Favourite Things Beginning with "S"

My favourite things beginning with "S" - not necessarily in order of importance are:

1. Sovereign God: Although I view my heavenly Father with awe, worship, fear, mystery and simple faith, I am glad I believe in Him and He believes in me!

2. Scriptures: The older I get, the more precious the Bible has become. There are still many parts of it I don't understand and that make me uncomfortable but, at the same time, the verses challenge, comfort and convict me. I am even beginning to love the Old Testament prophets because amid the doom and gloom there is always a note of hope.

3. Seasons: There is something about each of the four seasons that I love. I love spring. That's when the promise we have held onto all winter comes to be with green leaves and daffodils. I love summer and the warm, although not the very hot, sunny days. I love fall and the wonderful harvest of vegetables and the vivid colours of the maple trees. And I even love winter. The pure, white snow covers up all the dirt and grime the world collects.

4. Spouse: I have the greatest husband in the world. The past few years have been incredibly difficult at times but Jim has been with me every step. He often doesn't understand me but he accepts me for who I am at any given moment.

5. Sandwiches: There is nothing like a sandwich made by someone else. The ladies in many churches that I have attended over the years make the BEST sandwiches I have ever eaten.

6. Silly songs and limericks: Only the clean, clever and creative ones make my list. Anyone can make an off-colour rhyme but a true genius can make us laugh in a way children can enjoy as well as adults.

7. Serendipity and surprises: Especially the pleasant, unexpected things that happen in our lives. But the unpleasant have their place, too. They make us appreciate the good times and keep us from getting too arrogant.

8. Sister: I am so fortunate to have a wonderful sister. I don't think I could make it through the visits to Mother without her. It is so difficult to see my dar mom so frail and feeble and know that she has no idea who I am. Without my sister there, I would have a complete meltdown, I'm sure. We have not always been close but sisters understand you like no-one else can.

9. Snail mail: I do love getting letters and cards in the mail. I am afraid that as a culture we are losing the ability to communicate by handwritten ( or even hand typed) correspondence. And, no, emails are not the same.

10. Sunsets: I used to have a sitting room that faced west and I so enjoyed the gorgeous sunsets we get every so often. I truly felt that God created them especially for me!

Today is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday - whatever you prefer. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday or the first day of Lent.

Many Christians choose to give up something for Lent, the forty days before Easter. I have chosen to give up chocolate or sugary treats some years. Another year I decided to write a card, note or letter to someone every day for 40 days. I managed to accomplish this too and rather enjoyed it.

This year there have been too many things going on around here and I completely forgot about Lent until Kathy mentioned it in her blog this morning.

There have been times this winter when I have considered just giving up PERIOD but that is not my style. The women in our family generally have not been quitters. My mother turns 96 tomorrow and although she hardly knows her own name these days, last week she told my sister the exact month and date of her birth.

If she's not ready to give up, I have no excuse!

I'll have to think about Lent. It is the most important period of the Christian calendar although Evangelical churches rarely mention it any more. Considering the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf, 40 days meditating on His death and resurrection and commemorating it in some way, seems a small thing.

Thursday musings

This wonderful picture of Mount Rundle in Banff, Alberta was in our newspaper this morning. I felt a bit homesick for the Rocky Mountains again. However, the knowledge that we are planning to visit Banff again in June - two years in a row! - makes things a bit more bearable. The article is more about skiing than anything else but the writer does admit that people go to Banff and Canmore and Lake Louise and Jasper for the scenery - first and foremost. He is exactly right.

The majestic mountains are awe-inspiring. I feel so grateful when I visit there and I just know that God created those mountains specifically for me! :-) The actual town of Banff is not great. The gift shops unfortunately are full of souvenirs made in China or Taiwan. I am a true connoisseur of gift stores so I know! The best ones I have found so far are in Northern Ontario!

Part of me would love to live in Banff but that's not going to happen. First the real estate there is way too expensive for our budget and their winter is far too long.

The last couple of days have been trying ones for me. We have had and continue to have snow and more snow. Add to that four bad headache days in a row - unusual for me lately - and my still sore fingers and you can see why I am not a happy camper.

Things could be worse, however.

Tuesday

We have had no snow today. That is the good news. The bad news is that we are back in the deep freeze and will be for a couple of days. Someone said how pretty the snow looked today. It is pretty if you don't have to drive in it or shovel.

I watched most of Obama's inauguration today as did a lot of people around the world. My daughter-in-law reminds us that he is just a man. I agree, of course, but he is a remarkable man. I watched the reports of the racial conflicts in the 1950s and 60s. So much violence and bitterness on both sides. I would have said it would take a century at least before any black person could ever expect to be President of the most powerful country on earth.

If the only contribution President Obama makes to his country is to give the American people hope then he has accomplished a very great deal indeed. Most people have lost hope these days. The economy, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the lack of integrity in business and politics have resulted in a loss of faith in people and if Obama can even partially restore that, he is a great man.

It has been snowing here ever since Saturday night. Even now it is snowing lightly. It doesn't seem to know when to stop! 

We drove to church yesterday through the snowstorm. It was a very stressful drive that took us twice as long as usual. It would have been OK if it weren't for the trucks that are still in summer mode. No wonder there are so many accidents involving large trucks. Perhaps the wonder is that there are not more accidents especially in the winter. Not too many people made it to the first church service but Baptists are tough and the parking lot was full when we left before the second service.

My fingers are still swollen and sore. I am typing with only one finger on my right hand at the moment and probably will pay for that later. I called the doctor this morning but can't get to see him until Wednesday afternoon and the antibiotics run out tomorrow morning. Ah well . . .

Other than that, not much is new. I am hoping for an early spring!

What an attitude

I love this picture. It says it all as far as attitude is concerned. Once in a while I wake up and this is my attitude. This happened this morning. Although usually there is no rhyme or reason for feeling this way, I do have at least an excuse or two today.

For one thing, I didn't sleep well last night. I've mentioned my very sore, swollen fingers. When  I put the cream on that the doctor recommended, they burn and they burned last night for about two hours. I dozed off and on but didn't really sleep until the burning let up.

Then I had an odd dream. All my dreams are a bit odd, of course. This one was about a family member who is going through a rough time and is ignoring the advice of people who may have a wiser view of the situation. This dream just showed the person doing what others had advised against.

We also found out this week that the mother of a very dear friend has pancreatic cancer. This is the same cancer that killed my mother-in-law in 2007  so it's like reliving that sad time all over again. We can only pray and hope that the outcome is different this time.

Add to this our frigid temperatures (Minus 25*C this morning - way too cold for all but a very short walk) and you can possibly see why I was a bit irritable this morning.

Hope your day is going better.

I am going to try to upload the picture I wanted to show yesterday. I hope I have more luck today.

I went for my walk this morning in -15*C temperatures. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. The sun was shining and there was very little wind. I have an infection in my ring finger on my right hand. It has been infected for about three weeks - not really bad enough to go to the doctor or so I thought. I did show it to my pharmacist and she said I should go to the doctor: that I probably needed a mild antibiotic. This was on New Year's Eve. I decided not to go then because I was afraid that the only patients there would have colds and flu and I didn't want to catch anything.

This week, however, the infection isn't any better (but no worse, either) and two other fingers are also mildly infected. I wish I knew what is going on.

I had to take a lady to the medical building where my doctor's office is located this morning and I went in and made an appointment for Tuesday. Hopefully he will suggest an effective treatment.

Part of the reason I decided to go for treatment is that the very cold temperatures really make the fingers throb. Also I am having trouble gripping a pen. This is not so good for my resolve to write more letters!

The lady I took over for blood work was lovely. I have met such nice people  driving for Community Care. The only problem I have is when the ladies have walkers. This lady did and now my back, arms and neck are letting me know that they didn't appreciate the extra lifting. I feel it's a small price to pay for these seniors who have much more serious health problems than I do.