first peony of the year ...

Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer

except those things outside the will of God.

~ Streams in the Desert

thoughts for the journey ...

taken from Max Lucado's book "In the Eye of the Storm" ...

Love God more than you fear hell.
Once a week, let a child take you on a walk.
Make major decisions in a cemetery.
When no one is watching, live as if someone is.
Succeed at home first.
Don't spend tomorrow's money today.
Pray twice as much as you fret.
Listen twice as much as you speak.
Only harbor a grudge when God does.
Never outgrow your love of sunsets.
Treat people like angels; you will meet some and help make some.
"Tis wiser to err on the side of generosity than on the side of scrutiny.
God has forgiven you; you'd be wise to do the same.
When you can't trace God's hand, trust His heart.
Toot your own horn and the notes will be flat.
Don't feel guilty for God's goodness.
The book of life is lived in chapters, so know your page number.
Never let the important be the victim of the trivial.
Live your liturgy.

* * * * * *

blessings on you, blog buds! i know you all are busy this month of june ... i have been away from the computer as well ... our morning reading is this max lucado book - thought i would share these thoughts with you as well!!! remember - the JOY of the LORD is our STRENGTH!!!

pics from my week ...

i just took this shot of a rainbow that just appeared ... we've had so much rain lately, that i'm glad that God's promise still stands in the sky ... He remembers ...

and look at these blossoms ... yay!!!! that means that maybe we will get out of this polar bear mode and into some real sunshine and warmth .... it was great to see the trees starting to bud and blossoms pop ...

when i ride my bike ... or walk ... i usually stop at this little park ... it's a place where i like to still my heart and pray ... my bike rides and walks are prayer times ... but this lovely little haven is usually a peaceful place to have a more in depth talk (or listen!) to my Lord ...

when you live in the centre of a little town, you never know what will pass by your window ... the other day, a parade marched by ... they were on their way to the veterans park for a D-Day service ... you can see the spiffy RCMP red ... followed by some of our vets ... then there was a pipe and drum band ... very sweet and reverential ...

and lastly ... please meet indie ... he's a little 7 year old neutered male cat, that i picked up from the pet rescue place ... we've had him for over 2 months and we absolutely love him! he was almost put down at the humane society - then passed on to the rescue place ... adopted out for 7 months - then the people brought him back because they said he didn't like the other pets in the home ... so along we came ... he still has his nervous moments, but what love he gives us ... lots of purrs ... sits on our laps to snooze ... just SO GREAT ... i thought we would never get another cat after our 2 attempts over the last 2 summers didn't work out ... and it was with some fear and trepidation that we thought "we'll try one more time!" ... and now we have our little indie ... ... we did have some problems with his teeth right off the bat (he had to have 4 of them pulled!) ... hopefully that solved the poor little guys problem ... and now leo doesn't need to look at every cat picture and story - he has his own little (only 7 pounds) cat to pet ...

blessings on your mid week!!!!

"In a thousand trials, it is not just five hundred of them that work "for the good" of the believer, but nine hundred and ninety-nine, plus one."
~George Mueller

the rites of spring

well FINALLY ... i had my first outdoor sauna of the season ... it had been so cold that my aunt hadn't opened it up yet ... but yesterday was the day ... of course the fast moving cold waters of the river made swimming a future event - which was fine ... it was the solitude of that old finnish way of cleansing the body and soul - that i found so welcoming ...


i was the first one to sit on the wooden benches this season ... fill the tubs with water ... and throw water on the hot stones ... it was like music to my ears to hear the sizzle of the steam rising from the sauna stove ... to relax in the sanctuary of the outdoor sauna, like my finnish ancestors have done for generations ... it was cathartic to sit and sweat my cares away ... i hummed a favourite song as i enjoyed the way my muscles relaxed and my cares left ... all of me was refreshed at the same time ...

sweet sweet sweet ...


by the time i got home, i was completely refreshed ... thanking the Lord for loved ones who live close to us, who share good things like their sauna with the "poor relative"! ... then i thanked my Saviour for all things in my life ... *smile* ... ahhhh, that first outdoor sauna, what could be better?

* * * * * *

my sister maria continues to do well ... in fact, they may cut her back to 2 times a week dialysis, rather than 3 ... she is just doing the testing for that now ... that would be amazing!!! it would give them a bit more home life to enjoy ...

"Every highway of life descends into the valley now and then. And everyone must go through the tunnel of tribulation before they can travel on the high road of triumph."

~Streams in the Desert

cold spring

this is a picture of leo and me at the beach!!!! you guys just wouldn't believe how cold this spring has been ... i think we are behind the times regarding global warming - it hasn't reached the sticks of canada yet!!! i mean, the bible says to give thanks in everything - and we do ... but this wacky cold weather is just nuts!

mid week ...

mid week in the prairies ... and the sun has decided to stay out for a while ... to coax the leaves to open ... we must be 3 weeks behind with spring ...

but if our hearts are resting in the One who loves us more than we can begin to imagine ... then spring blooms eternally in our hearts ... and heaven is just a breath away ...

blessings on you, my dear blog buds ...

Do not get discouraged -

it may be the last key on the ring that opens the door.

~Stansifer

chitchat ...

sunday morning greetings!

just thought i'd chitchat a bit ... as we wait for an old friend to stop by ... one who we haven't seen in over a year ... those unexpected times of fellowship can be so sweet ...

it's been a nice week here at condo central ... the weather hasn't been so pleasant, but the activities have made up for it ...

i had a nice little trip into the city with my cousin on monday ... we bought our flowers from costco - but mine are still sitting on the kitchen island - waiting for the nights not to dip below that 32F mark! tonight may be the coolest night ... then maybe there will be hope of putting them outside!

i've talked with maria almost every day ... and the news continues to be good ... though there are always some $$ issues - but what is life without struggles? and faith to over come those struggles!

on the home front ... leo and i have watched some movies and had some quiet mid week time ...

then yesterday, my brother and i took a road trip to visit my mom (about 4 hour return trip) ... we had a nice visit while driving there and back, he's such good company ... and it was good to see our mom and step-dad ... all in all a delightful day ...

as you can see, life seems to be normal (yay!!!) ... in a sweet way ... as we remember that our real life is in heaven with Christ ... we look forward to when He comes back again!!

"May blessings and peace of heart be your rich gifts from God our Father, and from Jesus Christ our Lord."

1Thessalonians 1:1

sunday morning thoughts ...

Be strong, He has not failed you
In all the past,
And will He go and leave you
To sink at last?
No, He said He will hide you
Beneath His wing;
And sweetly there in safety
You then may sing.
~selected

* * * * *

Don't steal tomorrow from God's hands.

Give Him time to speak to you and reveal His will.

He is never late - learn to wait.
~selected

* * * * *

blessed sunday to you - my sweet blog buds ... my life continues with lessons in faith ... waiting ... being still and listening ... whereas i just want to go forth, speak my mind and work in my own strength - you know, make things happen! you'd think at this stage of "maturity" i would have learned to rest in Him who is ever faithful! i'm glad that He is ever patient too! *smile* ...

maria continues doing "well" at home ... which is due to the prayers of God's people - thank you! i visited with her last week - and also met her Christian health care worker! isn't God wonderful to provide a believer as maria's helper? !!!! this lady is in her 60's and she told me that she has never seen someone in maria's condition, able to go home after months of hospitalization ... she gave all the praise to Jesus ... i add my amen!

may you find God in unexpected places this sunday morning ...

another day the Lord has made!!!

Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. (Joel 2:32)

So why don't I call on His name? Why do I run to this person or that person, when God is so near and will hear my faintest call? Why do I set down to plot my own course and make my own plans? Why don't I immediately place myself and my burden on the Lord?

Straight ahead is the best way to run, so why don't I run directly to the living God? Instead, I look in vain for deliverance everywhere else, but with God I will find it. With Him I have His royal promise: "[I] will be saved." And with Him I never need to ask if I may call on Him or not, for the word "everyone" is all encompassing. It includes me and means anybody and everybody who calls upon His name. Therefore I will trust in this verse and will immediately call on the glorious Lord who has made such a great promise.

My situation is urgent, and I cannot see how I will ever be delivered. Yet this is not my concern, for He who made the promise will find a way to keep it. My part is simply to obey His commands, not to direct His ways. I am His servant, not His advisor. I call upon Him and He will deliver me.

~Charles H. Spurgeon

* * * * * *

this was my morning reading ... how true ... how encouraging ... we NEED only God ... He will be our ever present help ... in all things ...

i just spoke to maria ... she has been at home 2 nights now ... and she is feeling so blessed ... so glad to be in her own bed ... and she feels "well" ... she will be getting homecare every day ... and she will be going to dialysis 3 times a week ... there are hurdles to her everyday living ... but what a far far way she has come!!! from a sure death - many a time ... to being at home once again ... our God is amazing ... truly amazing ... answering prayers that i, with my weak faith, was too afraid to pray! truly amazing ...

thank you for your prayers ... may your day be filled with the sweetness of Jesus ....

a happy moment in time

sharing

i am always amazed at how God prepares "helps" for us ... tailor made ahead of time, for this present time ... exactly what is needed for the difficult seasons of life ...

my morning help has been Streams in the Desert ... by mrs. cowman ... i can't even begin to share the multiple times that the reading spoke exactly to my need ... then gave encouragement ... it was just like a whispered, loving message from my Heavenly Father ...

even the books that leo and i read together ... again, tailor made for the time ...

at the moment we are reading max lucado's Just like Jesus ... it has interesting chapter titles like "loving the people you are stuck with" ... *grinning* ... i wonder if anyone can relate to that? ... *tongue firmly in cheek* ...

yup - this past 4 months has really been emotion packed ... yet, we have not walked it alone ... always the Lord has prepared the path before us ...

which brings me to a maria update ... i saw her yesterday ... which was super! ... we had a really great visit ... she is looking so well ... yet the bad news continues with low hemoglobin and also questions re how to treat that second virus in her heart ... ... she is being such a trooper ... and she continues to be so very kind to all those who help her (even tho' the help may hurt physically - those yucky tests!) ... there is always a please and thank you ... plus a smile ... maybe a little chuckle ... the poor thing has had a very long 4 months in the hospital ...

through all of this - i pray that we are all being molded to be "Just like Jesus" ... so that these lessons aren't lost ... and that the lost might see the light ...

UPDATE: i just talked to maria ... the heart specialist had been by last night and he said that the virus in her heart is STERILE now ... YAY! ... for 2 weeks, they had been giving maria antibiotics during her dialysis (the dr. said they wanted to do SOMETHING - they couldn't just stand by and watch this thing grow) ... and the anitbiotics worked! that bad virus had already attached itself to one of her heart valves - so the fact that it is sterile now is extremely good news! in fact, they are talking about sending her home again ... possibly at the end of this week or next week ... maria was so overjoyed to hear this ... one step at a time ... she has come such a long way from that very very sick girl at Christmas ...

a week without blogging? yikes!

a week has gone by! already! and i haven't had a chance to be in blogland ... *sigh* ... i do miss you all ...

my plate has been full ... and it has overflowed (not in a good way either) at times ... so i've needed to take a step back ... breath deeply ... and regroup!

atleast my library job is now done! and i may not go back in the fall, because homelife does need to be #1 ... and God supplies the strength for things i need to do - not the things i add on myself ...

my sister maria's battle to regain her health continues ... a new virus was detected in her heart a week ago ... they don't know what to do about it yet ... then she almost died during dialysis last week, her blood pressure went under 30 - extreme chest pains, doctors & nurses running to get her stabalized ... however, her spirits remain high and the many visitors and caring hospital personnel -are a real blessing to her ...

in all things, the Lord has been my very Present help ...

maybe life will settle soon ? ? i hope!!! ... like i said - i miss you all! blessings sent your way!

thank you Lord, for Easter Sunday!

Up from the grave He arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er His foes;
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
and He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

visit with maria ...

picture of maria taken at her L.P.N. (licensed practical nurse) grad, back in the early 90's ... a proud moment for her, since nursing is what she always wanted to do ...

i just got back from the city today ... i spent 2 days there ... half work (taking a course for the library) and half pleasure ... one of the pleasure moments was when i got to visit with maria ... it was just lovely to see her ... she has gotten so much stronger since that open heart surgery 3 weeks ago ...

the surgeon who performed the mitral valve replacement had come by to see her last week ... he said that no one on the team really thought she would make it ... she was so frail ... and this particular surgeon only does the cases that other doctors are too afraid to touch ...

the hospital that maria is in, is a catholic hospital ... they read scripture in the mornings (via the hallway speakers), included with an encouraging thought and then close with the Lord's prayer ... everything there is so different from the mega hospital she was first at ... she said that the scriptures are always so uplifting!


on thursday, maria will have to undergo another procedure ... they will be putting in a permanent dialysis line (chest area) ... so more owie's on the way ... however, she is thrilled to hear that there are folks praying for her, who have never met her ... i know it encourages her along ...


blessings sent your way!!!

thankfulness revisited ...

just sharing a post from march of 2007 ... i need to be reminded of the message of thankfulness ... just sharing with you all too ...


i am reading a REALLY marvellous book called the Holy Wild ... it is written by a pastor from B.C., mark buchanan ... this book was a gift from "the other saija" (who found me via this blog) ...

i just wanted to share this one story - an example of mark's excellent writing - very very readable and it hits home to my heart ... he makes a point about thankfulness ...

page 106 - 107 from the Holy Wild

I was in Uganda, Africa about a dozen years ago, in a little township called Wairaka. Every Sunday evening, about one hundred Christians from the neighboring area would gather to worship. They met at the edge of a cornfield, under a lean-to with a rusty tin roof that cracked like gunfire when it rained. They sat - when they did sit - on rough wood benches. The floor was dirt. The band's instruments were old or handmade - bruised, scratched guitars with corroded strings and necks that had warped in the humidity; a plinky electric piano plugged into a crackling speaker; shakers made of tin cans and stones. All of it kept straying out of tune.

One Sunday evening, I was too sour to join in. The music sounded squawky, I was miffed at someone on our missions team, I found the food bland, tasteless. I was feeling deprived and misunderstood. I found the joy of others hollow, mustered-up. I was miserable, and I wanted to wallow in it.

The pastor asked if anyone had anything to share. Many people wanted to, but a tall, willowy woman in the back row danced and shouted loudest, so he called her forward. She came twirling her long limbs, trilling out praise.

"Oh, brothers and sisters, I love Jesus so much," she said.

"Tell us, sister! Tell us!" the Ugandans shouted back.

"Oh, I love Him so much, I don't know where to begin. He is so good to me. Where do I begin to tell you how good He is to me?"

"Begin there, sister! Begin right there!"

"Oh," she said, "He is so good. I praise Him all the time for how good He is. For three months, I prayed to Him for shoes, And look!" And with that the woman cocked up her leg so that we could see one foot. One very ordinary shoe covered it, "He gave me shoes."

The Ugandans went wild. They clapped, they cheered, they whistled, they yelled.

But not me. I was devastated. I sat there broken and grieving. In an instant, God snapped me out of my self-pity and plunged me into repentance. In all my life, I had not once prayed for shoes. It never even crossed my mind. And in all my life, I had not even once thanked God for the many, many shoes I had.

Thanklessness becomes its own prison. Persisted in, it becomes its own hell, where there is outer darkness and gnashing of teeth. Thanklessness is the place God doesn't dwell, the place that, if we inhabit it too often, He turns us over to. "See to it that no one misses the grace of God," Hebrews says, "and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Thanklessness troubles and defiles many, because first it troubles and defiles the one in whom bitterness takes root.

end of quote

this book is so well written that i am reading it like a novel ... rather than a study book ... his writing is full of images that make me think, pray, repent and rejoice!

saturday paper

our saturday paper ... which i really look forward to reading ... was LATE! i mean 6 hours late ... i had called the paperboy's house and the mom said he was at a sleep over, but will deliver them as soon as he gets back ...

i was already grumbling to leo that it's easier to just buy the paper ... rather than wait all day for it ... i can be grumpy like that sometimes!

just now, the paperboy (i think he's between 10-12 years old?), rang the doorbell and hand delivered the newspaper and said "i'm very sorry it's so late ... i was at a friends and didn't get back until just a little while ago" ...

did you have a good time, i asked ... he smiled and said "ya ... " ... i smiled back ...

he again apologized for delivering so late ... with another "very sorry" ... and i do have to admit, he isn't late very often, in fact, usually he's early ...

some people have such a winning way about them ... that you can't get angry at them ... they just diffuse the situation with honesty and an apology ... also a straightforward look, no dodging ... it's refreshing to find that in a young person ...

* * * * * *

maria is progressing along slowly ... she had a mini stroke last week (one side is weakened now), but seems to be stable again ... she is being visited by different family/friends, who haven't seen her in a while - i know she must love to see familiar faces ...

what i've been reading lately ...

i love the way God encourages me along through books - books that seem to speak to my heart at exactly the time i need to hear the message they provide ...

i had never read anything by Max Lucado before ... but just "happened" to pick up this book at work (it IS great to work in a library, don'tcha think?!!) ... i am now a fan! he writes in such an easy to read manner, yet is able to leave the reader with mega truths from the bible ...

then i heard about don piper's book "90 minutes in heaven" through a christian talk show? or on a website? i don't remember how ... but i ordered it through inter-library loans (another great perk about my little part time job) ... what a blessing to read this book! it breathed a renewed hope of heaven - and drove home the truth of how brief our "momentary trials" really are ... don shares about his 1989 car accident, when he was pronounced dead, but then got prayed alive again ... he spent time 90 minutes in heaven (heaven has no time, but that was the amount of time he was dead) ... even today - don remains in constant pain (his body was REALLY broken up badly!) and went through much to even walk again ... so to me, the wife of a guy in chronic pain, not to mention my sister maria's current ordeal - it gave me a heavenly perspective on our earthly existence ... and it allowed me to cry my eyes out, in a good way!

and last, but not least - john piper's "don't waste your life" is the book i am reading out loud to leo every morning ... and what a challenging book it is! i think i will have to read it again ... it is a book that holds us as believers accountable for the way we live our lives ... it is definitely not a "i'm all right, you're all right" type of read ... but it is something that 21st century, north american believers need to hear ... in fact i found the book online: CLICK HERE to sample it ...

just sharing books & authors who i think glorify God and encourage believers along ...something i need - as the time is short ....

blessings to you ...

life continues along ...

aren't these daffodils lovely? they cheer up the room ... yet, i think that the little joys aren't quite as sweet when a loved one is suffering ... the thought of their situation is always there ... and prayer always on our lips ...

the annual ice fishing derby was held a week ago ... the weather was beautiful and over 1100 anglers were enjoying the day ... i took my usual pictures, because it is good to continue along - to go for walks - to notice activities around us ...

and on the day of maria's surgery - our fridge conked out! we weren't sad about it, 'cause we didn't like that fridge anyway! (it was noisy, came with the condo and not very energy efficient) ... i was able to pick up this maytag, on sale ($200 less the asking price) from one of our local retailers - who delivered it within the hour and took away the old one ... the freezer is on the bottom ... i had always wanted one of those ... it all worked out and we didn't really have much angst about it - because in the long run, fridges (or anything material) don't really count ...

maria is recovering well ... i haven't been able to speak to her yet (she's still in ICU) and i haven't had an opportunity to go into the city yet (hopefully soon!) - so we rely on my cousin and maria's husband for updates ...

i am glad that i've learned lessons about chronic illness (my leo has had a 26 year long battle with unabating pain - which affects me daily too) ... it has helped me understand some of maria's difficulties better ... yet everything is still so unique to each life ... so i've also discovered how little i know about coping!! make any sense? i'm just saying that life is a learning curve ... i'm glad i have the bible to guide me - and Jesus as my Anchor in every storm ... despite having these spiritual helps, my body betrays me with a tight throat, lethargy and emotions bubbling on the surface ...

i'm just sharing my heart with you ... i feel like a small child ... so very weak ... relying on my Heavenly Father for everything, moment by moment ... at times like this, i cling to verses like "when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 ... but please don't think that i am in despair ... i most certainly am not ... just feeling the weight of being human, of being here on earth ... understanding more and more what paul meant in 2 Corinthians 5:1 "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens". God gives us hope ... He shows us what really matters - it's the souls of our family and friends and neighbours ... to try and live in such a way that others are drawn to Christ ... because at the end of the day ... Jesus, and our relationship to Him, will be our only saving grace ... and our loved ones will be the ONLY things we can take to heaven with us ... all things (even fancy new fridges) will be left behind ...

may you be found in Him today ...