happy new year!

it really is true that as a person ages, the world spins faster and faster ... i just add my voice to everyone elses' and say 'i can't believe the year has ended' ...

my devotional reading for 2011 was Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest" ... each time i use that devotional - i am challenged in numerous ways to stretch and grow as a believer ... the devotional can be found on www.rbc.org as well ...

i'll close out my 2011 blog post with a shortened version of oswald chambers' last page of the devotional:

You shall not go out with haste, ... for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard"  (Isaiah 52:12)

Security from Yesterday.  God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.
Security for Tomorrow.  God's hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.
Security for Today.  Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him ...

blessings on my blog buds - old and new - in 2012 ... may Jesus be your security in all storms - and the centre of all your joys!

a new year approaches ...

i just finished watching the movie "soul surfer" ... wow!  i was so uplifted by the message that came through loud and clear ... it's amazing how the Lord turns adversity into opportunity ... sadness into joy ... and that He knows our load limit - and promises to limit the load!

blessings on you ...

the fullness of His time ...

nothing is ever by accident ...
           and everything is on time ...
                for those who wait on God's timetable ...

time of the year

this smiley snowman has a little bell on it's hat ... i love the way it makes a merry sound when i go out or come in ... very welcoming  ...

 i have this little reminder on my computer desk ... i look at it and smile ...

in the mornings, bits of light that i've hung around the windows give such a nice glow ... i drink my coffee and start the day with joyful (well usually!) anticipation ... i do like christmas time ... especially now that we have really simplified it ...

this year we plan on ordering chinese food for our celebration meal ... we used to go to my aunts but it's gotten too difficult for leo to do that and the smell of different foods cooking, really nauseates him - soooo we have changed our tradition to suit our current situation ...

besides, it's usually the little things in life that make a person glad ... example:  i washed the flannel sheets today and now i'm looking forwarding to crawling in between them ... these are sheets that i bought from costco recently - they were a good price and are soooo warm and comfy ...

Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. ~Augusta E. Rundel

christmas is still christmas ....

we have definitely downsized our life here at the condo ...  we also downsized our christmas decorating and even our christmas tree ... check out the baby one we have been using.

but don't feel too badly for us ... once upon a time we had over the top celebrations ... and over the top christmas trees - like this very first tree in the very first house we owned ... what fun we had trying to get the tree inside the house through the regular sized door!!!  there were pine needles all over the living room!!!  we called 2 of our burly neighbours over to help us lift it up ... we were able to nail supporting wires into the floor to keep it upright, since our flooring wasn't done yet ... our cats loved to lie under it's boughs and we were the most popular country home around for the kids!  they couldn't believe the size of the tree ... and indoors!

christmas's change ... and the size of our trees has changed too ... *smiling* ... but i can honestly say that each year my heart celebration grows and grows ... as long as i stay focused on the WORD that became flesh and  dwelt among us - my christmas spirit remains sweet ...

whatever stage you are at in your life ... i hope the JOY of this season ... and the wonder of it all ... brings that childlike excitement into your life!  Glory to God!

christmas past, christmas present

i miss christmas' past ... when we were able to gather with family - the noise, the children and wrapping paper strewn everywhere ... days that have gone by ...leaving only sweet memories and faded pictures as reminders ... 

these days, as christmas time quiets down for us, the stillness helps my cluttered brain settle on my heart celebration of Jesus'  ...  His redemptive visit to planet earth ... then i look to the future and think of His return visit ... thoughts that my earth bound mind has trouble visualizing  ... yet the spirit born within me, hums and thinks on these things ... angels singing, wise men bowing and lowly shepherds (that'd be me) kneeling with awe ... Jesus has come!

'tis the season ...

pic of our front door (taken last year - but as soon as i find the cute red elf from finland - it should look the same!) ... yup, 'tis the season ...

december brings so many rolling emotions into play ... happy, sad, excited and thankful ... there is that theme of thankfulness again ... though our celebrations are quiet now, compared to years past, somehow the child in me is always ready to come out - filled with joy and anticipation - and thankfulness that Jesus has given us the best reason to celebrate!!!!

5 years ago

would you believe that it's been five years since we became happy owners of our little condo?  it was answer to prayer and then some (here is the post with story http://saija.blogspot.com/2007/11/one-year-ago-today.html) ... i just look around me and KNOW that God does indeed answer  prayer and HE also gives us the desires of our heart ...

and before we even knew what our hearts' desired and needed ... God provided ... He gave us His own Son - so that if we believed in Him, we could become part of His forever family - i love the Christmas Season for reminders everywhere of God's love ... thank you Lord!!!!! 

a daily occurrence

in my life application bible this morning, one of the notes below psalm 61 asked:  "do you find something to praise God for each day?" ... what a good question ... what a good reminder ... do i?  i hope i do - maybe i will now make it a more conscious effort ...

our town beach ... with a blanket of snow - yet the water remains free from ice for the moment ... soon that will change and a freeze will occur - until springs warmth touches the land once more ...

our li'l buddy snoozing on the recliner, by leo's feet, while we watched tv church yesterday ... i'm glad he loves to snooze ... *smile*

thankfulness

happy thanksgiving to my american buds ... may God show you something special that you can be thankful for, something you may not have thought of before ...

i'm thankful for home and the land i call home ... canada is a real melting pot of different languages, races, ideas - yet somehow it is still working ... i pray that will continue ...

i was in the city on sunday/monday ... another appointment with the glaucoma specialist ... my eyes are still borderline high (re the pressure in them), but he says there is no damage and all looks well at the back ... he'll see me again in the spring and treat the eyes if the pressure changes ... this is all a new experience for me - yet i still feel thankful ... thankful for the doctor ... for my eyes, that they are still "fine" and thankful for my friends and family who provide a place for me to stay and also rides to the doctor (in case they dilate the eyes) ... i am continually humbled by the love, support and prayer on my behalf ...

sometimes thankfulness can be a sacrifice - like the psalm says, but if we make the sacrifice - i believe our God is pleased ...

be ye kind ...

poster from:  http://frankbroughton.us/blog/

11-11-11

we were just watching the rememberance day service from Ottawa ...

yes - we remember ...

and we thank the vets for allowing us the freedom to do so ...

may God bless them richly ...

same day pics

i don't usually have a sunrise

and a moon picture

for the same day ... it just worked out today - i happened to notice how lovely they each were ... just in different ways ...

i'm glad the Lord has set a definite span for each day ... if it's a good day, we want it to go on and on ... if it's a bad day, we are glad it's over ... then it all evens out for the many normal days inbetween ...  

the fall season continues to be a challenge for us ... i get a little of that seasonal sadness thing ... and leo gets more pain because it tends to be damp at this time of year ...

i was reading psalm 34 this morning and it encouraged me at the start of  the day ... "i will bless the Lord at ALL times .." ... and now at the end of the day... "the Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants; and none of them who TRUST in Him shall be desolate." ...

the safest place to be ... in God's Hands

blessings and an anniversary ...

a week ago, as i watched the sunrise - i heard the sound of a float plane revving up to leave ... i ran for my camera, opened the drapes wide and zoomed in for a shot with my little camera ...

i was able to capture the float plane preparing for take off ...

i thanked the Lord for the opportunity of 'being ready' to snap pics of this normal, almost every day, activity on the river ...

it was a successful take-off ... and a smile maker for me ...


and i'm glad i have a blog to share these photos on ... i've been blogging for 7 years now (today in fact!)  ... this little space has served many purposes over that time ...i've made friends ... met others who deal with chronic pain ... entered into prayer for the family of God, and been humbled when i've been the recipient of prayer ... it's been a blessing in these and countless other ways ...


thank you for being part of it!

in the poster making mode

it seems that everything i read ... and the pictures i have in my albums ... are coming together in a fun and hopefully blessed way these days ... :o)

just sharing with ya - once again!

p.s.  felisol asked if i took this photo ... yup, i did ... *smile* ... during my walk this week ... it was a peaceful, restful scene ...

pics of the past week ...

this was yesterdays' sunrise ... i always marvel at God's handiwork - His mercies are indeed new every morning ... if you look closer at the picture, you might notice the canada geese in the water ... they have been practising for their long trip south ... it has indeed gotten cooler - fall has arrived and snowbirds are flocking south ... my heart always says "take me, take me ... " ... winter is my least favourite month of the four ...

i made a new friend on thanksgiving ... this is my cousin's latest family member ... a cross between a brindle boxer and a lab ... she is only 7 weeks old, and mostly slept the day away while we all ohh'd and awwww'd over her!

more evidence of the arrival of fall ... our town beach, which had been full of kids and moms all summer, now stands empty ... it always looks so lonesome at this time of year ...

blessings on your sunday!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

²¹ And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
²² He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.

Daniel 2:21-22 (NKJV)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gratitude produces more positive emotional energy

than any other attitude in life.

~ Hans Sely, father of stress studies.

Count your blessings, by Johnson Oatman Jr., pub. 1897

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
   When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
   Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
   And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
   
   • Refrain:
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     *Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
     [*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]
2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
   Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
   Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
   And you will keep singing as the days go by.
3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
   Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
   Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
   Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
4. So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
   Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
   Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
   Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 -  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

we listened to People's Church in Toronto ... Pastor Charles Price had a terrific message on being thankful ... www.livingtruth.ca ... blessings on you all!

fall colours

the fall colours in our area are muted ones ... no splashy reds or deep orange  ... but still, they are lovely to look at -  they appear for only a brief moment ... so on wednesday a friend and i took a drive to check them out ...

 this was a road we had travelled as kids ... on the way to the cottage ... it relaxes me just to look at it!

 we found a lone daisy, who was smiling at the world - not caring that winter was coming ... it just gloried in the day!

 taken from the car window ... a peek-a-boo view of what was waiting us ...

 we even stopped at an old friends place and visited a spell ...

what a beautiful day it was ... it cheered my heart, and was just what i needed ... fall is a rough time for chronic pain sufferers, and sometimes the only thing i can do for leo (not counting prayer - which  is a constant) is to let him be by himself ... and let God restore my own heart and renew a right spirit within me ... the day was definitely a gift from God ...

blessings on you!

that little blue dot

see the little blue dot in the lower right hand corner?  compare it to the sun ...  that's where we live!!!!  this NASA graphic really captures the smallness of earth, compared to almost anything else out there !!! 

it reminds me of the Psalm that says:

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

i pray that you rest easy in the knowledge that God is way way bigger than any problem you may face today ...

even so Lord Jesus ... come ...

laser surgery completed ...

another laser surgery done ... the doc said it looked good, but the next day, when he tested my eye pressure, it was still "borderline high" ... so i'll go back to see him in november ... hopefully the pressure will get to a more normal place ... thank you for praying for me ... it is nice to be home again ... though i did have a super visit with my childhood friend, who once again opened up her home to me and was my nursemaid for the evening ...

yesterday was my west coast sister's 45th birthday ... amazing how 45 seems so young now ... here is a pic i found of her and maria ... taken on a birthday (who's i don't remember) ... they are only 18 months apart in age and sometimes were mistaken for twins (as you can see in this pic!) ... maria died at age 45 ... my westcoast sister remains very healthy, even though she is a diabetic too (from age 2 she has been taking needles) ....

fall is in the air ... and God's blessings are evident everywhere, if eyes will only see ... blessings on ya!

Psalms 84:11-12  ... For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. {12} O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

last of the roses

my roses keep blooming ... even though it was such a dry summer ... and i neglected them (except for watering) ... they still flower with a smile ...

though would you believe it is supposed to go down to freezing on wednesday/thursday night? ... after 90 plus temps just days before?  that's the prairie weather for you ... drastic ...

on wednesday i go in for laser surgery number two ... i can only pray for as good a day as i had 3 weeks ago ...

blessings on ya ...

after the darkness ...

And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
and those the LORD has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

~ Isaiah  

just to make you smile

with so much negative and sad happening in our weary world  ... i thought i would try and make you smile with 2 pictures i was playing with ... it's our buddy (who we are growing to love more daily - he is a fun little guy!) ... blessings on ya!

prayers

i just read this quote (attributed to anon) ... and just had to make a little poster ...

wishing you guys a wonderful and God filled long weekend!!!!  blessings on ya!

this is the way ...

have you ever "bumped" into the same bible verse again and again, in a short period of time? ...  you meet the verse in a devotional ... then again in a bible reading ... it seems to cross your path every where you turn  ...

that's been happening to me with Isaiah 30:21 ...



it's a great verse ... a good reminder that our walk is different from those who aren't looking to Jesus ... even if they are good people -  our compass should be set on the bible's true north ... after all, the compass we follow is leading us toward our eternal home ...

just thought i'd share the verse, since it has been giving me comfort ... as well as encouragement this past week or two ...

blessings on ya!

and a note to my blog sister at the⋆silver⋆of⋆His⋆fining  ... your blog admin won't allow me to comment - others may be having this problem too ... since you said your traffic has slowed down ... i like it when there is an email on the comment (which is only seen by me - not when the comment is posted) - that way communication is open ...

blessings on all my blog buds this sunday morning - the day the Lord has made!  yay!

lazer all done

i'm  home again after my lazer surgery ... which went well ... thank you for praying ... *smile* ... i'm booked for the second one september 14th ...

one of my childhood friends was my chauffeur ...  and she also opened up her home to me ... it was super to stay in her lofty apartment ...

i told her that it felt more like a vacation - well except for the hours spent at the clinic and all those eye drops!!!  we chatted until late - and i'm booked in at her place again in 3 weeks - if all goes as well, it will be another "daily miracle" in my life ...

leo and buddy were very happy to see me ...  i really am glad to be home ... now leo has to be the one to put drops in my eye !   it's nice to have a  nursemaid every now and then ...

All that we behold is full of blessings. ~William Wordsworth

happy birthday mom ...

it's my mom's birthday today ... and i find it amazing that every birthday she has, she gets younger - rather than older ... maybe because there is only 18 years separating us! ...

i wish i had more of the older pics of mom's early years ... here is one of the more carefree photos ... taken in finland, before the canadian adventure began ... while mom was still a young woman with her young woman dreams ... some dreams i know she has fulfilled ... some dreams she keeps on working towards ... she keeps on keeping on - i do admire that in her ...

here's the birthday lady in all her youthful glory! 

chit chat ...

we celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary a few days ago ... amazing how the years flow by quickly!!!  we had a really nice day ... cake and company from alberta ...  next day, leo and i spent it together - just chatting, like the old friends we are -  thinking back to the highs and lows - how God has lead us and taught us along the way ... it was sweet ...

since indie, our shelter cat, passed away 6 months ago - we finally added another little fur ball to our household ... we call him our 'lil buddy ... we've had him a month now, and we are in love!  he is the sweetest little guy ... we are having so much fun with him ... i had told leo that i didn't want another cat - and leo reluctantly agreed ... but poor leo was watching every cat food commercial, pausing the tv every time he saw even a wee bit of some stray cat!!! plus i had to print a picture of our fearless feline for him, which he placed on his table and looked at longingly! ... sooooo i gave in ... and so far i haven't regretted it ...

update on my glaucoma problems ...  i am scheduled for lazer surgery this wednesday ... the doc is doing one eye now and then will do the other eye later ... i am nervous about it - but it is good to get it fixed now, and hopefully have good eyesight for years to come ... just trusting that God has this all prepared ahead of time and will bring something good out of it for His glory ...

blessings on your weekend!!!