Sea of People

Oh Honeys, I have NO IDEA what I should write to you about today... I was going to re-post but I just don't feel right about that for today.  Last night I thought of two really good things I wanted to share but apparently I haven't learned to write anything down and now I've completely forgotten what it was about.  But just now I've had another thought I think may be just as valid as me writing something for you to think about...

I'm always learning lessons and trying to share them, always trying to show you another perspective on life and the love of God... I'm always trying to get something from God to share with you all.  Maybe the reason I can't think of anything is because God wants you to hear from Him yourself... Maybe he has something to talk to you directly about that really should be just between the two of you... Maybe you haven't talked to Him in a while or maybe you've been doing all the talking and no listening? (This is definitely one of my habits...) Maybe he just misses you and would just like you to be with him for the amount of time you would usually be reading my blog..?

I saw a quote on Pinterest today (yes I am sort of addicted, like every other woman on the planet ha! It's relaxing, like retail therapy without the bill! ha! Try it, that's my page above!) and it made me think of God... Like it was written by Him to me instead of being part of a love note between a couple... And I'd like to share it with you, from Him.

<3 god="god" td="td">

Acorns & Appreciation

I'm not so sure about this new, "improved" interface blogger... Then again I just tweeted yesterday that I realize I just don't like change; so you probably shouldn't pay any attention to me! ha!  I wonder if not liking change means I'm getting old (shutter)..?  Anyway, that there, folks, is what we call a rabbit trail because it really has nothing to do with what I would actually like to say today. I'll get on with it.

When my parents split up my mother only had a grade eight education... She was raised in a family of nineteen children and when her father died, leaving her mother to tend to the upbringing on her own some things became more important than school in mum's life.  Because of her lack of education and needing to have a career that gave her enough to raise her own child on she decided to go back to school... Thankfully, unemployment supplement helped her pay her way to get her GED; however, it didn't help with much else... Mum went to school during the days, worked evenings, and studied nights just so we could get by and to be honest, without God helping us along the way by laying it on some one's heart to help us, I don't think we would have ever made it. I remember a few things in particular about being poor... The places we had to live I now know as being apartments where drug pushers stay, one month (and I'm not exaggerating it was a whole month!) we had nothing to eat but tomato soup and we only had that because it was on sale (I think the price was $0.29/can.) and our treat for years was Thursday nights playing Bingo at home.

The thing is, I don't want you to read this and feel bad for me, I don't want any "I'm so sorry you had to go through that" type comments because I actually find myself looking back on all of the rough times and thanking God I've gone through them... Sincerely.  Not because they were fun and I wouldn't wish those circumstances on anyone else but because those years shaped who I am today, they shaped the way I see the world around me, the way I see others, the way I think and make decisions... You still won't find me going into a store and buying an outfit at full price and I'm proud of that, some day my husband will love that about me as well, haha! I know how to have fun on a budget and let me tell you, if you play a board game with me we will probably be friends for life!


I traded the squirrels these for peanuts :o)

One thing I learned through not having money to spare I want everyone reading to think about, try to change your way of thinking, actually take some time this week to just appreciate... Whether it's the birds singing in the tree around the corner or the way the sun pierces through a dark cloud... A beautiful sunset or the way autumn smells... Whether it's three acorns you picked up off the ground or the sassing squirrels who think they're being robbed by a giant... Most beautiful things don't cost us anything, God has put a majestic, beautiful masterpiece in the world all around each of us and the admission price is free! Find the joy in the simple things you've been overlooking all this time, and better yet, teach someone else to find that joy for themselves. Just take a minute out to be aware of what's around you, I know you're trying to get to that last appointment but just pause even for a moment and look at that beautiful autumn flower or the wobbling animal that just poked his head out of the bushes, it really is perfect!

A lot of our financial restrictions made me less than popular through middle school but I learned I may not be able to have many friends for sleepovers or birthday parties but I did have a friend who would be there to wipe away my tears in the middle of the night and who could hear my heart when I couldn't find the words... I remember sitting in my room alone with my dog, Prince, and a cassette player listening to my uncle Lloyd sing "like a puzzle, scattered on the floor, that's the way my life was when you walked through the door. Then one by one you put the pieces back in place. That must be what they call amazing grace! You came to me and through me, your eyes were searching out my darkest feelings... I'm amazed at what amazing grace can do..." and in those moments God was so close I could feel His arms cradling me... I got to know God at a young age in a way I don't think most people ever really get to, He actually was "Abba, father" to me when my father wasn't around. And maybe you haven't experienced a situation in life that has pushed you down so far the only one that could ever reach you was Christ and if that's the case you should consider making him a priority because of appreciation of the many blessings!  If you are in a bad place in life right now and you feel like you're alone and you want to give up I totally get that but before you do just give life one more chance, try God! He loved you so much he became sin for you and died in your place, He died so you can live, don't throw that life away! Give God one chance to help you, you can even tell Him "okay God, this chick thinks you can help, so here's your chance..." that's enough, He will meet you where you're at! I promise!

For more help please visit www.capitalcommunity.ca there are contacts you can e-mail who have helped me negotiate through some of the junk in my life, there are things you can read, listen to and events you can attend! Or comment directly to me below. The comments are private unless I approve public viewing (and although I do approve all comments for public viewing if you ask me not to I won't!)

Where one thing falls

Have you ever put something in a "certain spot" while saying to yourself okay, now I'll know where to find it only to realize you forget where that "certain spot" was when you actually do go looking for it? I do that quite a bit and frankly sometimes I worry about the state of my memory because of it.  I hate that feeling of something being lost, feeling like I will never get it back.  I know, considering it's usually something small like my comb I use when my hair is wet, it would probably be just as easy to use a pick comb and then buy a newer/better comb for wet hair the next time I wander to Wal-Mart but giving up and saying that's the end of that just seems like defeat.

In life, there are choices we make ourselves and then there are some made for us... Sometimes things are lost on us and we really have no ability to change that. There are people, situations, opportunities that just seem to disappear from us and it's beyond our understanding why not to mention beyond our control to stop it.  Sometimes things are taken away. And I know, it's hard not to fight that, it's hard to trust it's the right thing at that time but sometimes - like my comb - it's better to just let go, find something else and trust something better will come along in our future.

We are always saying little catch phrases like "it was just meant to be" or "that was totally a God thing" even "it was fate!" Whatever you call it I've realized that we only really are good at trusting it after something good has happened... And that's not trust at all, that's just life's rolling credits after the event.  When something good is happening we always give credit but if it is something we've lost or someone who has stepped away from us we automatically think we've hit bad luck, we are being attacked or everything is crashing down when in reality we should be giving the same credit for those things we perceive to be bad making room for more growth and goodness!  Sometimes present things and people have to get cleared out of our lives a bit to make room for what's coming our way... But if we hold onto what's comfortable for us we can never have free hands to grasp what's best for us! Maybe it was "meant to be" for a season and maybe that "God thing" was just something to keep you busy until the total plan is revealed... Maybe "fate" was trying to get you to teach that person to fly on their own not hold them so tightly you crush their wings... There are seasons in life and relationships and seasons change.

Next time you feel someone backing away or that door of opportunity you were about to walk through seems to close in your face look around... It may just be winter giving way to spring in your journey.  God may be doing a spring clean to get you ready for all the summer company.  Open yourself to being okay with the taking away as much as your okay with the giving God brings.  Open your heart to trust, love completely even if it ends tomorrow! 

And lastly, I'd like you to remember this little quote that inspired this whole post "Where one thing falls, another grows. Maybe not what was there before but something new and wonderful all the same." - Bambi's Mother, Bambi (as tweeted by Disney Words.) I think what she is saying is "don't be sad over what's lost, be expectant and excited trusting there is more to come in the future!

Love you to Death

Hi dear ones!  I skipped out on you last week :o(  I'm sorry.  My aunt Hilda, that I dedicated my last post to, passed away last Friday morning so I was busy with family.  I did know what my next post would be about last Thursday I just needed to wait on it and let it grow before I shared it... So here goes:

You all know I'm an advocate for love... From my very first post through Love people, love God... Connect to Effect... More than a Feeling... Help! I need somebody's help!.. Building a Bridge: Leaving a Legacy... I think you're probably getting the heartbeat here. Love is the most important message I could ever write, it's the only thing that makes us better, saves us, helps us, changes us and love is what creates us... Maybe your parents didn't create you from love but God did and let's also make sure we are aware we are still being created, until we breathe our last breath and stop changing and growing we are being created.  "He's still workin' on me, to make me what I ought to be! It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars, the sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars but how loving and patient He must be cause He's still workin' on me!"

I guess I learned love from my family... That's a little strange for me to say since my parents are divorced but it's true... I've seen my mom be hurt by love but she loved anyway. I've learned that love sometimes isn't returned but that you should love anyway.  I've seen love go unanswered in the actions of children, including myself, toward their parents. I've learned that sometimes love is not enough for someone but you should love anyway.  I've seen love make a marriage last through many hardships and troubles in some of the lives of family members and friends. I've learned that love is precious and you should treasure it.  I've watched members of my family, including my Grammie Bustard and Aunt Hilda, love us through prayer right up 'til the moment of their last breath. I've learned that with all the things life can take away, love is not one of them. I've seen people change and become better people because they were loved in spite of their actions. I've learned that love is a God thing and to be like Him we MUST love like Him.

So this blog is dedicated to all those who have made a difference for me through love.  My many family members who have believed in me, taught me, invested in me and prayed for me because of their love.  The people I cannot name who have encouraged me with just a couple of words of love or care through sharing their own experiences and hope.  To all of you who I've read a tweet or status typed out of concern and love to try to help anyone who may read the words.  To my my uncle Lloyd and many other music artists who have taken the time to write, sing or play God inspired lyrics that have literally given me the strength to face many of my tomorrows. To my uncle Morton who has taken time for me and poured wisdom into my life through prayer, preaching and just plain ole conversation. To my many friends, whether past or present, who have helped to shape my character and compassion for others through your example... Even to those who have shown me through example how not to be.

And from a more clear point of view than mine "... A year and half ago I found out I had cancer. Life comes to a sudden halt when you hear news like that, you start to get your priorities in order. I had a baptism of love take place, as I call it. Over the years you get hurt by others, hurt by what is said to you and often have a hard time getting along with others you work with because of difficulties. And of coarse it is always the other person, lol. Something happened to me in the Dr office that day... A wave of love came over me. I felt a release from all the old, bitter feelings. I went back to work and told all 120 people I work with (on an individual basis) that I loved them and that they are wonderful people... Because they are! And to all I had wronged I asked for forgiveness. When you find out you have a disease that will one day take you life unless God gives a miracle... You think differently.  I now can say I look at people today with love in my heart. No wrong feelings. Everyone is beautiful and special. God's love baptism is awesome. Hope this helps someone. To all....you are loved." - Norman Mersereau

So from all those who have taught me how to love, from God himself and from me, I would like to propose the following: Let's remember love today.  Remember that even in the bad times, situations and through those people who somehow along the way have forgotten to show or been so beaten down cannot gather the strength to show love, God shows us His love through even the lessons that come out of all this.  Take the time to think about the people in your life, both past and present, and what love lessons we can glean from those relationships. Lastly and most importantly, take time time to love someone else.  It doesn't have to be something flashy or big, no bended-knee proposal inspirations needed, just buy the coffee of the person behind you in the Starbucks line... Leave a note with your tip at the restaurant that says something like "We appreciate your kindness." Make a card for a friend. Even just speak encouraging words to someone who's having a tough day at work. Hope with someone. Believe in someone. Adopt a pet. Anything, just DO SOMETHING to show love.