Washing the Stink Out

It was a glorious day. It was her favourite place in the world.
"Way better running here than at Larry Walker field." she thought as she leaped over a large puddle and continued the sprint westward. The birds were singing their glorious songs.
"What an amazing day to be alive! The sun shone and the sky was blue." she thought to herself as she ran along the dyke following Pitt River. She felt alive. She was doing what she loved to do, in the place that she loved to do it. Life couldn't get any better. Every passer-by could tell she was enjoying life to the fullest. Her smile was from ear to ear and it was catchy. She ran with full abandon. She even took the path less travelled and ran through the tall grass. It was glorious. She felt young again. Alive!

"What's that smell?" she stopped in her tracks. It smelled so good. And yet deep down she knew that smell would cause her a lot of trouble. It took her further off into bushes.  She couldn't help herself. It was bad, but it smelled so good. With careless abandon she sniffed the smell out and when she found it she rubbed it all over her body. It was bad. Deep down she knew it. But, it felt good.
"Angel." Her pack leader called.  Instant dread filled her being.
"What did I do?" Shame filled her soul. Any good feelings she may have had a moment ago were left at the edge of the river bank. She knew she did wrong. With tail between her legs, she slowly walked back to her pack leader. No more joy. Only the stink of death rubbed all over her.
"It was all that salmon's fault!" she cried, "Why did he have to smell so good?"

Not everything that feels good, thinks good or smells good is good for us. Sometimes, after we've rubbed ourselves all over something that we thought was good, turns out to be just a stinky smelly mess.

I have a dear friend of mine that believes our only purpose as humans is to procreate and spread our seed. I wonder.... If that were true, why is their music and art?
I believe this train of thought leads to depression, anger and doubt. To have no purpose or meaning in your life leads to a stinky smelly death.

If my only purpose in life was to procreate and spread my seed, then my life right now would have no more purpose. I have children, my job would be done. But, I believe my job isn't done just yet.

If our only purpose was to propagate the species, why are we so concerned that our children have a good education? Shouldn't our concern be to find a healthy mate for them? If our soul purpose was to just have babies, there wouldn't be any need for thought, education or science. We would just be marrying our offspring to the first healthy available species and then we would die. Everything else wouldn’t matter. Why be concerned? Nothing matters, if our purpose is over? Truthfully, why even have children to live in a life with no purpose or meaning?

Where’s the hope? With no purpose, life is over. People become depressed without hope. People get angry where there's no love. People doubt when there's no solid foundation to live by with purpose. 

Without purpose, there is nothing... so doesn't that make purpose everything?

Each one of us has a purpose greater than procreation and we have a God who believes we are so important, that he came to earth to teach, to correct, to heal and to love unconditionally a creation he loves. 

"While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:5

After Jesus said this he healed a man's blindness. There are times I know my heart has been blinded by thoughts and ideas that hinder me from being all that I'm called to be. He doesn't want us stuck in a darkness that holds us back.

God calls us to live in light. With purpose. To love one and other and lift each other up out of the darkness that holds us back. The darkness that keeps us 'just going through the motions' of pretend living. The darkness of a life in misery, anger, depression and doubt. 

I can’t live in that kind of darkness anymore. I'm going to take a shower and wash the world's stink off. How about you?

Every Day Blessings

Before I even crawl out of bed to begin each new day, let me whisper a prayer of gratitude. Let me be thankful for the ordinary and celebrate everyday blessings. 
Anonymous


Each day of life and breath within me is a gift.
It is not to be wasted with worry and sadness.
"Just keep moving" is a motto for death;
Zombie mode
It should be Keep LIVING!
Recognizing that this life,
no matter how hard sometimes,
it's too precious not to be grateful for each and every day.

This past week, I have withdrawn from others. I have been in a foul mood. But, I didn't wish to spread it. So I kept to myself, I didn't want to spread my dis-ease. Throughout this little depression of mine, I was certain of only one thing, and that was, it wouldn't last. God would put me back on track, as He always does.

I found out today that my friend has Cancer. A harsh slap of reality to the normality of life. But her attitude of grace and living in the present puts my sadness of the last few days to shame.
She writes in her blog, "Peoples' face book statuses don't seem so witty or, well, even worth reading.  I want to scream at them, "Stop your inane writing!  People are dying all around you!  I am dying! Can't you see?  Don't you care?". 
It was my inane writing she was speaking about. 


I know, everyone goes through hardships in life, no one is immune, but it's really our attitude that sets us apart. Giving way to whining and complaints may not be the best road to follow; although every once in a while we can't help but stop there; as long as we keep moving forward and fill ourselves with God's attitude. 
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Life is a tough journey,
May our attitude be in the right place.
May we see each day God gives,
As a blessing.

"Yes, I do care!"

Christmas Brightness

"WE ARE THE FIRST!" My husband boasted. Yes we are the first on our block to have our Christmas lights up. He was looking for a challenge and this was it. Amid the dirty stares of neighbours driving by he sang jingle bells and untangled and hooked up those beautiful red, white and green bulbs of brightness.

It was a bit dark and dreary these past few days, but no more bah humbugs here. I am ready for the season because it's time to celebrate something I had temporarily forgotten.

 "The Lord my Shepherd guards me well, and all my wants are fed: Amid green pastures made to lie, beside still waters led. My careworn soul grows strong and whole when God’s true path I tread. Though I should walk in darkest ways, through valleys like the grave, no evil shall I ever fear; your presence makes me brave. On my behalf Your rod and staff assure me You will save." McCasland goes on to say; "No matter what you're facing today, Jesus knows your name, He knows the danger, and He will not leave your side. You can say with confidence: The Lord my Shepherd guards me well." Psalm 23(paraphrased),  from Our Daily Bread.


"The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel," which means"God is with us." Matthew 1:23(NCV)


May I never forget.


 Rene is done with our Christmas lights... so he has time to help you with yours.
If you find yourself a little busy this season and need some help just call Sister Spade and Brother Odd @ 604-505-3755 and ask for Rene (he may even sing a carol or two).

When You Fall, Get Back Up

It's been a tough week. My daughter was very sick, and I found out after 13 years of handling thousands of dollars in an accounting position within the airline industry, I was declined a cashiers position with a furniture store. I'm hoping it was because I was over qualified? 
I have sent my resume to many companies and very few have made any attempt at a reply. It's frustrating. Hence my foul mood last Wednesday, when my parents came for dinner.
"I'm looking forward to Christmas shopping," my mom sang. We were driving to pick up Alora from piano lessons.
"Bah Humbug." I sneered.
"What? That's not like you Anuschka."
"Well, that's the way I feel!"
"Just keep going," was my mantra this week. It came to a boiling point this morning in the shower when I just felt like I couldn't go any further. I fell down, and felt like I couldn't get back up.
"Why?" I cried. All week I tried to deal with it on my own. Wasn't it a few weeks ago, that wrote a sermon in my homiletics class about not holding on to crap in life? (That wasn't the title of my sermon).
"Just wash it down the drain Anuschka. Let it go." said that still small voice. It's hard to let go sometimes though. I tried my best. I pictured the worry, the anger and the frustration swirl down the drain. I knew I wasn't totally successful, when I got downstairs and yelled at Alora this morning. My neighbour was waiting to give her a lift to pony club and she couldn't find her boots. When I opened the door, I nearly tripped over a light green bag with a beautiful wash pitcher and basin in it. It was placed there on purpose. A reminder from God to wash it all away. He certainly works in mysterious and amazing ways.

 To that anonymous gift giver who listened to that still small voice, I thank-you. It's beautiful. An amazing reminder to give it all to God and wash those yuckies away.

Faith is to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.
Augustine

Love You!

Heart to Heart with Mary and Martha

My Aunts are ready to answer your questions about life, love, parenting and cooking.









To see their blog go to:
http://hearttoheartwithmaryandmartha.blogspot.com/

Some of you may remember Mary and Martha playing Wii with Jesus at the Ladies retreat in Harrison Hotsprings and to some of you, they may seem  familar; but really, don't we all have a little bit of Mary and Martha in us?

To read how they started:
Mary and Martha's History

On Auto Pilot

Some days I feel like I'm on autopilot. Just going through the motions. Following a set railway that's hard to de-rail off of. The heart is just not in the daily routine. So, I get tired and cranky irritating those around me.
At times, I even feel resentment, because I'm not able to do what I want to do. So, I go on strike and don't do the things I should do. Again, irritating others.
Yes, within me lies a deep rebellion that's been handed down through the generations. I try to keep it under control... but... every so often... it rears it's ugly head.

It happens:
When I'm tired.
When I'm not feeling well.
When I'm weak.
When I haven't had much family time because life is too busy.
When I hold on to disappointments and hurts, trying to fix them on my own.
When I haven't spent time alone with God and His beautiful creation.

The world says I need to be busy, because otherwise I'm not successful. The world has beaten out a set path for all to follow, at least those who wish to be successful.

We need a new car.
We need a big house.
We need a Gucci bag.
We need our children to be in 13 million extra curricular activities, education, education, education!
We need a 200 inch flat screen T.V.
We don't need God or His natural creation.

Thomas Paine in his book called Common Sense, wrote on the 2 'states' of man. The state of 'civilized' life from which flow the advantages of agriculture, arts, science and manufactures and the 'natural' state or primitive state of man.

"To understand what the state of society ought to be, it is necessary to have some idea of the natural and primitive state of man; such as it is at this day among the Indians of North America. There is not, in that state, any of those spectacles of human misery which poverty and want present to our eyes in all the towns and streets in Europe.
Poverty, therefore, is a thing created by which is called civilized life. It exists not in the natural state."


"Poverty comes from civilized life." 
Is it not best to live in a more natural state then? If we could get rid of poverty, not only in a physical sense, but also poverty in a spiritual sense; wouldn't that be a good thing? I do understand that agriculture, arts, science and manufacturing would slow down considerably but in the long run it could save us from the misery of poverty inside and out.

Following what others want deprives us of following what we were meant to do. What we were born to do. What God created us to do.

Our life is a story. When we are born the letters form into words; as we get older the words form into sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and finally at the end we have a whole book.  Depending on choices we make at the cross-roads of life determines the kind of book we will end up with; a good read or bad one?

"We are not living in a world where all roads are radii of a circle and where all, if followed long enough, will therefore draw gradually nearer and finally meet at the center; rather in a world where every road, after a few miles, forks into two, and each of those into two again, and at each fork you must make a decision." 
C.S Lewis from 'The Great Divorce'

Is your life a top seller or is it a flop? You can change the direction by the decisions you make today.

Micah 6:8 (NCV)
"The Lord has told you, human, what is good;
he has told you what he wants from you;
to do what is right to other people,
love being kind to others,
and live humbly, obeying your God.


Don't ride through life alone on auto pilot. You are in the driver's seat!
And may I make a suggestion? Keep God in your co-pilot seat.

Being Ridiculed in Both of Canada's Official Languages

"Ta visage ressemble a une poubelle." My oldest sang out to her younger sibling.
"Tu etes un visage de poissons."My youngest pointed out and giggled at her sister.
"I knew these French immersion classes would pay off one day," I said to my hubby, "I love listening to them speak french." We had no idea what they were saying, but I guess that was the point. They had a secret language all their own. At least they weren't arguing. We had been in the car for 3 hours, without incident.
"Tu etes une vache!"
"TU ETES UNE COCHON, GLOUTON!"
"Okay! That sounded hurtful." I piped in.
"Non." they both sang in unison, "We're just having fun."
"Say something french to me." Rene asked them, looking to get in on the fun.
"Papa que vous sentez comme un grand pet." If they had room to roll to the ground laughing that's what they would have done.
"Great!" Rene rolled his eyes, "They can now ridicule us in Canada's two official languages."
"I don't know." I said stroking his arm, "It sounded beautiful." Then the laughter got louder.
"Maman?"
"Oui." I tried in my best french accent.
"Est-ce-que je peux conduire la voiture?"
"Sure honey!"

"Foolishness always results when the tongue outraces the brain."
Anonymous

Tip for today:
Communication is important, even in Canada's official two languages.

Translations:
- Ta visage ressemble a une poubelle (Your face looks like a garbage pail).
- Tu etes un visage de poissons (You're a fish face).
- Tu etes une vache! (You are a cow).
- TU ETES UNE COCHON, GLOUTON (You are a greedy pig).
- Papa que vous sentez comme un grand pet (Dad, you smell like a big fart).
- Est-ce-que je peux conduire la voiture (Can I drive the car).

Here is a link for those of you who don't speak french and need a little help, like me: http://babelfish.yahoo.com/


Have fun!