flew away and left the little fellow unattended...
Here he is...

I waited about ten minutes and then stepped back inside...in no time Momma Robin swooped down from the opposite direction to comfort her little one but then immediately flew off again.  I'll go check to see what's going on now...
baby robin's still patiently sitting there waiting for his momma...I don't think he can really fly yet.  Can you see the spots on this tummy and the reddish color starting to develop?  He's ever so patient and soooo quiet...and he blends right into his surroundings, a great camouflage.  Here's momma robin with her beak in the ground getting another fat worm for her baby.

I have a feeling that robins like the rain so much not only because it makes the ground soft and the worms come closer to the surface of the grass but I really think it's safer for them- no grandmas out there trimming and fussing, no neighborhood cats on the prowl - it's just plain safer.  God also has given them an amazing raincoat which lets the water just run off their backs.  I don't think the babies have such a great raincoat yet and so the little fellow stayed where it was dry!

I hope I don't miss seeing how momma robin can get her baby back to wherever the nest might be...it won't be far away...probably right among those hedges.  I think momma is telling her baby that he'll be ok and that she'll be right back!

Oh no! I should have checked two minutes ago...I'm hearing twittering and chirping outside my computer room window and as I stopped and hurried to my kitchen window, guess what...right...no sign of momma or baby...gone... but I do hear quite a bit of chirping...maybe everyone's happy to be home in the nest safe and sound again.  But how did momma get baby robin to fly up, up and away into its nest?  And where is the nest?  I can hear them...they must be in the neighbor's yard.

This whole little drama took place within 45 minutes this afternoon!  It's just so wonderful to see how life works in every place where there is life...in nests, in woods, in ditches and in our homes.  Doesn't it always feel good when everyone's home safe and sound and you're altogether, a happy family?  I love that feeling.

I remember when I was a young pre-teen and upwards, that I was often given the task of looking after my younger "Geschwister" - that's a great German word for brothers and sisters or siblings...I never like the word siblings very much...it doesn't have a nice ring to it like its German counter part.  I always waited eagerly for my parents' car to turn into the driveway and then I could heave a sigh of relief as my responsibilities ran away just like the water runs off the momma robin's back.

I'll keep watching...Grampa's already seen a momma robin right near our deck with her mouth brimming over with many worms in it!  What a tasty snack... for a robin, that is.

(Do you know this Raffi song?  I sang it a lot with my school children.  Check it out and listen at:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/robin-in-the-rain-lyrics-raffi.html)