It's a Jungle Out There!

What type of knife are you? No, I'm not conducting a survey... Or, trying to typecast your personality based on you being a knife.  But, I'm hoping you'll read this and think about how you relate to others and of course... A knife is an easy thing to relate to. Okay, in all seriousness, you may not get it yet, but you will (I hope).  You see, the Bible is full of verses about being kind and loving towards each other, including: Ephesians 4:29 29  Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give  grace to those who hear. 1 Thessalonians 5:11   11  Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. There are others, but I just wanted you to get an idea of this theme.  It's actually more than a theme.  It's a clear indication of how we're supposed to treat each other and it's a lesson that I think we can ALL admit we...

The Garden After many years of apartment living, we moved into our current home.  As the moving day approached, I anticipated the fun of having a backyard (albeit a small one, but still enough room to have a vegetable garden and a BBQ) and a few spots to plant gardens.   As winter gave way to spring, I prepared myself for the task of finding the remnants of the overgrown garden.  It took a lot of work, but slowly I was able to pull, dig and weed through the flower bed at the side of the house.  Did it transform over night?  No, it was a lot of work because thistles and weeds needed to be dug up.  There were vines and grass had seeped into the spot that was at one time a thriving garden, the soil was hard and rocky.  It was at times overwhelming, my arms were sore and my back ached from all the work.   I bought nice soil and plant food and worked all spring and early summer planting and doing more weeding and until finally the work paid off. ...

I don't even know where to begin and truth be told, I don't even want to say what's on my heart.  Because, I know how easily words can get twisted, because I have heard the words "Keep your chin up" often, because I know that I'm supposed to be positive.   But, right now, I am struggling, because I HURT, emotionally I'm a wreck and physically, I'm a mess too.  I have shed many tears this past week and if my body weren't hurting from head to toe, I'd probably scream in a pillow.  Yeah, but, you host a radio show, don't you?  Aren't you supposed to have it all 'together'?  You travel around and perform with your family in Churches, what do you mean you're emotionally struggling right now? In an effort to be honest I am posting this and it is my hope that in being vulnerable, others will know they are not alone.  For people to see that there are Christians who struggle with pain and suffering and sometimes even doubt...

There are many people who I admire in this world.  Many who have raised themselves up from difficult upbringings to be successful adults.  Others who have remained kind, generous and loving despite trying times again and again and those who are able to keep going and don't seem to quit, even when it would be easier to curl in a ball and give up. For too many years, I would stew about my own failures, instead of being inspired by what I saw in others.  Fears about what people would think of me could at times be crippling.  When people would say something positive about me, I was quick to brush off that compliment.  I've also had moments where I'm almost sitting back and waiting for someone to give me permission to 'move forward' and really, what has that accomplished?  I've sat back while others have seemed to 'live their lives'.  But, lately, I've tried to use others successes as a way to inspire me.  To motivate me to at least try to do more....

"Why don't you tell something funny?  We've got SO many things to share that would make people laugh" my sister told me.  And, she's right, we've had our adventures (as I'm sure most people have). I had been unloading on her, talking about a cancer diagnosis of a family member that I had just found out about.  I've already lost two friends to cancer in the past month.  So, this news kind of threw me 'off' a bit, my father in law is still in and out of the hospital and it takes a lot of effort to not dwell on these things.  So, she suggested I write down funny things to help 'lighten' the mood. With that, my mind started going back, to the time I fell on top of my guitar in front of the entire class in highschool and then, when my teacher tried to help me up, I fell again, this time on top of three students.  Or, I remembered the time when I reached for my husband's shoulder, gave him a hug and started playing with his hair, only...

Sometimes it's the little things that can make me feel like giving up.  The days when you're already behind schedule and you end up spilling coffee or tea on yourself.  Or, you get behind the wheel of the car and discover that the gas tank is empty when you've already had a tough morning.   We've been searching for the car keys for over a week now and I'm not gonna lie, it SUCKS.  You may be thinking " Really?  That's IT, that's what's upsetting you?  Just lost keys??".  But, truth be told, it is a big deal.  It's a big deal when my hubby losing his car keys is a regularly occurring thing (and really, it gets expensive when you are getting keys cut every few months, especially the newer car keys which are computer based).  It's a big deal when you are struggling with sore backs and sore shoulders because of health issues and you have to keep looking through furniture. Yes, I know... I'm complaining, but sometimes, it's h...

Legacy My Grandma would have been 98 today and as I thought about her life, I became incredibly grateful that I knew her so well.  I grew up knowing all my Grandparents and even most of my Great-Grandparents lived well into my teenage years and the impact they had on my life is significant.   You see, both of my Grandmothers were devout Christ followers.  I remember my Grandma Smith, her Bible sitting open on the kitchen table, how important it was that even in the summer, when we were up at the cottage, going to Church on a Sunday was a must.  She loved to play hymns on the piano and her excitement when my husband and I went on the mission field was huge.  My other Grandma loved the Lord too.  She had an infectious laugh and I look back fondly at how often I talked with her on the phone, with her encouraging words reminding me to keep trusting in God.   Both of these women impacted me immensely.   I learnt to give and support missions throu...

Be at Peace As I was hanging the laundry out last week, I started dwelling on all that was wrong with me and I immediately started comparing myself to others.  Why did I feel that everyone else seemed to be capable of accomplishing more?   Normally, I end up sad and feeling like a complete failure after I start down the rabbit trail of comparison.  But, this particular day, as I reached for the clothes pegs, I did something rare... I started thinking about WHY I hadn't done more that month and I reminded myself there were good reasons for me to have not kept up with my normal routine.  For starters, my family had endured a brutal month, and by brutal I mean just that, brutal.  My husband and I had both been laid off and only had a couple of weeks left of work,  in the midst of that stress, there were car repairs because our car broke down, close family members and some friends were in and out of the ER (complete with a week long hospital stay),...

Welcome! I hope you can feel at home here.  I want this to be a safe place, where I'm hopeful that you can at least be encouraged, where we can realize that we're just muddling through this thing called "life" together. Life is often never easy and it's certainly never dull!  So, as I talk about my life, it is my hope and prayer that some of the struggles I have walked through will find a place with you.  That something will resonate with you and you'll maybe be encouraged or will start a path towards healing.  Or, at least know that you're not alone!  Like I said, we're ALL in this together. So, sit back, grab a coffee (or, in my case, a cup of tea) and even laugh at my misadventures as we talk about life, because, yunno, it's a JUNGLE out there!!