13 Hours of Rain

It is year in review time. And since my current stage of life doesn't lend itself to staying up until midnight to clink the champagne glasses, I feel the need to mark the moment through words instead. I did a quick perusal of my previous blog posts and read a few of my private journal entries over the year. A few thematic elements jumped out at me. I list them below in no particular order: Perseverance. There were a few incidences over the past couple of years that strongly tempted my husband and I to attend a new church. This is a hard thing to admit in this space, as I know some of my readers frequent our place of worship. So why admit it? Because, let's be honest, as Christians, we do struggle with some element of our church experience, whether it is the preaching, leadership, worship style, certain individuals or groups, theology, vision, etc. And there are times when you wonder why in the world you decided to attend your church in the first place, especially in the fac...

  Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Our family was invited to share about East-Indian Christmas traditions at a Seniors Christmas Potluck. I spoke. My husband sang. Our daughter added a Hindi greeting to my conclusion. Our son added harmonica accompaniment to his Daddy's guitar and voice. It was a fun and encouraging evening. Thanks for your prayers!

This is one of my favourite parts of winter: deep blue skies and frosty white trees. It is breathtaking!

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,   "Glory to God in the highest heaven,   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." ~ Luke 2:13-14 ~

This year's theme: Be You Bravely Today's topic in the Mom's group I attend was generosity. I once again was convicted on how I struggle with generosity. To be perfectly honest, I rather horde my money or spend it on frivolities; donate time to things I like to do (as opposed to serve in areas that are not super exciting); and guard my heart so I don't have to invest in relationships that have the potential to be messy. Yet, as I've become older, and my relationship with God has deepened due to His Grace, I am being pushed in all three areas. Believe me, it is hard, as being generous in not my natural tendency. But we are called to be generous as God's children. And how we actualize generosity will differ from person to person, culture to culture. Nonetheless, A. & J., I pray that you will be generous by God's enabling and equipping. May you give out of an attitude of abundance instead of scarcity. I am thankful for being challenged by my Mom...

I have finally reached the point when I can proclaim with sincerity, "I am thankful for my church and I actually like it." Now I am praying that God will help me LOVE my place of worship. I don't mean love as a feeling of euphoria or infatuation where I become giddy talking about where I attend for corporate Christian gathering. I mean the 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love, where I love in spite of frustrations or hurts or imperfections. So, here is my prayer: Dear Lord, I pray that you will help me love my church as you love this group of believers. May I be patient, especially when things don't go the way I think they should. I pray that I will speak kindly of my church when rubbing shoulders with those on the outside. I ask that I will not boast when things are going extremely well, because all that we are is because of your Grace and Power. Please, may I not be proud when I use my talents and passions to serve others (and receive affirmation). May I not be rude...

I realize I struggle with silliness. I think it was the way I was raised. Your Nana & Nani's generation and culture followed the norm, "Children should be seen and not heard." This was especially true in the presence of an elder or older guests. As a kid, you didn't talk. You only spoke when spoken to. Otherwise you just listened. Over time, and after being in Canada for a while, our family's dinner table conversations were more interactive and lively. But I don't think I was ever encouraged to be silly. So I catch myself curbing the silliness levels of you, my daughter, which at times is necessary to do. But my shortcoming is that I often want you to be like what I was expected to be, as the eldest daughter of our family: serious, obedient, responsible, proper, demure. I forget that you may very well have a different personality than I did when I was younger. I often -- too often -- forget that you are only six and that you love to live life with ent...

I know the Canadian oil/gas industry isn't too thrilled right now, but I am thankful that at least one of our monthly bills has gone down this Christmas season. That being said, I do offer up a prayer for those who may have lost their source of livelihood due to the rapid decline in oil prices. May God meet your needs during this season of giving.

Even though our days are shorter during this time of the year, I am thankful that I can enjoy sunrises. Winter sunrises are gorgeous! There is something about the angle of the sun rays and the crispness of the air that produces stunning backdrops of pink, purple and red. Then oranges and yellows emerge as the golden orb awakes from its slumber. Of course, the clouds scatter the light with artistry. It is breathtaking!

It was 5 degrees above zero today! We built a snowman and went sledding. Is it spring? Not really, just a chinook in this corner of the prairies. It all makes me think of purple flowers. :)

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The Toy Pile Up Dearest son, you have a vivid and creative imagination. I am thankful. You have the ability to play on your own and create daring scenarios with your cars and superheros. You can pick up a book and just "read", unraveling tales to match the pictures. Your dreams are intense, sometimes frightening, more often fascinating. Your artistic renditions reflect depth of story instead of two dimensional objects. Your Lego creations are complex and unique. Keep imagining, my son. Create unrestrained. And dream God's dreams.

It never ends. But I am so thankful for the little bodies (and adult bodies) that dirty clothes for me to wash. I am thankful I have reliable machines that wash and dry the clothes for our family. My daughter, when asked in Kindergarten what your Mother's favourite activity was, you drew a picture of me folding clothes. Yes, the weekly laundry chore is my favourite chore. And I am thankful that you two kids are now old enough to help me with the folding of dish cloths and socks. As I finish this post, I will do just that: fold your clothes, many of which have been gifted by your generous Grandma & Grandpa and Nana & Nani (thank you!). I praise God that several articles are getting small, which means you are growing. I thank God in advance on how He will provide more clothes for you in the future. Today I choose not to fret about clothes. The God who adorns the lilies, loves you more than I ever will. He will adorn you outside, and more importantly, inside - with beauty...

A gift that says "I love you."