Whatever He Says

I left the salon on Saturday and began to drive towards Highway 400 to head back home. On my way I caught a glimpse of Kempenfelt Bay  on my left, and made a split second decision to turn towards the lake. I had my packed lunch and thermos of coffee--and there was no rush to get home. I parked my car, refilled my coffee cup and headed for a park bench. While I ate, people passed on bikes, on foot, in a wheelchair and on skateboards. I just enjoyed being still, enjoying the view, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the warmth of the sun. Only 6 days before, Brenda had run that 10 k race in a snowstorm! In Canada we go directly from winter to summer. :) It wasn't long before I was back on the road home, with lots of day still ahead. Brenda had made reservations for the two of us at 5.30 an Italian restaurant in Newmarket, called  Spero ; which means, "I hope."  Brenda's husband Kevin was at his family's cottage, helping them to get the dock read...

It felt like a road trip even though it is usually just a half hour trip north. On Friday evening I suddenly realized that my 9.00 a.m. appointment with Jamie, my hairdresser, in Barrie, the next day; would mean driving north on the first holiday weekend at the start of the summer. Even on Thursday, driving south with co-workers from a meeting in Huntsville; as we approached Barrie, the highway going north was packed with cars that were moving as slowly as the last dregs of ketchup on their way out of the bottle.  So I set my alarm extra early for Saturday morning and left the house an hour before my appointment.  Maybe it was because it was a holiday weekend that I packed as though I was going on a road trip. I had a packed lunch; extra coffee in a thermos; my camera (who knew what photo opportunities might present themselves,) and a great book to read. And just in case I finished the first one; a back up book. Any road trip needs music, and in my CD player I had mu...

I booked this day off months ago and suddenly it was here, a day off which I had put on my calendar for today. I had plans. There are so many things when you work full time, that just don't fit into the time left at the end of the day, or squeeze into a Saturday, what with the laundry, shopping and cleaning (like I even really do cleaning as it should be done! :)) I'm not complaining though. I wrote a while back about the routine my mum had, without the help of a dishwasher, washing machine or dryer. And I love my job. No complaints. But gratitude? Oh yes!! For a day at home; "extra!" In a week that has been glorious; unseasonably warm and sunny--like a sudden outbreak of summer; today, Friday, dawned gray and cool and drizzly. It didn't matter! I woke up without a deadline for getting up, but got up because I didn't want to waste a precious minute.  Paul was away, on his way home from a conference in Ottawa, so I relished solitude and listened to the ...

By Belinda My black Honda Fit crunched into the parking lot early  at church Sunday morning, delivering me safely for worship practice.  My friends Susan and Frances, were already there; Frances busily organizing the song sheets as the musicians arrived. I stood on the platform, while waiting for the practice to start, savouring sips of coffee from my thermal mug, relaxing while listening to the hum of conversation :  "Do we have a drummer this morning?"  "Don't know; we'll soon find out."  "Here's the itinerary." "Let's pray." Amidst the bustle of preparations I became aware of the background sound of scampering from pew level. The pews were alive with six or so children belonging to the associate pastor, members of the worship team and the Sunday School coordinator. Heads bobbed and legs poked at odd angles from beneath the old wooden pew seats with the wine coloured padding. With the occasional giggle they amu...

By Belinda Life continues busy but yet I am compelled to write--my abiding joy. No long thing but two moments of simple joy to share: Yesterday, I left the office late, knowing that Paul had a late dinner meeting. I headed for Costco in Newmarket to do some necessary shopping. We have had almost non-stop rain in Ontario this spring, and it was raining when I went into the big store. With my few purchases made, because I had no hungry spouse waiting at home, I decided to splurge and buy something to eat on the way out of Costco. I stood at the counter debating--1/4 lb hot dog or an ice cream cone. It was a hard decision and I knew that when the woman behind the counter said, "Can I take your order please?" I would have to make a split second decision. When the moment came, I went with the ice cream. For supper! Of the two I figured I needed a 1/4 lb hot dog less. I licked the delicious, decadent, thickly creamy ice cream on the way out, pushing my buggy to the door. It w...

Romans 13:12 (New International Version) 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. It was late as I drove home after dropping off two friends at their homes and it was already dark. Up in the sky shone the brave moon, bright over the hushed fields and the still busy road. A dark little cloud drifted aimlessly as if it had lost its way on the sea of the night, but suddenly its edges were silvered by the hiding moon. I understood then, that the adage, "Every cloud has a silver lining," does not mean the same thing as another old proverb, "It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good." Both, I used to think, meant something similar; that to every bad thing there is a grain of good if only you look out for it; but suddenly I saw something else. The true meaning is that even though dark clouds may temporarily obscure the light; it is still there, and every cloud is lined with silver on ...

I drove into the winding driveway banked with snow on either side. There were lights on the pond as rosy-cheeked children in rainbow colours glided on silver blades. Some dads were feeding wood to the red-bricked oven on the farthest side of the pond and a string of lights went from tree to the outdoor fire place. Snow covered hardwood trees, silhouetted in the winter evening, provided a backdrop for the picture before me. If I were a painter, I would be compelled to capture this scene on canvas. I allowed my eyes to feast, desiring it to pour into my soul. I enjoyed the outdoorsy fragrance, coupled with the burning wood and was warmed and reminded of the beauty of sound I experienced earlier in the day. I closed my eyes and I could still hear the lovely music of the violin - beautiful renditions of Mozart, Bach, Brahms,Beethoven, Schumann, Suzuki, played by various children at my eldest daughter's violin recital. The performance was delightful and Hannah's teacher had throw...

Rose light spreads across the horizon...shadowed hues softening the dark...scudding clouds drift...filtered pinks wash the sky. One day ends. Another begins. Each day a gift. Finite. The sun rises. It sets. Earth orbits the sun. Tides ebb and flow. The Lord gives, and takes away. I can't help think of Marisa. Marisa of 33 years. Marisa who fought to beat breast cancer. Marisa...wife...mother...daughter...sister...friend. For her, no more sunrises. No more sunsets. In her short time here, she found courage to suffer. Courage to die with grace...she truly lived. Christ dwelled in her...overflowed from her even as her earthly life ebbed away. Marisa whose last blog spoke of the antics of her oldest child. Zion wore his underwear backwards to celebrate "backwards day" at his school. She found joy in routine, holy in the ordinary, beauty in the everyday, joy in the simple. Our days are numbered. We know not..how many...or how few. Mendelt and Marisa. She took her last earthly ...