Christmas Joy and Sorrow

My life has not been without great sorrow. But my life has also not lacked great joy. My friend Father Banga  said "Goodbye" to us on December 14th. It was sudden... and quick, thankfully. When I think of him, my tears are for myself and all of us who will miss him. But his time was up, his work finished. I am so grateful for the time I had with him. There are so many good memories; I often find myself crying and laughing at the same time. Fr. Banga left this world a better place.

Inspiration comes to me in many forms. Death is swallowed with difficulty but leaves me gasping with determination. Pain wants me huddled in a corner but instead often finds me bloodying my fingers with some task I would not have had the courage to do before. Joy sets my feet to dancing and laughing and creating joy for others. Peace cleanses me and puts me on the right path.

Christmas should be a season of joy. My sister has been a wonderful source of inspiration since she moved in with  us in June but especially in the past two months. As soon as Remembrance Day had passed, she got out all of the Christmas decorations and the house was festive in an hour. She has written numerous cards and letters and has sent care packages to people. She has spent money on gifts and time on creating joy for others. I look at her in awe. I am so blessed to have her as a sister.

Each day finds me loving my husband more. He is the most patient of men. He doesn't understand my hormones or emotions but he loves me. He cares for me, "in sickness and in health." He helps me to understand God. The other day, I had a half hour in between lessons and I went into our room. Jesse was there on his computer. As soon as I opened the door, he frantically cleared his computer screen. "Uhhmmm... just some last minute shopping." Christmas is going to be so much fun. He has no idea what I am giving him for Christmas and I have no idea what he is giving me for Christmas.

My mother-in-law is one of a kind: smart, gentle, very grounded. She is generous, yet stays within her boundaries. She is kind, but honest. She is very intelligent, very talented and generally amazing. Before I got married, I was very afraid I was going to marry someone who had a family I wouldn't get along with. So I prayed for a man who's family was one I could fit into. A family that would accept me and who I could accept. And I prayed especially for a mil who would love me. :-)

My friends, my coworkers, my fil, my sil, my cousins-in-law, Cornerstone Theatre peoples... so many wonderful human beings that fill my life with joy. I wish to be an inspiration to them... to the entire world. Someone who changes the world for better.

Merry Christmas. 

A Good Life

Again, my time is limited. My email, blog and facebook all suffer. But, I am living. Sort of.

Pharmasave, teaching, theatre. Cat, husband, sister. Prepare for Christmas. Still take time to talk and snuggle with husband. Take annoying cat off of head.

Christmas! It’s only over a month away.  After Remembrance Day had passed, Lydia started to decorate the house. This is her first Christmas in over 16 years, so she is very excited. Mr. Fox is very excited too. Anything that dangles or rattles or even remotely hints “Catch me if you can” is in imminent danger of being attacked with great vigor. As Lydia and I put up garland around the house, he was always one step behind us, clawing, biting (not us, thankfully) and being annoying. Lol.

But the house looks very festive in spite of him! Or perhaps, because of him. He loves to climb the Christmas tree. He also thinks that ornaments were made for the sole purpose of honing his “how can I rip this out of the tree” abilities. Yes. We love him.

Last year, I decorated the house by myself. This year, it has been nice having Lydia’s extra hands and inspirations. Having a sister around is like having an extra brain. We've been taking turns wrapping gifts. The pile is growing ever so gradually. By the time December rolls around, we'll only have baking left to do. :-)

Jesse and I have been married 14 months. It is still marvelous, in case you were wondering. We have our small disasters. The other night, we were having salmon. Jesse loves making rice to go with it, so he put on the pot. When I came downstairs from teaching, I smelled something burning. Lydia passed it off as the salmon, so I opened the oven. Nope, no burnt meat. You aren’t supposed to lift the lid on the rice until it is finished cooking, so I didn’t touch it. Then, the smoke alarm went off. Apparently, Jesse had forgotten to turn the rice down. It was so burned. But it was hilarious, especially because of the smoke alarm.

The bad part of this story is about how we couldn’t figure out how to get the rice scrubbed out of the pan. We ended up not using it for about a week before Lydia brought home some cleaner from work. Amazing stuff, btw.

If you ever come over for dinner, you’re going to have to get Jesse to make you salmon and rice. It is truly a divine platter. Also, I believe I am going to get him a rice cooker for Christmas.

 Snow, snow, snow. Yes, we have snow. We got more snow overnight than we received all winter last year. I have to admit that, in spite of the presented challenges, I love how the moisture. The more, the better. After looking at the drought across the south, down to Mexico, one cannot help but be thankful for the white stuff. Here’s to the lakes rising another foot and all the greens of the grass and trees.

There are times I wish I had more hours for writing. But that will come eventually. Life; ‘tis good. The best part is that I am capable. Great joy can be found in this. :-)

Schedules are great things.

Some Random Thoughts

Recently, I've been brain storming, reading, etc. It's funny that I've even had the time to think since I have been so busy. Apparently, my head is never allowed to be empty. ;-) Some of these quotes are from the internet, some from the radio and some from my many years of memorization of the Bible. They are all connected in some ways and completely random in others.

There is one reason I am posting these: to give you something to think about. That's all.

  And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. -- Ephesians 6:4

Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break into pieces.

- Etienne de la Boetie, "The Politics of Obedience" (1553)

"Sometimes we see evil in the closed eyes of a recklessly naive wife.." --Lydia Lovric

A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves. -- Bertrand de Jouvenel

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;  ... To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people.. -- Isaiah 10

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. -- Ephesians 5

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. -- 1 Peter 3:7

Random Thoughts of the Day

Let me just say that exciting things have been happening and that I haven't been neglecting you on purpose!

Very randomness:
I am praying for wisdom today, for both Jesse and myself.

PLANS to scan and print pictures at 3 pm, when I get off work. I can't wait to get started with that!! :-) Yes, Linds, they're for you. :-D

IN forgetting to set my alarm clock at the usual time, I woke up an hour late. But I feel so energetic and ready to rock the world...

FREE will... many thoughts about it and how it applies to humans, God and the circumstances around us.

YESTERDAY evening, for supper, I created a dish out of the leftovers from this meal (click on link to go to recipe) by adding another can of beans and some beef broth. So good. Mm.

Cheerio, friends and not-friends. :-) May you all have a most wonderfully marvelous day and may your dinners all have the right amount of salt.

Yes, I feel good. :-D

I am Busy. I am Happy. Life is Insane.

Good morning from beautiful Saskatchewan! The sun is shining and the snow is almost all melted. I am really excited to be outdoors today. :-) For some reason this weather reminds me of the spring of 2009, when Sara was born. Spring, to me, is hope of beauty. It is ugly in itself but it helps us hang on through the last few days when winter is being banished to the North Pole for the summer. And summer is beautiful. Green. Bursting with life.

Yesterday, I woke up late and did very little all day. After having a crazy schedule for the past few weeks, I was glad for a day to relax. As you can see, I spent the time working on my blog, among other things. It was just so nice to be inactive for a day. ::sigh::

Then, at 7-ish, the Twietmeyers picked me up for theatre practice. That went really well... we ended at a quarter after 10. We are going to try to cut down the time even more but honestly, three hours is not bad considering how intense this play is. So much action and people *having* to be in their places. Wow.

One of the really wonderful things about this practice was that I really felt like I was Lillian. I slipped into my character like I was putting on a dress. I am Lillian. Fashion designer. Proud. Arrogant. Completely in love with my new hubby. ;-) And I do love the outfits I have to wear, btw. I love them so much in fact, that I want to have our engagement pictures taken with Jesse and me in costume.

Wedding plans... well, we got a bunch of stuff from a woman who is moving back to Spain, so I have been trying to decide what we want and what I should add to the wedding registry. Jesse and I have both added quite a few items lately. I am also going to try to register on Walmart and Sears. We shall see how that goes.

Have I mentioned how much I'm looking forward to Spring?!

I love Jesse.

Today: work; teaching; theatre; chocolate. ::innocent smile::

From the Queen of Randomness

The show went well! In fact, it went really well. Once up on stage, my nervousness vanished and I was able to play and sing and enjoy myself.

Several musicians and friends of Michele's are coming to stay the weekend and we have been preparing. Last night, Michele made turtle cheesecake (it's a new recipe and she made her own caramels, which are wonderful but didn't quite turn out the way the recipe said so she is worried about serving the cake to company and I wondered since she had enough ingredients to make another one if we shouldn't sample this one just to make sure but she said no. Twice.) (there, I knew I could write a run-on sentence! ;-)) and lasagne, which I am quite looking forward to. I get to make french bread to go along with it!! Yay.

Went to the theatre meeting yesterday for the Easter play. It looks like it's going to be a murder mystery of sorts. I'm not sure if I am going to have a part or not. I have never memorized so many lines (well, I've memorized entire books of the Bible but that's a little different!) and I've definitely never been in a play that required so much  from me. It could be a good experience. :-) That being said, with everything else going on, I might regret committing. We shall see.

I've been reading "The Princess Bride". And laughing. Interesting thing: the book is not better than the movie. They're both equally creative. And funny.

One of my students wants to learn how to play "If I Die Young" (The Band Perry) on the piano. So I have been trying to learn it so I can teach her. I like the challenge. And I like the song. It's a bluegrass number with really nice words. Kind of a Appalachian Anne of Green Gables song.

It was *30 F (-1* C) yesterday!!!! Wow. I ran outside with no long sleeves on and I was not cold at all. I love this weather.

I watched "Appaloosa" the other day. I was so annoyed at the end of it. :sigh: Seriously, three very good actors. Three of my favorites. You wonder if any of them had ever read any westerns at all. :-P Plus, Ed Harris' character randomly loses his temper for no real reason and nearly beats a teamster to death. Interesting. I wonder why he put that into the movie? Just because he'd always wanted to randomly nearly beat someone to death? Can you tell I'm still annoyed? ;-)

And while we're on the topic of movies, has anyone watched "Young Victoria"? Opinion?

Anyone a Doctor Who fan?

I should go eat something and try to stem the tide of my cold. Or allergies. Or whatever it is. I started getting a sore throat when I began dealing with all of deceased Yoda's hair. Now my nose is running like a faucet. Lol. I'm taking zinc in case it is a cold. Maybe I should be taking more stuff. Hmm.

I am so glad God loves me.

Anyways, this is my random-ist post ever. Enjoy, Bekah dear! ;-) (And anyone else who may read this.) 

Because I'm Going To Enjoy Today

I woke up this morning feeling so much better. :-) I have discovered how hard it can be to force yourself to eat but how necessary it is. ;-) Yesterday, I ate supper and drank ginger tea afterwards. It seemed to help settle everything. Hopefully I'll soon kick this and have my usual dosage of energy!!

"...if anything matters then everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will be the same again."  -- William P. Young (The Shack)

Random thoughts of the day:
1: I love Jesse.
2: How much God has blessed me.
3: God gives us a free will but wishes for our fellowship.
4: True happiness is found within that fellowship.
5: Making meals is awesome.

Yesterday, for supper, I made burritos (black beans, garlic, Thai Chili sauce, black pepper, salt, sour cream, cheddar cheese) and salad. I rolled them up, place them on a cookie sheet and baked them for 45 minutes or so.  They wouldn't have to be baked that long, it just happened that people weren't ready to eat until that point in time. (I was also making the salad/setting the table/etc.) Today, I have roast in the crock pot and Yorkshire pudding on the menu. It's a lot of fun experimenting. I also love that I can run and ask Michele for advice. She's such a good cook and so creative in creating meals! This is definitely the best way to gather experience.

I have always worked in the kitchen and know how to cook a lot of meals but we always used ingredients in different quantities ... and from different sources (i.e. in bulk, from the garden, etc). I want to learn how to cook economically but tastefully. What a challenge! However, this is something worth learning well.

Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you'll be able to see further. -- J.P. Morgan

I have been learning a lot lately. It seems that no sooner is one lesson complete, another begins. I suppose that it is either moving ahead or falling behind. I would rather move ahead. I am learning about love. It is such a little word but the world balances on it. Love is many faces. What can I do today that will cause God's love to be shed abroad in hearts? What will brighten the faces of those I am with today? How will love appear in lives I touch?

I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall always rest in hope. -- The Psalmist

This morning, I was feeling frustrated. I finally sat down and thought through what I was feeling... and realized my feelings were centered around myself. It was about me. Then, I began thinking about everything I had to be thankful for (not me!) and suddenly, I was the most blessed. Truly. I have so much to be glad about!

May each day find our hearts seeking and finding love... and enjoying very random blog posts from a much better Naomi who has decided she is going to enjoy today and the people in it.

Don't find fault. Find a remedy. -- Henry Ford

From the Queen of Randomness

Yoda ( fat cat) just whacked Ozzie (fatter cat) across the face and Ozzie blames it on me. I maintain my innocence.

I am trying to learn to play "Just You Wait Henry Higgins" in Cm and Dm. I was assigned to it for the Christmas play.

My voice has just the tiniest country drawl. Don't knock it. A lot of work went into that.

I love the movie Fiddler on the Roof more each time I see it.

Did you know that deadpanning is a lot harder than it sounds?

"Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later." - Mary Bly

Did you know that soaking your face with black tea feels good?

Manitoba and dear friends are calling for me this weekend. So looking forward to it. :-)

There are people in my life who I don't deserve and am so terribly grateful for. They encourage me, criticize me, help me, lift me up and above all, simply love me. Well, I love ya'll, too! :hugs: all around.

Off to practice for tonight's theatre. My lines are just a little rusty still and my drawl could use some tuning...