Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Only One Wish

The other evening, Jesse and I watched an episode of "Once Upon A Time". In this particular segment of the story, a King finds a golden lamp. He rubs it and out pops a Genie. The Genie asks the king what he wishes for and the kings replies that he has everything he could ever want or need, so he wishes the Genie to be set free.

If I were to find a golden lamp with a genie in it, I would have the same sentiment as the King. I am so happy and so content. Life isn't perfect but I don't want it to be: there should be a few things to complain about. ;-)

But I had a dream two nights ago in which I found a lamp. I don't remember rubbing it (I wouldn't... the Genie in the t.v. caused enough trouble to set me off of rubbing golden lamps forever) however, before I knew it, there was a Genie asking me what I wished for and I realized my innermost heart yearned for one thing more: that every person I ever was in contact with would feel Love -- pure and selfless.

 Because once you have felt it, you can never be the same.

Nearly every person who has lived in this world has been given rejection... anger... hatred... judgement... mockery.... abuse... abasement... These are emotions and actions that we have all felt. They are so common. So much more common than love.

Why? Perhaps because of a million different reasons.

It's up to us. No one forces us reject others. No one makes us accept them. It is our decision, in the end. It's up to us to change the world... one person at a time.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Sunday, January 15, 2012

LIFE As We Know It

I love setting up kitchen. I love the intricacies of learning about new ovens, cookie mixers, frying pans, scrapers, spatulas, dishes, sinks, etc. When we bought our house, a lot of stuff came with it; the kitchen had a lot of dishes and appliances in it. Still others were given to us through our three wedding showers and wedding gifts. But there were a couple things that we actually didn't receive among our many gifts and one of those things was a hand mixer.


I can mix a lot of stuff by hand but for something like cookies, I could be using the extra time elsewhere. So a few months ago, we went to the local Home Hardware and picked up this really nice little mixer. It's awesome. It has seven different speeds, two different kinds beaters, sturdy little engine and a nice long cord.

But you must understand something: mixers and I have a troubled history. There was the time that I was trying to retrieve a measuring spoon from the bowl of whatever I was making and accidentally turned on the mixer. I nearly broke my finger. I'll refrain from divulging other disasters!

With this mixer, I really adore every feature of it... except one: it's On/Off button is in the same exact spot as the Beaters Eject button my mom's mixer. Imagine what has happened more than once? Yeah. Cookie dough/cake batter/etc all over myself and the cupboards. The first two times, I did laugh. I should stop encouraging myself!

Do you have a memorable baking/cooking experience that you'd like to share? I'd love to hear it!!


They're working on installing our washing machine and dryer in our utility room today. I am so happy. It will be so nice to stay at home and do laundry... So blessed to have a husband and father-in-law who are very capable for doing these sort of jobs.


The utility room before the washing machine and dryer. Jesse still had yet to glue the linoleum down. He used my bamboo rolling pin for part of the job. Lol!


Talking about how far I'd have to reach every time I did laundry if they were to stack the units...

Other than these things, life has been going on as usual. I gained another student and there is a possibility of three more. Exciting. :-) Jesse is feeling so much better now that his shoulder has stopped hurting so much. He went to a massage therapist and it worked wonders on him. It's such a relief for him... and for me. His pain is mine, I suppose. 

Well, I should close this up and scoot. Oh. Question: are all front loading washing machines stack-able? They decided not to stack ours for a couple reasons but it's puzzling because when we picked out the set, they said we could stack it.. However, with the controls where they are, it seems like ours can't be stacked. The internet didn't turn up much by way of answers so I thought I'd leave the question here. 

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Lee-Amber

Lee-Amber Laderoute is a student of mine. She is 13 years old and lives with her family on a farm right outside of town. Lee-Amber has a great love for art and she expresses this through her music, writing and photography. Last year, she came to me for piano lessons, never having any instruction before. I was amazed how quickly she understood music. I was further amazed by how much she composed and what she composed.

Last year, she let me read one of her stories; it was interesting and well written for her age/maturity. This year before Christmas, she asked me if I would read some of her writing. Of course, Christmas and New Years celebrations got in the way so I didn't get to read any of it until this week. However, when I finally got a chance to read, I have seen that not only has her writing improved over the past year, this young lady knows how to weave the words into something beautiful. I look forward to reading her work in a few years because Lee-Amber will always see the world and herself differently than others do.

With her permission, I am sharing some of her thoughts with you.

Dandelions

In their hated yellow form they are a weed. But, in their white fluffy body they are a beauty. So kick, blow, and rip if you please, for, next year, when winter dies, they shall be reborn once again, and the cycle shall re-do itself.

Song of Sadness

In a voice as delicate as sugar glass, she sang a song of sadness, and a million memories rushed up to me, the horror of humanity crushing me in all of its devastating weight. Silently it rushes up, in a form of a violin-like quivers, tying you in with iron shackles which no amount of force will shatter, enticing you like the beauty and scent of a poisonous weed in a garden, dark as the shadows of a moonless midnight, twisting you, until what you once knew and loved is uncertain and irrelevant, and there is fear where once there was only joy. And yet, as the song changes, there comes happiness, and love in both new things and the old, only stronger, and with more reason and will to fight for it. And the song seems to say that, no matter how hard it gets, or how pointless it seems to keep fighting, you must, because something good comes out of everything. And that is an absolute truth; no matter how dark the sky is, or how long it remains that way, eventually the sun will shine, and the sky will be bright with the return of the sun to light up the world. And no matter how dark it is, there is still a trickle of light flowing in from somewhere. And though love may work in mysterious ways, work it does.

Sunset

The sky, alight with fantastic streaks of orange and red, yellow flowing colors mixing in with graceful swirls, setting the horizon on fire with a giant ball of flaming sunlight. It seems unreal that something so close can be so far away, being magnificent and radiant and beautiful yet also unreachable and blisteringly hot, and completely, heartbreakingly unattainable. And soon the warm brightness fades away, and the dark and cold night takes its place. For though the sun has left us, it does not depart forever -- it simply warms the other side of the world. And in it's absence it brings something else -- the promise of a new day. 


The End

The clock booms out its final toll, signaling the end of my life. I smile as the painless arms wrap around me and carry me away. I know not of what is coming, and yet I am not afraid -- I know of a merciful God, one who has given me life and is now calling me back for another, possibly greater purpose. He calls me to his side, where I will find love and my loved ones, where I will find more happiness than I ever did in life. For, while living, I could not look upon the light without being blinded; now I can stare into it for an infinite amount of time, and never even need to blink. Because now I am stronger, and my soul is my body and I am love -- the heavens, for whatever reason, find me good, and I am found to be worthy of the light. For everyone, no matter how big or small, is worthy and good in their own way, and for everyone awaits something beautiful for the beautiful and unique person that they are.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Michelangelo


If we have been pleased with life, we should not be displeased with death, since it comes from the hand of the same master.

My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be 
 through Earth's loveliness.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

mOre snaPshoTs

    Jesse asked Sara what his name was. She thought for a moment, then she said,             "I'm Jesse."

Avoiding a skunk waddling across the highway and having my husband still congratulating me on this feat two days later.

Forgetting to bring any night clothing with me on the trip therefore, having to buy new ones at Superstore in Regina. It was a mistake that turned into a good thing: I LOVE them. They are so warm and cozy, I could wear them 24/7. Unfortunately, I can't! (Professional image up-keep.)

Watching Ghost Protocol in the Galaxy theatre and feeling my stomach churn over the tall building with lots of glass part. I think I may have yelped a couple of times.

Going to Boston Pizza and eating at midnight. They have the most delectable Christmas dessert there: Peppermint Brownie Delight. Side note: Jesse and I aren't big fans of peppermint and chocolate mixed together. I mean, come on: two great flavors, why mix them? But the picture of this one was pretty convincing so, we ordered it. Picture this: two hot brownies, two big scoops of vanilla ice-cream (the kind with chunks of vanilla in it), raspberry syrup and chocolate syrup drizzled over, then... the final touch: crushed peppermint candy canes over everything. It. Was. Heavenly.

Our second test of 'in sickness and in health'. Half an hour before we arrived at my parents, Jesse came down with some sort of head cold/flu. His fever was very high, he ached all over, he was shaking and shivering and coughing. At one point, he was so weak that he couldn't even move. I finally got him to take some Advil and that seemed to help keep his fever down. He doesn't often get sick, but when he does, he REALLY does.

Ruth got herself into some trouble for being too noisy while Jesse was trying to sleep. Hannah scolded her soundly for almost waking up her "brother-in-law"... the idea of a five-year-old having a brother-in-law cracks me up. And it gets better: Sara is two.

Exchanging presents at Lindsey's place. She got us several awesome gifts but the one I am going to mention is the SKITTLES!!! Hehe. I love having friends who get you what you want for Christmas.

Sitting in our living room and not having to worry about the mosquitoes. They are finally gone. Good ol' Raid.

Getting the mail and seeing that my new camera had arrived. I am (so, SO!!!) excited about the camera. Jesse is excited about the tripod. And Snow is happy because ...

....he got salmon flavored Kitty Treats for Christmas. (Jesse calls them Cat Crack.) We're good cat owners because we only give him one at a time. Amen.

Celebrating the New Year with my family and many folks from the Endeavour Church. It was a lot of fun and we rang in the tick-tock of Midnight with a rousing chorus of Onward Christian Soldiers. Mainly because I was too exhausted at that point to think of anything else creative.

Jamming with Ellie and Lydia for the first time in months. I actually can't remember the last time we did that. It was good and it brought back pleasant memories of our family band and all the hours we used to practice together. I am glad we were able to bond in this way over the years. Music is magic and it is definitely alive and well.

Eating supper at Brewsters with Sam. This restaurant is also where two dear friends waitress, so between Jesse, Sam, Gillian, Brie and awesome, awesome food, it was a pleasant experience for me. I will be going back there again.


Watching five different movies in two days while in Regina. We watched The Adventures of Tintin, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Arthur Christmas, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows. All were brilliant. I definitely want to review each of them for Ponderings. What a treat to be able to go sit in a darkened theatre and watch things come to life on the big screen.

It was -4* C. today. In January. In Saskatchewan. That's really warm. And the snow and ice were all melting and falling off the car. Weather predictions say it's supposed to last all week. ::happy sigh::

Today my husband told me I am prettier than Marilyn Monroe. (In context, it doesn't sound weird. Lol!) It never fails: he makes me feel beautiful, smart and best of all, strong and good. I am really blessed to have such a man.

The best snapshot of the week is simply that God answered my prayers regarding several matters: Jesse and I drew ever closer through this holiday season, the visit with my family went well, Christmas with the in-laws was so good and last, but most certainly not least, Jesse is getting better.

Happy Holidays for all, forever. Cheers!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Happy New Year [Of Doom]

Fasten your shutters! Ready your bomb shelters! Get your guns primed! Say goodbye to your loved ones! Do all the things that you ever wanted to do! Repent of your many sins and commit suicide!

Or perhaps it's time to get a NEW Mayan calendar.

 My friend Lindsey had a Benjamin Franklin quote on her blog to help greet the new year and I liked the idea. So I went to Brainy Quote, which is one of my favorite websites because it has quotes covering every subject, from famous or infamous alike. Because of the latest and greatest hype that has taken over the world, I typed in the numbers "2012" in the search box and came up with some interesting stuff. 

We need responsible regulations, not regulations that have gone wild. For example, the EPA has a rule that is going to be implemented Jan. 1, 2012, where they're going to begin to regulate dust. That's right, dust. It's called PM 2.5. That is focusing on the wrong thing. -- Herman Cain

I forget what the relevant American rate is, but I can tell you that our goal is to have a combined federal-provincial corporate tax rate of no more than 25 percent. We're on target to do that by 2012. We will have significantly - by a significant margin the lowest corporate tax rates in the G-7, and that's our - our government's objective. -- Stephen Harper

We have been actively trying to have New York City host the 2012 Olympics. -- George Pataki

PM 2.5., tax rates and 2012 Olympics. Hm. Hm. Hm. No talk of the end of the world? No mention at all. This will require further searching. 

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." -- Richard Bach 

[That's nice but not nearly dark enough.]

"The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him." -- Pablo Casals

[Still not dark enough.]

"Youth is the period in which a man can be hopeless. The end of every episode is the end of the world. But the power of hoping through everything, the knowledge that the soul survives its adventures, that great inspiration comes to the middle-aged." -- Gilbert K. Chesterton

[Should I give up?]

Finally! 

"A poll earlier this year showed that 42 per cent of Americans believe we're in the End Times." -- Andrew Denton

Enlightening.

Since Brainy Quote wasn't turning up the interesting stuff, I went to good ol' Google:

 "how many times have people predicted the end of the world?" 

The answer was that while people aren't sure who has counted all of them, the number of predictions is somewhere in the thousands. They range from the earlier days of man's existence (apparently we've always had a thirst for doom and evil tidings) to modern day. Some years even have more than one prediction. The prophecies are made by many different kinds of people but I found that scientists and religious leaders made up the larger percentage. They are made for different reasons; some I believe were genuinely believed by the prophet; others were just for money, fame, or power. You will find a few of the more interesting ones below, with links. It was hard to choose!

"The Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching." Assyrian tablet, c. 2800 BC [I couldn't find this quote on any site on any site I usually quote from, but I found it thought provoking.]

Second Century: prophets of Montanism claimed Christ would return in their lifetime and create New Jerusalem in Asia Minor. [links: tacoma atheistsWikipedia]

1669 - 1690: 20,000 Old Believers in Russia burned themselves to death to protect themselves from the Anti-Christ. (links: religious tolerancetacoma atheists)

"I guarantee you by the end of 1982 there is going to be a judgment on the world." -- Pat Robertson (links: tacoma atheistsWikipedia)

Of course, there is the Mayan Calendar which is ending in 2012 [link:http://www.universetoday.com]. As you know, that means the world is supposed to be ending this year. A lot of people are taking this seriously... just like so many people have wholeheartedly believed other predictions in the past. We have committed suicide, killed human beings and animals, sold all of our possessions, forsaken our family, lived in caves, set off bombs, started fires: you name it, someone has done it for the end of the world. 

You know what Jesus said? But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. [Mark 13:32]

And Paul was quite certain in his letter to the Thessalonians: But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. [1 Thess. 5]

If Jesus didn't know the date, if Paul didn't know the date and if the angels didn't know the date, why should we? Furthermore, should we be living in fear? Earthquakes, storms, persecution and hatred have happened every second of every day somewhere in the world. Death comes to us all eventually and so must the end of the world. But to prepare for it, we should be seeking a relationship with God and how to become better people. We should learn how to love and live more.

I agree, there is room for caution... but in some cases there is a very fine line between wisdom and paranoia. 

So! Have a Happy New Year! May each day find you celebrating something good and lovely. May the end of the world find us ready for the next step in our journey, whenever it happens.