Thanksgiving

4 year old grandson Dylan held up his placemat

At a Montessori preschool, his first year enrollment, I’ve been bringing him to school on Thursdays when his Mom goes to doctor’s appointments. Last Thursday, attending his Thanksgiving soup day which they helped make, they had a program before the meal when the children said what they were thankful for, reading from their hand woven placemats. Many thankful for toys, pets, parents, games, but Dylan surprised all, saying he was thankful to God.

“Have you never read, ‘from the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?’” Jesus NIV (Matthew 21:16) from Psalms

“Let the little children come to me for such is the kingdom of heaven.” NIV Matthew 19:14

We wish you a blessed Thanksgiving and may you learn from the mouths of little children.

We praise You, God, even in rough times, for all that you provide, your help whenever we ask, your healing and wisdom in all things.                                                   Have a wonderful Thanksgiving   year.

Changes of the season

Quercus red oak in Autumn glory

 Outside my wrting loft window I notice the oak, putting on new color, readying itself for the bareness of winter. The change comes as a surprise since I have not spent much time at my writing desk lately. Change seems to be happening not just with the season but everything around us.

The grape vine yielding its grapes to birds, bursts into color

 I've stopped writing. Words do not come easy. So here is a link from last October.

Disease spotted and treated

 Spots on the espaliered pear

growth hidden on the underside of the leaves

A month ago, when Ciscoe Morris visited us, he pointed out a canker on the lilacs, mentioning it did not look good, and might be hard to get rid of. Then last week when we were touring the garden with another guest, I noticed similar spots, large red and circular on the espaliered pear. Looking underneath seeing the strange cankors, I immediately picked every damaged leaf off the tree and put them in a bag to burn. I don't know if this disease is systemic and will appear on remaining leaves or external and by picking the leaves off,  no spread will happen. I am hopeful the tree will return to health.

October is a hard month for me because I remember being diagnosed with breast cancer, at the beginning of this month. Because of a quick detection and treatment including radiation and chemotherapy, I am alive and cured after 16 years.

I pray for wisdom and peace for those close to me and others who have been diagnosed recently:

• the right doctor and treatment would come quickly,
• be protected from further harm from the wayward cells,
• filled with the Holy Spirt that penetrates the darkness to remove cancer cells and remove them forever.
• God, uphold families as they face difficult times. Surround them with your love.
• wisdom for myself as I separate out my experiences in order to better help others.

Jesus, the light of the world, penetrate the darkness sending out your radiation light to expose and destroy the terrible tumors. Destroy what wants to destroy others and bring healing and health.

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus ,John 8:12

Lessons on Joy

Autumn Crocus

Along the path to the cottage, traveled every day is a seasonal bed of lupines and oriental poppies in the spring, shastas and lemon balm in the summer and in the fall anemone blanda. We clear a space of all but the anemones and soon, always seemingly by surprise the autumn crocus pushes through the ground for its glorious display.

In the blank spaces of life, joy appears, hardly noticeable at first, pushing it's way through the bare soil.  It waits underground often in my life until this time in autumn to make its display.

I have been praying for over a year for joy. "O Lord, open my eyes to see your path of life, the sovereign sight that in your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures forever more." taken from Psalm 16:12.  Joy began to appear when a friend asked us if we could house Kitty from Shepherd's House last week for 5 days. I was invited to attend one of her talks and when she started to talk about joy, I took notice. I asked it she could see me, so she showed me ways to increase joy through specific cooperative practice.

• 
  
  Meet left eye to left eye with people who are glad to see you, (brain research discovered this goes to a joy center).
• 
  
  Look at circumstances in a different way - not "positive thinking" nor "Polyanna" but looking back or beyond the present with the help of Jesus.
• 
  
  Forming deep relationships with other believers.
• 
  
  Being grateful every day, speaking out loud.

I was skeptical because I have always wanted to be myself, neither having a facade or pretending to be someone else,  nor drumming up joy from my own strength, bucking up. When the prayed-for-joy didn't come, I prayed for wisdom regarding joy  and this week  when Kitty came, the Lord said, "Here are my answers to your prayer for joy."

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full." John 15:11  (ESV)

Now I have a way to "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.." James 1:2 (ESV)
Thank you LORD for your unfailing love.

Thoughts of the last two weeks in July

Time has stepped up its pace. Not only does there seem to be an axis change, but a time change. I know the clocks don't get it, but then they are adjusted by man not any other external source..I know the sun and stars are still on track or we would notice.

Perhaps there is just a time when everything seems so much faster so that we have to stop, "get it", evaluate our time and let other things go to create more bare space. Only then do more pleasant surprises appear. Here are several.

1. Two weekends in a row the end of July, two separate delightful families with Rafiki Foundation Inc came to visit and speak at our home and at our church. Called by God to work with orphans in Africa, they followed, left behind all and were greatly blessed as were we to have them in our home. We are privileged to help support them.

Anderson family finishing term with Rafiki in Uganda

Pederson family on furlough from Rafiki Village Nigeria

2. God is not far. He knows the business or times of our days and wakes me up when the day is fullest with his raven alarm clock outside my window...three sets of auk auk auk and two of auk auk. I thank God for the raven. God knew that I needed to seek Him first before the day of debut, when I was asked to sing a song on stage with Doug before a crowd. I asked for God to be evident in what I did by His power and grace,serving some purpose as did the morning raven song. I believe God used me to help Doug grieve his wife's death through this song.

Autumn Leaves

3. Two grandsons, cousins, came for a whole week to visit without parents -a wonderful time with many memories for all.

Grandson cousins on our boat going crabbing

If we hadn't stopped what we were doing and created space in our lives, see what we would have missed.

What in your life can you stop and change so God has a chance to speak to or through you and bless your life?

Serendipity in the bare space

 

In the space where a dead Kittsgate rose bush lay, teasel flew in.

How many things come into your life unexpected? A new experience, a new vision or a new outlook changes your mood, vision, future or just encourages you.  It often takes a bare space in your life before unexpected changes happen.

I have cleared a lot out of my life, including the writing loft where I don't seem to write. I even stopped the blog for a month as I reevaluated my life and priorities. In cleaning up the loft, a paper came to the surface, husband Neil's list for  remodelling our guest house in 2006. At the top of the list was "grow some teasel," surfacing just after I noticed the weed that had been growing outside all winter was indeed teasel.

God who knows the desires of our hearts, fills in the blank spots in our lives as we turn to Him.

This week I hope to catch you up on some of the serendipitous events of this last month.  This is just a tease -l.

Going for the gold

Mat-Su Valley from Hatcher's Pass

"Have you gazed on naked grandeur

where there's nothing else to gaze on,

Set pieces and drop-curtain scenes galore,

Big mountains heaved to heaven,

which the blinding sunsets blazon,

Black canyons where the rapids rip and roar?

Have you swept the visioned valley

with the green stream streaking through it,

Searthed the Vastness for a something you have lost"

Have you strung your soul to silence?

Then for God's sake go and do it;

Hear the challenge, learn the lesson, pay the cost...."

"The call of the Wild", Robert Service

We did!

Independence Mine tracks

The next generation of gold miners at Independance Mine Hatcher's Pass

I remember summers in Nova Scotia, listening to relatives talking about the lure of the gold. Relatives on both sides worked in gold mines and seemed to be always on the look out for nuggets in streams and slag piles. So it is only right (or wrong) to raise up the next generation searching for the gold. As Robert Service wrote in " The Spell of the Yukon"

"I wanted the gold, and I sought it;

I scrabbled and mucked like a slave.

Was it famine or scurvy- I fought it;

I hurled my youth into a grave.

I wanted the gold, and I got it-

Came out with a fortune last fall, -

Yet somehow life's not what I thought it,

And somehow the gold isn't all...."

                                                                    

and panning for gold

at Cooper's Landing,  Kenai peninsula AK

And "Olympic practise" at Wasilla Ice rink

Family time is precious.

But "Lord you are more precious than silver, Lord you are more costly than gold... and nothing I desire compares with you." music and words by Lynn DeShazo