Man I love my family! As I reflect back on this past year, I am so grateful for my family! My husband and my children. And let's not forget my grandchildren. I couldn't go through each day without them in my life. My home is a bit crazy right now with eight of us living under one roof. But I wouldn't trade the experience and fun that we have been having. My little two year old grandson that lives with us has been my little rock that has pulled me through many days when I really didn't want to get through. There is nothing quite as melting as a little one putting their tiny little arms around your neck and saying "I lub you".
I really have been blessed with some great family. But isn't that what life is for? I can't imagine life without them, yet as I look around me, I am shocked at how many people don't have what I have. I see people who have never been married or had children, who are alone. I see marriages and families falling apart through abuse, divorce, anger. I watch people that I have known and loved for years, struggling with depression and other emotional challenges. I know families that have been literally been separated by small acts or words, that have caused them to not speak for years. I see children who are crying out for someone to just love them. I see teenagers who have never been taught and are struggling to create a life for themselves without good examples to lead the way. I see teenage mothers, thinking that they can raise a child alone in this world, and every corner they go around they get beat down. I see homeless people, who were once successful and had someone to love them, but have had unfortunate circumstances that have caused their lives to change drastically. AND MY HEART HURTS!
On the flip side of that............
I see people that are alone, volunteering their spare time to serve others and create lasting friendships. I see families and marriages that have gone through serious heartache, that are determined that no matter what happened, they will forgive and move forward because "families are forever". I see people who have grown up in abusive environments, making the decision to break the cycle and be a better person, then going on the help others in the same situation. I see people struggling with depression who fight it every day, who can see that if they can just make it through one day at a time, it will be okay. Then I see these same people who also share their stories with others, in order to maybe help someone else from going through the same things. I see families sitting down to discuss how they can keep their family from ever going through some of these things. Counseling with each other and talking things through. I see teenagers who see a better life and future than the dish they were handed, and are working so hard against all odds to make the necessary changes to be good. I see single moms, struggling day to day to give their children a good life, despite all odds, going back to school, and doing whatever it takes to offer more. I watch homeless people, who find a cause, a reason, to change, because somebody took the time to love them. They get their lives back through struggle, with the determination to never go back. I watch mothers and fathers pray day and night to keep their families from falling prey to the world. AND MY HEART FINDS JOY!
Everyone one of the examples of what I see, I really have witnessed. And so much more. The world is a really crazy place! Long gone are the days where families were the most important thing in the world. There are those of us who still believe that, and I am certainly one of them. But the world fights us on every aspect of this.
So if you fall into one of the first categories that I mentioned, my heart goes out to you, and I say to you, be strong and make this year the year that you will turn your circumstances around, whatever that may take.
If you fall into the second list, I applaud you! But I still say, be strong. Don't let your guard down for one minute. Keep your defenses up at all times and be ready to fight for what you believe in.
I love my family! I love my friends! I love my life! Is it perfect?
No, far from it. We struggle from day to day, just like everyone else.
But we have the knowledge that "families are forever", and we will
fight for that.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Quiet Time
I love those Sunday mornings when everyone is still asleep and I get a few minutes of quiet time to reflect on my week past, and the coming one. The hummmm of the refrigerator in the background and the small trickle the fish tank makes, are the only noise in my house right now. I value these moments of peace, as I don't get them too often. Don't get me wrong, I love having everyone around. My kids and grandchildren are pretty special to me, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but once in awhile, it is really nice to be able to ponder. I often reflect back on some of those peaceful happy moments, like my playing in the creek, and wish I could just transport myself back there for a short while. But the here and now is reality, and making the most of it is what is important right now.
It amazes me how fast Christmas came and went. Now this week I am looking to the New Year 2014, and pondering on some of the things that I would really love to accomplish this year. I have seven blogs that I am writing on, which a couple of them I hope to turn into books by the end of the year, or sooner. I love to write, and I would really love to have something published. I just think that would be an awesome legacy to leave behind. It has always kind of been a dream of mine. I don't really love to read or write novels, but a good reference book, or a good feel good book, now that I can spend hours every day reading and studying. I love to learn! So goal number one is to keep writing regularly so as to have something ready to publish this year, whether I self publish or find a publisher, I am not sure. I am still in the stage of researching that, but I will accomplish this goal.
Another goal I have, is to really work on getting out of debt. I hate being in debt. It is such a stressful thing. I probably won't write much about that one, other than touch on it once in awhile, but I really, really hate being in debt. Of course if I can make my number one goal a reality, then that will go a long way to making the number two goal a reality as well.
The last big goal, is to get myself healthy this year. I hesitate to even write this one down, because this is often everybody's goal - to lose weight, or to get healthy, and then next thing you know the year is almost over and you haven't done anything towards this one. But if I have it here, written down, and am constantly checking in as I write, then I am sure it will become a reality. I have some health issues, nothing that is too serious at this point, but they could become so if I don't make some changes. So it is definitely time to do some lifestyle changes, more in particular my eating and exercising habits.
Well, there are my three big goals that I am going to work on this new year. This blog, is kind of my dumping place for my meandering thoughts. When I am pondering thoughts, feeling low or excited, or just feel like I need a friend to talk to, here you are. It's kind of nice to be able to just babble without someone trying to interject their thoughts and feelings. I love my family, but we all - myself included - are really good at voicing our opinions and what we think each other should be doing. That is kind of the great thing about writing a blog, it is just you! Of course your followers count too, and may voice their opinions too, but it is different, in a way. So if you feel you need a place to meander, like my walking the creek, then start a blog. Let me know about it, because I would love to follow along and laugh and cry and ponder with you too!
It amazes me how fast Christmas came and went. Now this week I am looking to the New Year 2014, and pondering on some of the things that I would really love to accomplish this year. I have seven blogs that I am writing on, which a couple of them I hope to turn into books by the end of the year, or sooner. I love to write, and I would really love to have something published. I just think that would be an awesome legacy to leave behind. It has always kind of been a dream of mine. I don't really love to read or write novels, but a good reference book, or a good feel good book, now that I can spend hours every day reading and studying. I love to learn! So goal number one is to keep writing regularly so as to have something ready to publish this year, whether I self publish or find a publisher, I am not sure. I am still in the stage of researching that, but I will accomplish this goal.
Another goal I have, is to really work on getting out of debt. I hate being in debt. It is such a stressful thing. I probably won't write much about that one, other than touch on it once in awhile, but I really, really hate being in debt. Of course if I can make my number one goal a reality, then that will go a long way to making the number two goal a reality as well.
The last big goal, is to get myself healthy this year. I hesitate to even write this one down, because this is often everybody's goal - to lose weight, or to get healthy, and then next thing you know the year is almost over and you haven't done anything towards this one. But if I have it here, written down, and am constantly checking in as I write, then I am sure it will become a reality. I have some health issues, nothing that is too serious at this point, but they could become so if I don't make some changes. So it is definitely time to do some lifestyle changes, more in particular my eating and exercising habits.
Well, there are my three big goals that I am going to work on this new year. This blog, is kind of my dumping place for my meandering thoughts. When I am pondering thoughts, feeling low or excited, or just feel like I need a friend to talk to, here you are. It's kind of nice to be able to just babble without someone trying to interject their thoughts and feelings. I love my family, but we all - myself included - are really good at voicing our opinions and what we think each other should be doing. That is kind of the great thing about writing a blog, it is just you! Of course your followers count too, and may voice their opinions too, but it is different, in a way. So if you feel you need a place to meander, like my walking the creek, then start a blog. Let me know about it, because I would love to follow along and laugh and cry and ponder with you too!
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Christmas
Wow, it is already Christmas Day! I must admit, since I decided to change my attitude, I had probably the most fun on Christmas that I have ever had so far. We planned and prepared for my son to dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve and deliver presents to six different families. It was so much fun! We bought all kinds of little things and made goodie bags for the kids of each family, the dollar store is great for this. The dollar store also had the cutest little teddy bears for only a buck each! We bought boxes of chocolates, I had made a bunch of scarves - knitted, and my daughter made a bunch of slippers - crocheted, we found some Christmas Nativities that were on sale, because of last minute shopping :) added in a few other odds and ends, and voila, we had some great boxes of gifts that we delivered. It was so much fun. I loved the beginnings of a tradition that we created last night.
I always think that Christmas is too commercialized, and I wanted to really make a difference in the lives of someone. Hearing the stories of my son when Santa showed up at the doors and how the little kids hugged him and sat on his knee, and how these parents laughed and cried at the fact that someone thought of them, was so worth it. We borrowed a Santa suit from a friend, but now I am going online to look for one that we can keep and do it every year.
I also started another tradition, in that I made up some really nice binders of Christmas stories that I have collected, and gave one to each of my children. Each year I will add in a new collection of stories that I find throughout the year. In the front of each binder, I put a picture of my child, and their family for those that are married. Each year I will add a new family portrait that they can add to their binder as the years progress and we can have a keepsake of Christmas stories and photos through the years. This actually makes me happy to look forward to Christmas again. I am already thinking on what we can do next year.
I think all in all, it was a good Christmas for everyone!
I always think that Christmas is too commercialized, and I wanted to really make a difference in the lives of someone. Hearing the stories of my son when Santa showed up at the doors and how the little kids hugged him and sat on his knee, and how these parents laughed and cried at the fact that someone thought of them, was so worth it. We borrowed a Santa suit from a friend, but now I am going online to look for one that we can keep and do it every year.
I also started another tradition, in that I made up some really nice binders of Christmas stories that I have collected, and gave one to each of my children. Each year I will add in a new collection of stories that I find throughout the year. In the front of each binder, I put a picture of my child, and their family for those that are married. Each year I will add a new family portrait that they can add to their binder as the years progress and we can have a keepsake of Christmas stories and photos through the years. This actually makes me happy to look forward to Christmas again. I am already thinking on what we can do next year.
I think all in all, it was a good Christmas for everyone!
Friday, December 20, 2013
Walk the Creek
I want to tell you a little bit about my "happy place". When I was
little, I used to spend a few weeks each summer in a place called
Beazer, Alberta. My grandparents lived there, and I was lucky enough to
get to go and stay with them. Beazer, at that time, had a population
of maybe 30 people. If you blinked as you were driving by it, you would
miss it, and it was off the main road, therefore it was not a place
that people even knew existed.
In Beazer, during the summer time, it was as though time didn't exist. You know, those lazy, hot sunny days spent reading in the shade, swimming at the swimming hole at the creek just down the road, and playing the occasional baseball game with the kids down the road. And then of course at night there would be the game of kick the can, with the same kids down the road. It was just fun. I remember taking out my drawing pad and some pencils and setting up my own little easel of sorts, and sitting out in the sun, attempting to draw the mountains.
You see, Beazer is right back up in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, with Old Chief Mountain as it's backdrop to the world. Thus, if you look at the picture on the left of this blog you will get a beautiful idea of why I loved it so.
But the best thing of all, was when Grandpa would ask me to go fishing with him. I really loved to do this. We were not allowed to go walking to far up the creek without him, because there were bears that roamed the country there. But if he was going, we could tag along. I remember how we would spend hours just walking up the creek, he throwing his fishing rod in the occasional deep hole, and me just wandering behind him trying to find the perfect skipping rock. We never talked a lot, we both just loved the peace. I can't even explain how it made me feel. I think there are only a few other places on earth, that could bring that peace that I remember feeling there. Contentment that all was right in the world, and nobody or anything could break that.
I long for that again in my life. The peace and contentment that all is right in the world. The simple life of being in the moment of the day, and forgetting that everything else out there matters.
I have been doing much reading and pondering lately, and I have decided that my "theme", so to speak, for the New Year of 2014, is going to be "The Simple Life". I need to get back to that peace I felt when I would "Walk The Creek" with my Grandpa. Simplify! I will get into more details as it gets closer to the New Year.
But for now, if I can enjoy Christmas, I will have succeeded at a rather large success. Smile and groan........
In Beazer, during the summer time, it was as though time didn't exist. You know, those lazy, hot sunny days spent reading in the shade, swimming at the swimming hole at the creek just down the road, and playing the occasional baseball game with the kids down the road. And then of course at night there would be the game of kick the can, with the same kids down the road. It was just fun. I remember taking out my drawing pad and some pencils and setting up my own little easel of sorts, and sitting out in the sun, attempting to draw the mountains.
You see, Beazer is right back up in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, with Old Chief Mountain as it's backdrop to the world. Thus, if you look at the picture on the left of this blog you will get a beautiful idea of why I loved it so.
But the best thing of all, was when Grandpa would ask me to go fishing with him. I really loved to do this. We were not allowed to go walking to far up the creek without him, because there were bears that roamed the country there. But if he was going, we could tag along. I remember how we would spend hours just walking up the creek, he throwing his fishing rod in the occasional deep hole, and me just wandering behind him trying to find the perfect skipping rock. We never talked a lot, we both just loved the peace. I can't even explain how it made me feel. I think there are only a few other places on earth, that could bring that peace that I remember feeling there. Contentment that all was right in the world, and nobody or anything could break that.
I long for that again in my life. The peace and contentment that all is right in the world. The simple life of being in the moment of the day, and forgetting that everything else out there matters.
I have been doing much reading and pondering lately, and I have decided that my "theme", so to speak, for the New Year of 2014, is going to be "The Simple Life". I need to get back to that peace I felt when I would "Walk The Creek" with my Grandpa. Simplify! I will get into more details as it gets closer to the New Year.
But for now, if I can enjoy Christmas, I will have succeeded at a rather large success. Smile and groan........
Thursday, December 19, 2013
I came to the realization early this morning that I had better take back my life and get in control of who I am. You see, Christmas is almost upon us and I am not having any fun with it at all. I am not really as bad as the grinch, per say, because I love the idea of Christmas, but I do not love all of the commercialism that has been built around Christmas. I think it is mostly because I wish that I could just purchase Christmas for everyone and make it all the best Christmas ever! And I don't mean just my own family, but so many others that I know that are struggling to make their families have a great Christmas too. I know that the real meaning of Christmas goes much beyond this, it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, however that doesn't make it easier to watch others struggle and not be happy at this time of year.
I had decided that this year I would focus on making the whole month of December a project of service. And for the most part, I have been super busy at helping others, with no shortage of things that need to be done. But it still hasn't made me love Christmas any more!
So when I woke up this morning, feeling depressed about it all, as was usual for the past several weeks, I had to give my head a shake and tell myself that I have got to take back my life! I am in control and even though I feel miserable, I don't have to share it with everyone else.
I love Gretchen Rubin's book called The Happiness Project. She is kind of my inspiration lately for being happy. If you have never read her books, this one is a great place to start. I was reading her book last night, and again this morning, and decided that even though I don't love Christmas, and even though I don't have money to do what I want to do "again", this Christmas, I am going to make it the best that I can with what I have.
Thus, I am starting fresh. From this day forward, I am going to head to my own happy place every time I feel like I am getting a bit down, (which happens often lately), and remember that feeling of peace that I always had while I was walking the creek with my Grandpa. I want to have that feeling of complete peace and contentment in my life everyday. It is going to take some serious work, on my part, and I can't expect anyone else to help me, after all it is my project, not theirs. I am going to walk the creek everyday, even if it is just for a few minutes.
Today I just finished putting my 2 year old grandson to bed for his nap. He thinks he doesn't need a nap anymore, and keeps telling me "but dama", so as he was crying, I was hugging him tight and feeling that his total love and hugging me tight, were pretty darn close to the walk in the creek. How much closer to Heaven can we get, than a commune with nature, or the hug of a child? Works for me, I will take it!
I also started my two weeks off from work for the Christmas break, today. Now lets see what I can do in my home, to turn things around and make it a great Christmas for everyone, even if I feel like a bah humbug!
I had decided that this year I would focus on making the whole month of December a project of service. And for the most part, I have been super busy at helping others, with no shortage of things that need to be done. But it still hasn't made me love Christmas any more!
So when I woke up this morning, feeling depressed about it all, as was usual for the past several weeks, I had to give my head a shake and tell myself that I have got to take back my life! I am in control and even though I feel miserable, I don't have to share it with everyone else.
I love Gretchen Rubin's book called The Happiness Project. She is kind of my inspiration lately for being happy. If you have never read her books, this one is a great place to start. I was reading her book last night, and again this morning, and decided that even though I don't love Christmas, and even though I don't have money to do what I want to do "again", this Christmas, I am going to make it the best that I can with what I have.
Thus, I am starting fresh. From this day forward, I am going to head to my own happy place every time I feel like I am getting a bit down, (which happens often lately), and remember that feeling of peace that I always had while I was walking the creek with my Grandpa. I want to have that feeling of complete peace and contentment in my life everyday. It is going to take some serious work, on my part, and I can't expect anyone else to help me, after all it is my project, not theirs. I am going to walk the creek everyday, even if it is just for a few minutes.
Today I just finished putting my 2 year old grandson to bed for his nap. He thinks he doesn't need a nap anymore, and keeps telling me "but dama", so as he was crying, I was hugging him tight and feeling that his total love and hugging me tight, were pretty darn close to the walk in the creek. How much closer to Heaven can we get, than a commune with nature, or the hug of a child? Works for me, I will take it!
I also started my two weeks off from work for the Christmas break, today. Now lets see what I can do in my home, to turn things around and make it a great Christmas for everyone, even if I feel like a bah humbug!
