never doubt ...

i was trying to organize some of my pictures ... and of course got side tracked (normal occurrence for me!) ... and ended up making this little poster ... :o) ...

just "fly by blogging" ... life has had a steady normal rhythm this week ... filled with work, play, gardening, biking and even a call from my doctors office ... i apparently have high cholesterol and need meds ... * smiling, shaking head* ... i knew eating all those chocolates would eventually catch up with me!

may your weekend be blessed ...

50 years ago today

a half century ago we took a transatlantic flight from paris to montreal ... thus began a new life in canada ...

i don't have very many of my own memories from that trip ... or the second part of the journey - a train ride from montreal to winnipeg ... i do know that at the end of it, i was a very tired little girl!

50 years ago a trip from finland to canada was almost an epic journey! ... i mean, were jets even invented? i don't know - but all the commercial flights were on those propeller planes (4 props were used on the long haul flights, across the ocean) ...

i do have one memory of paris ... i remember our whole little family running on the tarmac, towards the plane ... my folks could only speak finnish, and somehow they had misunderstood the departure time - we were really late! ... i guess the stressful situation stayed with me ... i still remember the cool air hitting my legs ... it was dark, with a light rain falling ... and the plane looked huge as it loomed in front of us ...

we started out as a little family of 4 ... mom and dad were excited about a new life in a vast new country ... starting fresh ... they had big dreams and plans ...

the couple who sponsored us in winnipeg, were total srangers ... they were transplanted finns and wanted to help a little family start out ... we met them for the first time when we arrived in winnipeg ...

my brother and i quickly adjusted to life in canada ... we were itty bitty kids ... i think it was more stressful on my 28 year old dad and 23 year old mother ... even though they were still young - they had left everything familiar behind ... they were the first of their families to leave finland ... my dad remained the only one of his people to immigrate ... mom was blessed and thrilled beyond words when her older sister arrived in canada - one year later ... followed soon after by my widowed grandmother and 4 younger children ...

this post could turn into a little novel if i wrote all the stories from those first few years ... slum housing (though my folks weren't poor - just taken advantage of) ... with rodent problems (one mouse even ran across mom's face during the night) ... a curtain dividing our living area from another families ... one bathroom - shared by 4 families ... yup, those were interesting times!

it has been an adventure ... a journey that has made me into who i am today ...

so today i celebrate (along with my mom and my brother ... dad died in 2001) 50 years in a country that is now home for us ... thank you Lord!

"t'was grace that brought me safe thus far ... and grace will lead me home ... "

Psalm 30:11-12

coped from http://jrbell.com/ ... encouraging artwork page ...

sunday greetings ...

I am not the brood of the dust and sod,
Nor a shuttled thread in the loom of fate;
But the child divine of the living God,
With eternity for my life's estate.
I am not a sport of a cosmic night,
Nor a thing of chance that has grown to man;
but a deathless soul on my upward flight,
And my Father's heir in His wondrous plan.
~ Alva Romanes.


This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!

Romans 8: 16-17 ~ The Message

there is no ones child i would rather be - than God's!!! *huge smile* ...

may you be blessed!

well, it's a start!

i just took these pics of the "flower garden" ... finally - springtime is finding us ...
as you can see ... we are at the very very early stages of bloom ... in fact the trees are still bare, with only a hint of bud happening ...
so those of you who have been enjoying flowers blooming and the smell of freshly mown grass ... count your blessings! we have yet to even hear a mower in our parts!!!

but all is well - the temperature is forecast as a balmy 21C (70F) today ... wow-wee!!!!! it doesn't take much to make me happy ... a few buds coming up - and seasonal temps ...

hope you are all BLESSED this week day ... i'm feeling that way ... *HUGE GRIN*

Pass it on

by Kurt Kaiser

It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That's how it is with God's Love,
Once you've experienced it,
Your spread the love to everyone
You want to pass it on.

What a wonderous time is spring,
When all the tress are budding
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming;
That's how it is with God's love,
Once you've experienced it.
You want to sing, it's fresh like spring,
You want to pass it on.

I wish for you my friend
This happiness that I've found;
You can depend on God
It matters not where you're bound,
I'll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD!
I want the world to know
The Lord of love has come to me
I want to pass it on.

I'll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD!
I want the world to know
The Lord of love has come to me
I want to pass it on.

little boxes ....

"Men who do not soar always have small views of things.

Wings are required for breadth of view." ....

~ Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

during my last airplane flight, i thought about the houses that held people and all their treasures ... from the air, they were similar little boxes - whether it was winnipeg, toronto, frankfurt or helsinki - the boxes just changed colour and maybe shape ... yet remained these tiny places where so much effort and money were being poured in to ... a place to collect all that stuff we love ... homes that one day will be left behind ...

i thought of the verse "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:20-22) ... just made me wonder which place i was stocking up more diligently ... the man made little box - which can be destroyed by nature, war, etc. ... or that heavenly home - which nothing can topple ...

just thinking outloud ...

the chronic pain side of life

we had an unexpected - but most welcome - visitor last week ...

the visitor? a pharmacy student, in her third year of study ... our local pharmacist called us to see if leo wanted to chat about his meds with her ... and in return, she would see if she could help us with some of the problems that meds can create ...

leo said "sure!" ...

our local pharmacist (she's had that job for the last 16 years) came over as well and we had a most productive time ...

then a few days later ... the ladies came back with helpful hints ...

we were so grateful for this blessing that came out of the blue! we have already started implementing some of her suggestions ... then in july (Lord willing!) we can talk to leo's doc about some possible med changes ...

you know those mystery fevers that leo gets? well one of the side affects of some of his meds - is a fever!!!

also, leo gets these varying temperature changes ... an example: in the shower the water might feel cold on his chest, burning on his back and lukewarm on his head?????!!!!! ... the student did some research on arachnoiditus (since it was a new term for her) and discovered that those are common issues of the disease - extreme temperature changes over parts of the body ... we just thought it was leo's "faulty wiring" !

our saying has always been - "you never know what a day holds" ... lately we've added "and remember to look for the hidden blessing within" ...

"... despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us." Romans 8:37

seasons of life

i took this picture yesterday ... i was enjoying my first outdoor sauna of the season ... the ice was still trying to cling to the shoreline, but the warmth of the sun was loosening it's cold grip ... soon - very soon - there will be no more ice on the waterways and the first flowers will be breaking out in every garden ... *smile* ...

My favorite weather is bird-chirping weather.

~Loire Hartwould

like a river glorious

Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.

Refrain:

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.

Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully all for us to do;
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Frances R Havergal

six word memoir

Cathy from Melodies and Hymnsongs, tagged me for a six word memoir ... since 6 words seemed to be a challenge i could handle *chuckling* ... here is what i came up with ...

if you want to play along, feel free ... and let me know what you come up with to describe yourself, in only 6 words ...

the pic i used was an oldie (1990, i think? ) taken in Arizona ... which is one of my very favourite places on earth ...

what a difference a day makes ...

here is my quiet little corner of the world ... at the beginning of the week, the sun was streaming in the living room inviting me to go enjoy the outdoors ... how could i resist? ... i went for a long bike ride and even had energy to wash the windows ....

here is the front deck this morning! during the night, there was a mini ice-storm, high winds and general yuckiness! i did venture out for a walk, but very gingerly! - the sidewalks had their slick spots!

these 2 little plaques my aunt bought me in toronto, made me smile ... especially as i watched the sheets of ice hit my clean windows this morning! ... i'm believing for all kinds of things - all the time ... but at this moment, i'm just hoping for the return of spring like weather!

blessing on ya!!!

mid week chatter

leo and i are reading "Destined for Glory" by Margaret Clarkson (click HERE for info on the author) ... i first read it back in the early 80's, when this pain walk was in it's infancy ... it has been a good re-read - 25 years later ...

from page 87:

"Perhaps the greatest good that suffering can work for a believer is to increase the capacity of his soul for God. Only when we are at the end of our own resources will many of us draw upon the wealth God longs to give us. As pain forces us to the limits of our own endurance, we come to discover God's strength; as it empties us of ourselves, we begin to experience God's fullness. The greater our need, the greater will be our capacity; the greater our capacity, the greater will be our experience of God."

* * * * *

here is a search engine that can do some good ... http://www.goodsearch.com/ ... i got the site through billy graham's webpage ... this site donates to the charity of your choice when you use them for searches ... cool ...

* * * * *

and just a little side note ... if you put your e-mail address in the spot that blogger asks for it, i will see it (it doesn't show up otherwise) in my e-mail (the comments are e-mailed to my yahoo address) and i can write back, if you want ... :o) ...

change of seasons

yesterday was my last work day at the library ... i now have 6 months off ... i job share with a lady who spends her winters in mexico ... and since she has had lovely weather for 6 months, she doesn't mind working through the manitoba summers ... i am really excited at the thought of having the summer off ... last year i had some of it off - that just wetted my whistle for more ...

i did take my bike out of the garage last week ... it was good to go for a spin around my little town ... the weather even cooperated ...

as i type this, the ice on the river is "rotten" ... there are patches of open water showing up ... one good rain should take care it ... i am looking forward to seeing waves again ... i'm looking forward to so many of the spring/summer events ... it is all exciting and makes me giddy happy ...

YAY for spring ... YAY for summer ... the Lord paints our world with 4 distinct seasons ... spring & summer are my definite favourites!

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet

se on onnellinen ...

i sent this postcard to leo - from finland (i collect postcards, so what is leo's is mine as well! :o) ... )

here is a loose translation:

the person who is joyful (happy)
is the one who does not sorrow over what they don't possess
but rejoices (is content) with what they do have ...

isn't that a good saying !

to count our blessings - rather than to complain about the perceived lack of them ...

may you be joyful - content - happy this weekend ... enjoying God's grace and abundance in all things!

odd 'n ends pics ....

would you believe we had to get our big ole air canada 777 de-iced before we left toronto! no kidding!! the weather really was stormy on the way to finland ...

while staying with my aunt and uncle, i ate home made oatmeal porridge every morning, with perserved or frozen berries they had picked themselves, on top ... those were the BEST breakfasts i've ever had ...

the day before we left finland - we did a little shopping ... and look at what i spied in a bakery window ... dolls with cake dresses ... just like the one i had for my 6th birthday all those years ago here in canada ...

on the way home, they labelled my luggage (filled with lots of chocolate bars) as heavy ... that made me chuckle to myself!

in toronto, i got to do a little shopping at ikea ... sure wish that winnipeg had one of those stores ... this pic was taken from the ikea restaurant - a bit rainy, wouldn't you say?

our God is OverWhelming!!!!

thank you Lord! thank you praying buds!!!

we just got back from the doctor's ... the new doc had no problem in taking leo as a patient - in fact, he even remembered leo from our ER trip in august (everyone usually remembers leo ... )

then he asked if it would be more convenient for us to come to the clinic in our little town ... rather than the 20 minute trip to the hospital clinic ... *HUGE grin* ... we replied, yes - that would work out just fine!!! we live 2 streets away from our town's clinic ...

God is so merciful to us - in all ways ...

we are just so so thankful ...

YAY LORD!

the day of the funeral

weather wise it was a bright, yet cold day ... the flag in the churchyard was at half mast ... arriving mourners got out of their cars and nodded at each other ... or if they hadn't seen my aunt and uncle yet - they wept and hugged them ... it was a heavy day emotionally ... even the children stood silently by, no running or loud voices ... just quiet ... my cousin had been a favourite with all his many nieces and nephews ...

the old wooden church had been the centre of my families life for generations ... the last time i had been in that church, was for a wedding ... today i followed the finnish tradition of laying my flowers by the casket and saying a word ... i read the words of comfort from a loving God ... Rev 21:4 "and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away" ... of course i spoke the words in finnish and they were just as comforting to me - because God's word heals in every language known to man ...

the service itself was scripturally sound and the minister spoke with warmth and faith in a God who loves us ... i was blessed by it ... as others were too ... we let our tears silently flow and opened up our hearts for God's healing to begin ...

when it was time to begin the last walk with my cousin, the flowers were picked up from the church alter by the children and then adults too (there were so many flowers) then taken outside to form an honour guard ...

the newly fallen snow cleaned up the world around us - purity was what came to my mind ... and the path we walked on, just gleamed ...

we all sang a hymn (well i hummed - since i didn't know the words in finn) ... and again took the flowers we had retrieved in the churchyard and placed them on the gravesite ...

afterwards we went to the church hall and had a time of sharing that lasted almost 3 hours ... there was all kinds of food (lovingly made by my aunt, cousins and neighbours) ... and more hymns to sing ... more hugging ... more sharing ... as well as acceptance that this was my cousin's time to go ... that God numbers our days ... and though we don't understand now - one day we will ...

i went to minister to my finnish family ... instead, i found that i was ministered too ... these sweet dear folk buried a love one with such respect and honour ... and God was woven so naturally into the day and the events ...

(note: all pictures, except the one of the finnish flag, were taken by a photographer that captured the day for the family - and also generously gave me a cd of it - he had been a friend of my cousins ... also, i notice that i had put rev 21:3 on an earlier post - it was actually rev 21:4 that i read at church)

God was my Travel Agent!

on a bus, in Finland ...

i'm safe at condo central again - in our little town!!!! it felt wonderful to pull into our own driveway ... to see leo waiting for me at our condo door ... to be home in my husband's arms once again ... thank you Lord!

yes, thank you LORD! ... He was my Travel Agent throughout this entire time ... this trip that just happened - without weeks and weeks of planning and hours of preparation ... yet it was the most organized and blessed trip i have ever been on ... i think i will definitely rely on this Heavenly Agency again!

my heart was prepared for a trip, even before my cousin died ... i knew that i was needing a time away from my life as wife and care giver ... but i didn't want to leave leo ... i stubbornly decided that he couldn't manage without my help ... maybe even made him so reliant on me, that he thought so too!

then the call ... a man in the prime of his life - died suddenly ... with that news, God began His work as my personal Travel Agent ...

leo and i both grieved from this vast distance across the atlantic ... i so wanted to mingle my tears with that of my finnish family ... and to hold them close ... but that didn't seem a possibility ...

with God all things are possible ...

my sweet aunt Maija offerred to travel with me ... with cheaper standby rates applying ...

leo immediately encouraged me to go ... and i felt that immediate "yes" response within me ...

everything fell into place ... the folks in our little town helped with getting the mail, delivering groceries, visiting leo, delivering a home made meal or two, paying bills ... you name it, they did it!

and as for the travel ...

even though the planes were "almost full", there was always a spot for us ...
even though the time table was tricky and we had to hike what seemed like miles in frankfurt - we made the boarding calls ...
and even in strange countries, strangers became friends by lending us their cell phones to make needed arrival time confirmations ...

we did not need to worry about one detail of the trip or travel - we just kept walking in faith and the way opened up ... Praise the Lord ... and bless all you who prayed ...

i was even lent a cell phone while in Finland ... which meant leo could call me anytime, anywhere ... i never even thought of asking for a finnish cell phone - but Someone had arranged it for me - it was good to know that i could be reached 24/7 ... and leo DID call me every day ...

while in finland, the travel was arranged by family ... and i prayed that the Lord would arrange who i spent longer periods of my short visiting time with - He did all of that and more ...

coming home, all travel went just as smoothly ... right down to NO waiting time for luggage or pickups at the airports! it seemed that all doors swung open with ease ...

i only spent one night in toronto ... the last leg of the journey was supposed to happen sunday night - but i felt the need to be home on friday ... i called westjet to change the ticket ... a $40 fee was supposed to apply, however the cheerful agent told me that i didn't need to pay $40 and i would also be getting a refund - because the friday flight was much cheaper than the sunday flight!!! can you believe that? i smiled, my Heavenly Travel Agency does EXCELLENT work!

my plane coming home left toronto early and also arrived in winnipeg 20 minutes early! i got curb side pickup from family, who had stored my car in their heated garage - then i was headed home before it got dark! *smile* ...

i highly recommend God as a Travel Agent ... especially for the journey through this life ...

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9

p.s. i will post pics of the funeral day later on ...

in Canada

i am at my aunt's place here in Toronto as i type this!

the journey back home went so well ... super well ... we made tight connections and had an uneventful trip (except maybe the sideway bumping landing in Toronto!) ... and i am now waiting looking forward to getting home to my leo!

:o)

i've appreciated your prayer ... it has made my trip so blessed!

soon - i hope to be at my own computer and sharing pics ...

i fly out in the late evening ...

just an FYI!

Lord bless you guys!