Our wee girls and the dog

There are days that simply exhaust me. There are days that make me thankful, to God, to be who I am at this time and make me giggle. The other day was the latter. I was praying with Portia before she went to sleep. Usually I start praying and she interjects thanking Jesus for "Papa, and Nanny, and Grandma, and Auntie Becca, and Jack ,and Sammy, and Pickles (Sammy's big doggy), and..." on and on she goes. Where she stops we never know. Anyway, this particular night she interjected with "...and thank you Jesus for my princess body." Now I was prepared for a person's name...I double checked with her to make sure I had heard correctly and not misunderstood her. She came up with that one on her own. We hadn't even talked about princesses that day. She just knows she is a princess...the girls and I have had many discussions about that. :)

Then yesterday we were driving in the car. Mercedes and I were having a discussion about semis. I was trying to pass all of them on Mary Hill by-pass. I don't know why I thought I needed to...perhaps because it was a beautiful sunny day and I have a V6. I like going fast. Always have... I digress. Mercedes asked me why I was going fast and I said "because the trucks are slow". Instantly I thought I better not leave it there so I went on to tell her how important those semis are to our world. How they bring food to the stores for us so we can then buy it. How they bring gasoline to the gas station so then we can pump it into our cars and so we can keep going fast. We were having quite the question and answer time when all of a sudden Mercedes says, "Mommy look there's a plane up in the sky. I wonder if it's going far away like to South An Erica?" I said, "Ummmm...Where?" "South An Erica Mommy". I asked her if she meant "South America?" "Oh yes that is what I meant. "


Whenever her Papa goes traveling for work we always show her on the map where he is going. As he goes all over the world she has seen a fair bit of the map. Anyway, it was just very cute and very funny all at the same time. Those are the jewels some of the most precious jewels of my day. Thought I would share them :).

oh and I just thought of one more thing...this afternoon as I was coming home from the park with the girls and Keiko our neighbor waved at me. She said she knocked on our door yesterday to tell me that Keiko had brought a whole roast into their yard. And was I missing a roast? I said no I was not...wondering where in the world my crazy dog had gotten a huge roast. She said it was still packaged nicely so it was still edible and did I want it. I said no thank you feel free to keep it. The fence needs to be fixed in our yard so Keiko is forever taking herself on walks down the alley. The landlord won't fix it...so I think we will have to do a make shift fix for now...it will look pretty tacky but hey at least the neighbors won't be annoyed and Keiko, when in heat, won't find herself "with puppy" as it were. The only thing I can figure it that she went in the back door of the grocery store and nabbed it.

well that's about all the interesting things I have to share :) Be blessed!

Disturbed

Ya know I'm gonna rant! So here is another grand opportunity to tuck your toes in...

The other day I was listening to the radio and I heard that in the States Planned Parenthood has been allegedly performing late term abortions...that means AFTER 21 weeks of pregnancy.They get something like 1 billion dollars of funding a year from the government. If this is found to be true all this funding dries up for them. I have to say I have heard the term abortion thrown around for years and it is defiantly disturbing...but this was the first time that I had really thought about it since having my own children. I just started crying right there in the car. I could feel my babies kicking by 21 weeks. I had heard their heart beat and felt them rolling around inside of me. I had seen them moving on an ultra-sound screen. At what point does a baby become a baby and not a fetus? Well I guess that's where ethics come in. That's were you're whole world view comes in. What do you believe? And at the end of the day does it really matter what YOU believe? I mean does it make it true? If you don't believe a baby is a baby until birth does that mean it's truth? In this present age we know SO much...so much more than even our parents about what goes on in the womb from a scientific perceptive.



I remember reading a story about the Assyrian about 4,000 years ago or so and one of their war tactics for their enemies was to slash the women's bellies (who were pregnant) to make sure that the mother AND baby were dead. Obviously they didn't know that when the mother died so did the baby. How barbaric! You think we are any better? You think we are so advanced? Listen to this...Ever heard the term "partial birth abortion"? Do you know what that is? I didn't! I had just heard the term...It's when a pregnancy has gone past the 21 week mark and is considered late term...the abortionist goes in with forceps and grabs the baby's legs and delivers the baby up to it's head. Then the doctor grabs some scissors and punctures the baby's head and then uses the scissors to enlarge the hole. Then they get a high powered suction and suction out the brains...the baby only stops moving and doing the startle reflex at the very end of the "procedure"... (http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/diagram.html) or sometimes the doctor just pulls until the head pops off...or a foot or an arm...how barbaric...only you know what? Instead of an enemy doing this as an act of war...it's a mother doing it to her child. A child that she was given by God to love, to protect...
This is still legal in Canada. We are legally allowed to murder our own children and walk around free. Yeah for us! Wonder what God thinks of us now! We're so amazing...we agree to these laws without a blink of an eye. "Well it's the woman's right to choose". Tell me something...why do people, then, think it's so horrible when mother's kill their children who are born? I mean...what's the difference?



Psalms 139:13-16 "Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day." http://www.dougbrittonbooks.com/onlinebiblestudies-cultureandsocietyinfluences/abortionoflifeinthewomb-sinandgodsforgiveness.asp



I know that some women (well many) have had abortions. I know someone very close to me who has. The scarring, the guilt, and so many other psychological factors from that never ends but for the grace of God. I know there is mercy for such an act if you seek it. I know that there is forgiveness. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God can turn this act (just as any other sin) into something good for His glory and honour.



And then I watch some of my friends and relatives go through the very difficult time of desperately wanting a child and not being able to conceive...

Where's the flood mommy?

So this morning Miss M hopped into our bed and informed us that it was raining. Then she wanted to know where the flood was? I mean it's raining mommy doesn't that mean that there is supposed to be a flood? I asked her why she thought that since it was raining there should also be a flood she said "Well when it rains it's just supposed to flood" Like duh Mom that's just how life is...don't you know anything? I then clued in that Shaun had read her the story in the Bible about Noah and the flood during bath time a couple of days ago. I then explained to her that, really, we don't want floods to happen. They are not good things. That particular one happened because God was judging the earth. She wasn't convinced and still wanted a flood.

As I was putting Mercedes to bed tonight I checked her teeth to make sure i had done a good job brushing them. she looked at me a second and then asked, "Is there plastic on them Mommy?" I said "Plastic? Do you mean plaque?" She said "Yes that's what I mean. What's plaque Mommy?"

Just when I put the girls down for their nap I warned them to go right to sleep and told them not to "mess around". They could mess around all they wanted too when they got up but right now it is quite time. I have them say "Yes Mommy" so I know they are listening and Portia didn't say that so I said in my best mommy voice with sternness (which is nearly impossible with my little button of a girl as she's just so cute) "Portia" and she looked at me and said with equal sternness and deep concentration on her little pixie face "No messing around Poor-tuh (which is how she pronounces her name some days)".

I am blessed! I am thankful that I have the opportunity to be home and enjoy those little moments with our girls. They are treasured times that I do not take for granted.

Have a good day enjoying the treasures (whomever they may be...) that God has richly given to you.

Tama

Ambushed and a lesson I learned about light

This weekend (for Canadian Thanksgiving) we got to go away for 3 whole nights to the Island of Galiano. It's beautiful there. We stayed at my in-law's cabin. It's right on the ocean. I had an interesting thing happen to me when I was there. On Sunday I was late to leave the cabin to go to church. Everyone else has left and walked down. I was about 10 minutes behind them. I left the cabin and was walking down a path that leads along the ocean for a few minutes. It's beautiful and refreshes the soul like nothing else. I had about a 10 minute walk (if that).

Now in my life there is rarely a time when I am outside just walking by myself in an area where I am unlikely to run into people (or bears and cougars...this island has neither :) yeah for Galiano) AND along the ocean. In fact I cannot remember the last time I took that luxury. On a side note, I am a person who needs moments of solitude. And yet in this season of my life I rarely have time to just soak in creation and quite my soul and listen. BUT this was an unlooked for opportunity for just that.

Anyway, back to my story. As I was walking it's like God just ambushed me. It was like He saw that I was alone and dropped everything to take those precious few moments with me. I know for someone reading this who does not believe in God this sounds weird. But I'm telling you it was amazing. You know when you love someone passionately you just love every second with them and will drop whatever you are doing to take whatever time they have? Well God did that with me that morning. He just started talking to me. I slowed down and listened intently. I cherished the moment. It was like He hadn't had time with me, like this, lately and He had so much to tell me. It just poured out. I was fascinated. I felt deeply and totally loved. Something that I have come to understand in my head (yet again sometimes the journey from my brain to my heart takes awhile) is that God loves me passionately. He sings over us...did you know that? Zephaniah 3:17 (it's one of those books in the Bible rarely mentioned :)) "The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." There are many more things said like that in the Bible all throughout. It's a strange thought to me but one I am mulling through. Makes me wonder what else He thinks of me.

The other experience that was noteworthy to me (in the parable sense of the word)...we went to another cabin's place for Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday evening and had a delightful time meeting some fabulous people. They were so warm and welcoming. The only people we walked in knowing were Shaun's dad and mom and we walked out having met some amazing people and having had some great conversations. Anyway, we left first because the girls needed to get to bed and we had to pack because we had to catch an 8:25 am ferry which means that we had to be there 40 minutes before that to get our reservation honoured, it was a 30 minute drive and we needed to load the car...you get the picture...it was an early morning :). So Shaun, the girls, and I set out from this house for a 5 minute walk to the cabin we were staying at. It was pitch dark. We were in the country and so it was difficult to see our hands in front of our faces. It was an interesting challenge with 2 small children. There was no moon to speak of. Not sure why we didn't think to bring a flashlight...but there you go. Anyway, we walked down this road and tried to stay in the middle where the grass was (not a paved road obviously). We did this by trying to decipher what was grass, with shoes on, as we were walking blindly along. I really enjoyed it...we saw a million stars through the trees. But those stars, while they were beautiful, did nothing to light our path. So we shuffled along for awhile and we could tell we were on the right path...then we came to a cabin that had a porch light on. What a difference one little light makes in complete darkness. I immediately set to thinking about what the Bible says about light and darkness...
Matthew 5:14-16 says this "You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven".

Ephesians 5:7-10 says "Don't let yourselves get taken in by religious smooth talk. God gets furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but want nothing to do with him. Don't even hang around people like that."
You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You're out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it."
Those are just two passages. The Bible says A LOT about light and darkness. If you type in those 2 words together at http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/ There's a lot there. It's fascinating. I learned a great lesson by stumbling around in the dark that night. Literally and spiritually I need light for life. And what a difference one little light makes to a whole area of deep darkness.
And that was just one 12 hour stretch...never dull I tell ya!
I will leave you with something a king said about the word of God:
"Oh, how I love all you've revealed; I reverently ponder it all the day long. Your commands give me an edge on my enemies; they never become obsolete. I've even become smarter than my teachers since I've pondered and absorbed your counsel. I've become wiser than the wise old sages simply by doing what you tell me. I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and ruts of evil so I can spend all my time keeping your Word. I never make detours from the route you laid out; you gave me such good directions. Your words are so choice, so tasty; I prefer them to the best home cooking. With your instruction, I understand life; that's why I hate false propaganda.
By your words I can see where I'm going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I've committed myself and I'll never turn back from living by your righteous order. Everything's falling apart on me, God; put me together again with your Word. Festoon me with your finest sayings, God; teach me your holy rules. My life is as close as my own hands, but I don't forget what you have revealed. The wicked do their best to throw me off track, but I don't swerve an inch from your course. I inherited your book on living; it's mine forever—what a gift! And how happy it makes me! I concentrate on doing exactly what you say— I always have and always will." Psalms 119:97-112

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path"...the words above are the context for that...:)
on the path,
Tama