Posted: October 8, 2022
Being one of my children is not for the faint of heart. My daughter Michelle and my son Donovan have experienced an intense amount of heartache and suffering through the death of both of their dads. So weddings and funerals are not their first rodeo. As Donovan drove me to the ceremony where I was to be married to my second husband Jack, my son made an extraordinary statement: “Mom, weddings and funerals are very similar. Everybody gets dressed up, there are lots of flowers, there’s food, lots of tears and laughter, and there’s music and a ceremony.” My son’s words always evoke me to make me look at life from unusual angles, and obviously his statement has never left my brain. Life is made up of seasons. Births, deaths and everything in between. Here in Canada summer is waning and it makes me melancholic and a bit sad. As…
Posted in: Ecclesiastes, a time for everything under the Heaven, a time to be silent and a time to speak, beauty and joy, Encouragement, funeral, grief, lamenting, Laughter, seasons of life, weddings, weeping
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Posted: September 30, 2018
A place I worked in for twenty-one years is being torn and shredded until it is non-existent. Gone. The office and people to which I dedicated those years have gone on with their lives, and so have I. It’s hard to accept that this successful and fulfilling era of my life was only temporary. If you don’t agree that everything in life is temporary, just pull out an old photo album. This year I’ve started almost every day saying: “Today is the very best day I’m going to have.” It doesn’t always turn out that way, but if I have dedicated that day to God, then everything happened the way it was designed to unfold. Again, if you’re not sure today is your very best day, look at a photo of yourself 15 years ago, and you’ll probably agree: “Hey today is pretty good!” Today is the very best day…
Posted in: Encouragement, God's promises, grief, heart of God, Hope, Jesus, joy, loneliness, love, momentary trouble, Overcoming Struggles, pain, temporary, thankful, trouble, weeping
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Posted: October 27, 2016
We love the comfort zone of habits. Sitting in our usual church pews, visiting with the same friends, eating at our favourite restaurant and travelling the same route to work each morning take the guesswork out of our complicated life. It’s easier to stay home and watch Netflix series, lounge around in our P.J’s and converse through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Staying within our comfort zone is like a security blanket that keeps us from worrying or looking stupid. But it can also make us predictable and boring. We need to know when it’s time to let go and move into a new season. Yesterday on my walk I came across a pear orchard, splendid in its brilliant harvest colours. I was busy clicking pictures when I noticed a single pear hanging on for dear life. I could almost hear it saying: “I like it here. Leave me alone, I’m…
Posted in: Balancing life, Beauty Unleashed, Boring marriage, comfort zones, Encouragement, Freedom, Friendship, fulfillment, Good Marriage, happiness, joy, Making Wise Choices, Overcoming Struggles, patterns, weeping
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