Tag Archives: musings

Be a Dream Car

I fell in love with a car!

Way back in 2001.

I had the great privilege to commute with an amazing group of human beings to a small outlying “VIlle” to teach.  I taught  thirty-three grade six and seven students and had a third of the school in my class, even though there were 6 teachers on staff.  The school was declining in size!  I was fortunate to learn many new things, fall in love with my students and the staff and find my dream car.

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Is it weird that I had never had a dream car before?

Is is strange that my dream was a van?

Perhaps, God knew about the brood of boys that were coming into our life six years later.

I have fallen in love with how he prepares me for “events” in my life.

Day by day.

Person by person.

Story by story.

In 2001, we commuted in a brand, spanking new 2001 grey Honda Odyssey.   On those 5:45am pick-ups, this vehicle was luxury.  With its captain seats and personal water bottles, I thought that I had it made! And that was how my dream was created.

One day.

Some how.

I would own a 2001 Honda Odyssey.

Ten years later, in 2011, we decided to look for a Honda Odyssey as we awaited the birth of our third and three car seats would not fit in the back of our current vehicle.

Enter stage left, a beautiful grey 2001 Honda Odyssey that we could pay cash for and enjoy every day until last Friday.

She decided to stop on the side of the highway.

Just like that!   She sat there for three days while we pondered and prayed and wandered and wondered.

A few friends sat together in our wonderings.

And we are so grateful!

This van taught me how to dream, about cars.

Now she is reminding me how to dream in others ways.

Perhaps our life is meant to be with one car?

I wonder what will happen in the next weeks so that we could pay cash for a new car?

I am excited.

I am leaning in with anticipation.

I am dreaming.

I am so grateful for this dream car!

 

Be Merry Christmas-ing

Merry Christmas from here to there. 

Whatever your internal or external season.  

Whomever you are surrounded by or whether you are alone or lonely. 

May you feel this Merry Christmas  wish. 

May my unfolding story bring you hope.  

With joy and gratitude for what can happen in one year.  

Finding freedom to live my life.  

Being me. 

Pouring out my heart. 

Being each moment.  

Imperfectly perfect. 

Beautifully imperfect. 

Living in freedom this Christmas season. 

Wishing each person that knows me or my words a very Merry Christmas.  

Happy birthday Jesus! 

Jesus, the giver of great gifts and the ultimate giver of freedom, grace  and love.   

Be on a Sunrise Ski 

Two slender boards sliding through the powder.  

A Labrador retriever frolicking at the end of a leather leash.  

A happy mama taking time to be still while gliding through the snow.  

Be.  

Be still. 

Be still and. 

Be still and know. 

Be still and know I. 

Be still and know I am God. 

Be still and know I am.  

Be still and know I.  

Be still and know. 

Be still and. 

Be still. 

Be. 

Be you.  

Your strengths. 

Your gifts.  

Your talents. 

Be present.  

Be still within. 

Be enough.     

Side note:  I think this is one of the best parts of my early morning skiis, pajama-clad boys in the window.  

May you have many beautiful smiles to come home to during this Christmas season. 

 

Be Seeking Solitude

I ain’t small. 

I can use a gym voice.  

I have spent a plethora of time in gymnasiums and ice rinks.  

I love chatting to strangers and hearing others stories.  

I have filled a whole bunch of air with my words.  

Through the inspiring women currently surrounding me, I am realizing that solitude and silence fills the air with more.  

My words matter when there are less of them, leaving space for others.  

My being matters when there is less of me “out there”. 

Solitude is my sanctuary.  

Silence is my place to be.  

Seeking solice in space within. 

Re-reading books for a second time, which is unheard of for me. 

Pondering Henri J.M Nouwen’s words on silence: 

“Silence makes us pilgrims.

Silence guards the fire within.  

Silence teaches us to speak. 

Silence is the mystery of the future world.”

Be seeking solitude.  

In silence.  

Being me.  

———-

With gratitude for showing me the beauty and safety of silence: Annette and Miriam. (You can find Miriam at: http://www.miriamdesjardins.com

Be Changing Your Colours 

The bright beautiful colours of autumn are surrounding us.

The colours express that change is in the air.

The greens transforming into yellows, oranges and firey reds.

The colours shout of our amazing earth, the vibrant life that we can live.

If we choose.

Change is life.

We will find health in the midst of sickness and find other likeminded people along the way.

Embrace it.

We will find quiet in the noise.

Seek it.

We can find solace in the chaos.

Allow it.

Don’t judge.

Just be.

As the colours begin to change and in honour of my country’s new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, may we embrace our new change of colours during this autumn season.

With one hundred percent responsibility of our words and actions.

With change in the air swirling all around us.

Yellow.

Orange.

Firey Red.

Embracing change with all that we are.

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This post is written humbly in honour of a beautiful friend who went through a biopsy today and another amazing friend who sits at her mom’s side in the same hospital as well as my incredible teammate who supports her parents through many changes.

Be Not Computing

“So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.”
-Wendell Berry, Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
The inspiring words behind this post.  The simple message of doing something that won’t compute.
Be unreasonably kind.
Do something loving that doesn’t make sense.
Don’t explain.
Just give not computing a try!
Let us know what you decide.

Be Editing a Book 

Have you done something that you find unbelievable? 

I live in ‘unbelievable’ right now on a daily basis.  

I have spent the last few months pouring my thoughts onto paper through mind maps, on the computer in paragraphs and through old journeys from when I was younger.  

And now I am editing these words. Pouring over them with my heart and mind.  I am ensuring that every words represents my message and would make my boys (and my mom) proud.  

I am very grateful for Sexy Neck who edits for me nightly, my plethora of friends who are waiting to walk with me as editors and those brave souls, Karen and Rick, who edited my introduction and conclusion already.  

I am not sure what form this book is going to take, but I do know that I love living in the ‘unbelievable’ realm.  

Living. 

Dreaming.  

Wondering.  

Pouring out.  

Getting poured into. 

Editing a book.  

 

Be Breakingdown to Breakthrough 

There is a great myth in this world that hard stuff is bad stuff. 
A myth that makes us perseverate on the bad and prohibits us from realizing the greater changes that could occur through this hard stuff. 

Like working out physically hard at the gym, our bodies are capable of great changes by adding resistance and effort to breakdown our muscles so they can be built up stronger.  

When dealing with the hard stuff that comes up in our life, our minds are capable of using these difficult times to create breakthrough and change our lives. 

This story is just surfacing to share and bring freedom that is created when a breakdown can create a breakthrough.  

Hindsight is 20/20 and there is nothing like watching death unfold to provide hindsight.  
Two months after my mom died, it was the season of winter, outside and inside my soul.  The cold had settled in.  It was dark.    
Two months after my mom died, I sat down and made a decision.  

Would I allow her life and death fill me with bitterness or anger or would incredible good come from a life well-lived?

I chose finding the greater good, trusting God’s goodness and greater plan.   It was an easy choice as a wise counsellor had been teaching me about not judging things as either good or bad, but just noticing them.   In this choice, I daily looked for good while still rowing my boat of grief in the waves of sadness.  Every day, great goodness kept unfolding in front of us.  

For this breakthrough moment in that cold, wintery day, I am incredibly grateful.  It has not only provided trips of our dreams, a business that uses all my gifts, amazing nutritional products to fuel our bodies, but an incredible opportunity to grow personally. 

  
With gratitude.  

For all we can do.  

For the ways we can be.  

With intention. 

With daily discipline. 

And grace.  

And humility from the lessons of life 

Breakdown creating breakthrough.