blessings...

Every day of my life I love and enjoy my family and freedom. I have such beautiful memories of my childhood, especially on the farm... I am loved, and I know I always have been. My mother and father are good, fine people whom I admire and appreciate. My sisters are my dearest friends. My husband is an excellent man whom I love and am so grateful to live with. My children are safe and happy. We live without war or poverty, surrounded by opportunities; education, work, and immense natural beauty... Above all, I feel the constant care of our Heavenly Father and see every blessing by the pure and brilliant light of Jesus Christ! Still, I look forward to the future. It is bright and beautiful; of this much I'm sure... All sorrow will be left behind and love and truth and peace will live on forever. Of this I am sure, so how could I not want to keep such a time within my sights? As good as life is for some people, at some times, in some places, complete happiness demands at least a sur...

This morning Mary and I walked about five minutes up the hill with three sweet little children and picked saskatoon berries for about an hour with them. It would have been a hot day with the sun so bright, but it was perfect in the breeze blowing by us.  This is the third day in a row we have been up there collecting nature's little treats for fresh homemade desserts!  Mary is our kitchen angel and makes delicious berry (and sometimes berry-rhubarb) crisp.  As we were getting ready to leave this morning I was reminded of the children's picture book, 'Blueberries For Sal'. I am grateful that we didn't have the same experience on our little walk this morning!  I like seeing bears through the window when we are driving, but I have no wish to make their better acquaintance. I remember picking blackberries on Gabriola Island, and even at a highway gas station down at the coast. Those are easily my favorite wild berries to pick, in spite of the thorny brambles. Saskato...

Above all else in my life, I am grateful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the light of my heart. Because He suffered my sufferings I never suffer alone. Because He died and lives again, I too, will embrace my loved ones after I pass from this life into the next one... Whenever I remember Him I clearly see what I should do, and actually want to live His way.  My favorite thing about my Redeemer though, is His pure and perfect love. His love warms my soul and brings me peace and hope. I love how it fills me to overflowing so I can love other people in a way that would be way beyond me on my own!

This will always be remembered in my body's memory as the cherry summer... Strawberries are always lovely, but hardly seasonal. (since we have California produce they are available almost year-round. Not that I'm complaining about that.) However those big beefy strawberries aren't even comparable to the fresh sweet juicy little morsels of flavour we grow in the  backyard strawberry patch. Suffice it to say, they don't make it as far as the house. Irresistible! Other personal favourites for me would definitely be raspberries and  apricots. Both are intensely delicious but not boringly sweet; enough tangy in there to make my tastebuds sing with joy.  But I am embarrassed to tell how many cherries I have eaten this summer. So I won't tell. I had a good excuse- after my hysterectomy I needed to eat lots of fruit and veggies. As much as I like fresh veggies, they are no competition for fresh cherries. By the box. Costco boxes. Thank Heaven I can get away with as...

We are so lucky! Living with modern conveniences can be so nice and easy that we forget: most of the people who have ever lived in this world haven't enjoyed these cushy little benefits. And that even now most people living on earth with us aren't so privileged as we are. Here are a few handy little helpers I am really appreciating today... Ice packs and a freezer; can't imagine this surgery recovery or a nasty migraine without an ice pack. Simple, sweet relief.  Running water. It's summer and in this glorious warm sunshine it's pretty nice to just turn on the tap inside or outside and effortlessly fill a glass or water bottle with cold refreshment, water thirsty plants, fill the wading pool or spray the slip&slide or just spray the little people with a rainbowy mist of water. Fans, and for some, air conditioners! There are days and nights when we have several fans blowing in strategic locations around the house. Kirby rigs up highly effective systems of air...

As much as I prefer the idea of naturally occurring optimum health, I can't help but count the silvery blessings I find lining the underbelly of my illness cloud... First of all, I was referred to a good surgeon and heard the wait would be long-ish. Then the phone rang and I was offered a (cancellation) appointment the following morning at 9am! It wasn't cancer. (Always a plus with scary symptoms:) Then when I first spoke with the office booking agent to set up a date for surgery, she said I would be in within a month or two. OK. However, when I next saw the surgeon for a pre-op consultation, she offered me a date only about 10 days away. Great! This was a big deal as it meant that I would have the full two months of school holidays to recover while my husband and teenagers are around a lot to help me with my little people! (dayhome :) Then my loving husband took the day off and drove me in to the city hospital at the crack of dawn and was there with flowers when I wo...