Category Archives: Christianity

Boys, Christianity, Family

Be Snowing In California

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I am not sure how you feel about God or prayer or miracles or signs and wonders BUT I DO FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT LOVE.

How is it possible that this little stay-at-home mom’s blog has gone from 20-50 hits per days, to now 855 today? The LOVE you share for my mom, Gwen, my dad, Mike and our family.

We are overwhelmed by your love for our family through this blog, through phone calls, emails, cards, food and visits. Everyone has used their own ways and their own gifts to love us. Thank you.

Also being a Northern girl we all know about snow. A few weeks ago, I posted about the significance of snow in our life here.

On Friday, when we transferred mom from hospital to hospice, the snow flakes were fluttering out of the sky. I asked Tom, the ambulance driver, if mom could feel the snow on her face. As dad, Sexy Neck, JC, CC, and OC came to greet Nana into hospice, the snowflakes fell softly on mom’s face lying in the stretcher.

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The next day, I received this email from my old University roommate and teammate, Jill. More snow stories. I love how God brings such miraculous signs and wonders to encourage us. And the greatest of these was LOVE.

Now, here’s Jill:
SNOW IN CALIFORNIA
I’m loving reading your blog. How did I not know you were writing this?

We have so much to talk about but I thought I would share this with you.

I read your blog about the importance of snow in your life.
Last night I was thinking – what if I asked God to snow here?

I never really asked, just thought about it.
In fact I didn’t want to ask, because it doesn’t snow here.

Anyway, this morning I looked out to snow. Tree snow.
The fluff has been coming off daily, but this morning it was like a little snow storm.

Then tonight, Ayla finds these two itsy bitsy Styrofoam bits. She takes one and hands one to me and says Mum let’s have a snow ball fight.

Made me smile and feel so warm.

Looks like you are surrounded by wonderful friends and family.

Your blog has turned so peaceful.

-Jilly

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Boys, Christianity, christmas, Family

Be Losing Something

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I have much to ponder after this weekend.
Prayer Retreat.
Visit with mom and dad.
Sexy Neck’s colleagues at our new house for a gingerbread party.
JC losing a tooth.

My life continues to be a little bit of a lot.

The most exciting news is that our oldest lost his first tooth.

20131209-220809.jpgThe tooth was twisting and shaking for a few days, but on Sunday it decided to come out, “Pop”!

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The reason for the title of the post was my reflection post tooth losing.

My son was elated. He didn’t need that tooth anymore. He knew that there was a bigger and better one coming. He was filled with joy. Pure joy and anticipation of the new tooth to come.

How often do I want to hold onto that old tooth or that old hurt or that old voice in my head that condemns? It seems that many women I know carry burdens, unforgiveness, negative self-talk to the detriment of ourselves.

This Christmas, I will let go of my judgement about the way I look, the thoughts I have that condemn my words and the feeling of never being enough. (Haha! The irony of this blog!)

I know that God wants me to let go of these baby teeth, enjoy the gap and wait to see what bigger and better things will come.

How about you? Is there anything you could let go of this Christmas season on this tenth day of Advent?

Glory to God for simple things, like teeth, that give me such great things to ponder in grace and freedom and love.

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Let go.

Enjoy the gap.

Wait.

Journey.

The big tooth will come.

Boys, Christianity, Family, Jesus Christ, Parenting

Be Travelling Back to Bethlehem (Advent Day 9)

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Yesterday before our visit with mom and dad, we went on our annual trip to Bethlehem during the time Jesus was born. It didn’t cost us a cent!

For the last few years in Vtown a local Baptist church has held an event called Bethlehem Star. It is an incredibly well organized event from the parking to the experience to the show and a cookie and hot chocolate on the way out.

Bethlehem Star begins outside where the church recreates a Bethlehem marketplace including shekels to buy things like olives, dreidels, bread. You can also see live animals, and join the Roman Army.

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After Bethlehem Star, we zoomed across town to have dinner with Nana, Papa and Auntie P. the boys broke out the handmade Nana made PJ’s and even watched a short show on the TV.

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Merry Ninth day of advent in preparation for Christmas.

Christianity, Family

Be Going on a Prayer Retreat

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I was fortunate to spend yesterday morning on a chicken farm overlooking the valley. Happy 8th day of advent.

We had a listening prayer retreat led by my counsellor. It was three and a half hours with beautiful women wanting to go deeper with God.

The most important thing I want to share are these wonderful photos:

20131207-223551.jpgWhat resonates with you on this table today?

20131207-223557.jpgSpending time praying in nature. I found an angel to walk and pray with.

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20131207-223625.jpgOur leader:

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The most miraculous thing that physically happened was after two years of being stuck this hour glass started running. Look at the women’s faces. Priceless. God is a God of wonder, amazement and miracles.

20131207-223640.jpgGlory to God

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Christianity, christmas

Be Having a Baby Gorilla (in your nativity scene)

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This year the boys are having difficulty waiting for the baby Jesus to arrive in the manger in our nativity scene. I’ve explained numerous times the meaning behind the nativity scene and Christmas. We’ve explained that we celebrate Jesus’s birthday on Christmas, just like we celebrate their birthdays on the day they were born. I explained that baby Jesus will appear in the manager on Christmas Day. (If I can remember where I put him!)

Today I had a HUGE belly laugh out loud moment as I walked by the nativity scene and saw a gorilla lying in the manger.

Check it out from far and near:

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Should I leave the gorilla in the manger? Yup, I think we will.

Happy seventh day of advent! Ahhhh eeee ahhhh!

Boys, Christianity, Family, Parenting

Be Decorating for Christmas

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We started our Christmas decorating today. It was a team effort.
Sexy Neck had the idea of wrapping a picture. He helped me balance the lights in the mantle and tried to figure out a few Christmas carols on the piano by ear. (How does he do that?)
JC helped with the garland, bows and lights.
CC helped with the advent calendar.
OC picked out the Christmas books.

All the boys drew Christmas pictures and put the wise men downstairs to start their journey to our nativity scene in Bethlehem our kitchen. The shepherd is on the upper shelf because he was on the hills above Bethlehem when the angels visited him. (At least that’s what the boys told me.)

Welcome to our home:

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I love Christmas! It gets more and more interesting and exciting as our traditions evolve.

Our traditions:
We have our gingerbread dough in the fridge ready to make men. My mom started decorating gingerbread men when JC was wee!

We have an advent calendar that the boys get a small ornament and chocolate each of the twenty-four days before Christmas.

We have a nativity scene where baby Jesus arrives on Christmas Day and the three kings/wisemen arrive in January.

We decorate with lots of lights to take away the winter darkness.

We hang our stockings. This is the first year we have a fireplace mantle to hang them on. We actually have a two-sided fireplace so we had to have a discussion on where they should go. My mom made the stockings.

Do you have any traditions to share?

May you enjoy a restful, peaceful and beautiful advent/Christmas season.

Boys, cancer, Christianity, Family, Parenting

Be Living In Godly Isolation

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I stand.

On my own.

I wait.

For someone to say something.

For someone to smile, to notice, to see this shattered human among them.

I stand.

In the unknown.

I wait.

For someone to tell me something.

For someone to tell me it will be okay, mom will be healed and I will have my best friend back.

I stand.

Not knowing.

I wait.

For someone to show me something.

For someone to show me why I am living here in isolation with my boys, away from my parents, from my support, from the place I am ‘known’.

I stand.

I understand.

I wait for no one.

No human can answer my questions.

No one can be enough, no one can help me comprehend or bring me moment-by-moment comfort.

I stand.

I am not alone.

I wait.

God is my strength.
My Someone.
My everlasting peace and joy.
My understanding.
My known.
He is more than enough in my isolation from family and friends.
Thank you Jesus.

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Boys, Christianity, Family, health & fitness

Be ‘Moving’ Backwards to go Forward

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My counsellor has been working with me to let go of the Western ideal that we move from point A to point B never to return to ‘old stuff’.

When I continue to go over this old ground in my mind, I feel like a failure, I feel shame and I feel mad.

My inner dialogue goes something like this:
“What this again? Seriously Joanna. Are you really going to have this same conversation again? Are we really going down this path? How could this happen again?”

Thanks to my counsellor, I have shifted this A to B mentally to be more of a deepening spiral. Like a tornado funnel.

Oh I like this analogy because sometimes I have me some wind blowing around me!

Yes, I am going to go over the same road again but I am going to be in a different place on my path, a deeper place. (I am almost 40 you know!).

Last night, was a huge mental shift downward into my deepening spiral.

For weeks I have looked for a once per week hockey program that we could do in Ktown. Do you think I could find one? Nope! Minor hockey, that wants to devour families lives with their three times per week practices/games, is the show in this town.

Sooo….
We decided to take JC out of Grade One forty-five minutes early and drive the boys sixty kilometres back to the town we just moved from so that the boys could play hockey.

They are back at the rink they know.

CC has the same coach he had last year.
Papa was on the ice with CC.
JC got to move up a level.
He gets his own jersey this year.
I get to see old friends each week.
AND THE VERY BEST PART, NANA CAME TO WATCH. Can you see me up and jumping around?

It was amazing night of going backwards. JC’s teacher was supportive of our idea, dad laced up his skates and even went for a morning skate to get ready, lastly mom looked me square in the eyes and said, “I am really glad that you are coming here for hockey!”

Anything for you Mama! Now if only I could meet your request for a new body!

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JC waiting to give his brother a high five before his turn on the ice.

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Papa and CC working together.

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OC watching the action.

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Nana is on the right in the toque.

Sometimes you need to go backwards to move forward. Lesson learned. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Deeper. Deeper. Deeper.